More handpicked essays just for you.
Hospitality in ancient greek culture
Hospitality in ancient greek culture
Hospitality in ancient greek culture
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Importance of Xenia in The Odyssey
“That boy is your company. And if he wants to eat up the tablecloth, you let him, you hear?” In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird Calpurnia yells at Scout due to her lack of respect towards a guest. In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, this type of hospitality is known as xenia. The code of xenia has three parts: 1) Respect from host to guest. 2) Respect from guest to host. 3) The host must give a parting gift to the guest. In The Odyssey xenia allows Odysseus and Telémakhos to complete their journeys home and kill the suitors. The benevolence that Odysseus’ and Telémakhos’ hosts convey allows for Odysseus and Telémakhos to make it back to Ithaka; on the other hand, the disrespect for xenia that the suitors
…show more content…
show creates for their ultimate demise. Due to others’ compliance of xenia, Odysseus completes his journey home from Troy.
Many people play decisive roles in Odysseus’ journey home from war. For example, in Phaiákia, the Phaiákians welcome Odysseus with open arms: “Let our seniors gather in the mourning / to give [Odysseus] a festal day” (VII. 204-205). Also when in Phaiákia Alkínoös instructs his men to help Odysseus move along on his journey: “Put our minds upon the means at hand / to take [Odysseus] safely, comfortably, well / and happily, with speed, to his own country, / distant though it may lie” (207-210). These instructions to help Odysseus get home displays the third rule of xenia. The Phaiákians are one of many who abide by xenia when hosting Odysseus. They hold a feast and even help Odysseus on his expedition back to Ithaka. Later on, after spending extensive amounts of time with Kirkê on Aeaea, Odysseus receives a parting gift. The present is remarkably helpful in Odysseus’ journey home. Kirkê tells Odysseus that he “plug [his] oarsmen’s ears / with beeswax kneaded soft” to pass the Seirênês (XII. 58-59). The guidance given proves to be beneficial as Odysseus is able to pass the Seirênês without harm. Although some hosts give a present as a parting gift, Kirkê gives the priceless gift of knowledge to help Odysseus home. The last stop of Odysseus’ journey is to his swineherd Eumaios. There, Eumaios gladly receives Odysseus saying, “Rudeness to a stranger is not decency, / poor though he may be, …show more content…
poorer than you” (XIV, 67-68). When Eumaios complies to xenia it completes the last step in Odysseus’ journey home. Odysseus can return to Ithaka because of xenia. Telémakhos succeeds in his quest to find more information about Odysseus thanks to others obeying the code of xenia. When Telémakhos first starts on his quest to find more information about his father, he is just a boy. This only makes it more crucial for his hosts to follow xenia. When Telémakhos first steps foot in Pylos the natives greet him with approbation: “When they saw [Telémakhos] / a hail went up, and all that crowd came forward / calling out invitations to the feast” (III, 38-40). Nestor and the rest of Pylos embrace their guest with great jubilance. The hosts go as far as asking Telémakhos to spend the night inside. As Telémakhos walks back to his ship for the night, Nestor says that “the only son of Odysseus / will never make his bed on a ships deck” (III, 383-384). These benign acts from the Pylonians allows for Telémakhos to have a good start on his expedition. Telémakhos’ next step is to “Meneláos’ mansion” (IV. 2). After questioning Meneláos about his father’s death, Telémakhos receives valuable insight from “the king with flaming hair” (IV. 180): “If only that Odysseus met the suitors, / they’d have their consummation, a cold bed!” (IV. 371-372). After hearing this, Telémakhos has completed his journey. He is now aware that Odysseus is alive and will kill the suitors if he has the chance. Much like his father, before returning home Telémakhos stops to visit Eumaios, the swineherd. Eumaios again follows xenia and greets his guest with open arms. As Telémakhos enters, the swineherd “[Builds] a new pile of evergreens and fleeces, / a couch for the dear son of great Odysseus, / then [gives] them trenchers of good meat . . . and [mixes] / an ivy bowl of honey-hearted wine” (XVI. 57-62).Telémakhos accomplishes his mission of safely acquiring more information about Odysseus when Eumaios adheres to xenia. Telémakhos finds valuable information about his father because of others’ regards to xenia. Athena aids Odysseus and Telémakhos in massacring of the suitors because of their blatant disregard of xenia.
While Athena is in Ithaka, Telémakhos tells her of the suitors’ ignorance of xenia: “[The suitors] have an easy life, / scot free, eating the livestock of another, / a man whose bones are rotting somewhere now” (I. 197-199). Athena sees first-hand the destruction that the suitors cause. From that point on, Athena makes it her goal to return Odysseus and Telémakhos and help them with the slaughter of the suitors. Athena goes as far as instigating the suitors before she kills them. For example, at one of the suitors’ many feasts, Athena sends the suitors into an uncontrollable laughing frenzy: “Pallas Athena [touches] off the suitors / a fit of laughter, uncontrollable. She [drives] them into nightmare, till they [wheeze] / and [neigh] as though with jaws no longer theirs” (XX. 387-389). This quote shows the suitors crimes are so bad that Athena wants to put them through hell before she sends them there. Athena also does this heinous act to intensify Odysseus’ hatred towards the suitors. The anger between both sides intensifies until finally Odysseus and Telémakhos kill the suitors, with the help of Athena. After the carnage, Eurýkleia describes Odysseus as “a mountain lion / when he has gorged up an ox, his kill / with hot blood glistening over his whole chest, smeared on his jaws, baleful and terrifying” (XXII. 450-453). This shows the extent of the killings, and
how Odysseus could only eradicate the suitors with the help of a god. Odysseus could not kill the suitors by himself. If the suitors had obeyed xenia, Odysseus would not have been able to kill them because the gods would be indifferent to whether the suitors die. Those who honor and those who neglect the code of xenia make it possible for Odysseus and Telémakhos to return to Ithaka and slaughter the suitors. People abide by xenia in Ancient Greece, Maycomb Alabama, and still today. Many people even get rewarded or punished based on their following of xenia. Although the details and names change, hospitality will always be around.
From the very beginning we can see the Powerful Kirke showing good xenia by the way she treats her guests, it is the way he does it that makes us question whether it is slightly wrong. “On thrones she seated them…she prepared a meal of cheese and barley and amber honey mixed with pramanian wine…” (Pg. 172 lines 257-259) Although this shows nothing but good xenia she adds her own evil spice to the feast, “…adding her own pinch, to make them lose desire or thought of our dear father land.” She betrays them, uses their weakness to her advantage and turns them into swine. Once Odysseus hears about this he rushes to stop this trickery, while on the way the great Hermes prepares him with an herb that will stop the powerful effects of Kirke’s evil trance. Odysseus arrives with a clear mind and even though Kirke works hard to put him under her trance, she fails time and time again. Odysseus loses track of his long term goal to go home and ends up staying over a year willingly drinking wine and eating luxurious meat. When he finally realizes it is time to get back on plan and head home. A sneaky Kirke has other plans for Odysseus and his crew’s journey, “…you shall not stay here longer against your will, but home you may not go unless you take strange way…come to the cold homes of Death and pale Persephone.”
Once Odysseus has served enough time in a place against his will, he would be determined to leave that place. Odysseus’ journey towards home was now going to be able to be finished. For seven years Calypso held him prisoner on the island of Ogygia and he was determined to leave and see to the rest of his journey. Calypso agrees to let him go and she gives Odysseus some advice and guidance saying, "Only I will not aid [you] on [your] way, for I have no ships fitted with oars, nor crews to bear [you] over the broad oceanridges; but I will freely give [you] counsel and not hide how [you] may come unharmed to [your] own native land"(47). Calypso recognizes Odysseus’ greatness. Calypso says she will give some advice, but Odysseus will have to prove his greatness by making his own ship and understand how he will make it home.
Humbly, he is “on the ground, in the ashes by the fire”(VII,190). He does not intrude into to their home and forcibly take gifts as he did on the Cyclops island. He accepts the care given to him from the Phaeacians and does not ask for more than he is given. Odysseus takes accountability of his actions when King Alcinous blames his daughter for bringing stranger into their home, Odysseus tells King Alcinous to not take “fault with a flawless daughter now, not for my sake, please”(VII,342-343). He is grateful for her help in giving him hospitality. After King Alcinous assures Odysseus he will get home, Odysseus prays,“May the king fulfill his promise one and all! Then his fame would ring through the fertile earth and never die”(VII,380-382). He is appreciative of the help so Odysseus calls to Zeus for good things for Alcinous. Not thinking of himself and wishing positive impacts on others is a sign of maturity.
In the “Land of the Dead”, Odysseus has to make a complicated potion to bring out the profit Teiresias. While waiting for Teiresias to come, he has to hold back the ghosts of the dead. While holding them back, he sees his dead mother. Odysseus did not know she was dead, and grieved, but still held her off to accomplish his obligations. While in the land of the dead, he sees his fallen shipmate, Elpenor. Elpenor tells him that he must backtrack back to Aeaea Island to bury his body and give him an honorable funeral. Odysseus promises to do this and he later does. The strength that he has to hold back ...
Understanding a story requires more than just reading words and matching them with a general definition. One needs the ability to comprehend the themes by carefully reading between the lines. The concept of xenia is displayed numerous times throughout The Odyssey. Xenia is a type of hospitality that many of the Greeks found necessary to abide by. As Carly said in her description of xenia, it "describes guest-friendship as a sort of custom of the home." In order to fully grasp the idea of the book, one must understand this Greek hospitality and the significance it served to many Greeks during this era. If there were an absence of xenia, The Odyssey would not have any cultural depth to it; instead, it would be a book solely about a war hero who experiences few obstacles on his way home. The main characters of The Odyssey followed the unwritten code of xenos, even if it was not self-beneficiary. Them being
“I often gave to vagabonds, whoever they might be, who came in need.” (Homer, 351) Hospitality was evident in Homer’s time period and eventually was seen as an institution in the Greek culture. A guest-host relationship, known as Xenia, takes place throughout The Odyssey whether it’s to gain relationships or to avoid punishments from the gods. It is a major theme and is apparent in every book of The Odyssey. Hospitable characters who use xenia are what keep this novel going. Xenia affects the plot in many ways and influences characters actions and choices throughout the novel.
Xenia, the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, was one of the foremost forces in Homer’s Iliad. The Achaeans respect it above nearly all else, and failure to adhere to its strict customs could lead to the forfeiture of countless souls.
In book 9 of The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus was forced to make many critically important decisions. Although he made some wise decisions that portrayed his leader-like characteristics, many of his choices were poor ones that led to more difficulty along the journey. When Odysseus and his men entered the cave, his men wanted to raid Polyphemus’ cheese stores, and then return for the flocks. However, Odysseus was irrational and greedy, and told the Phaeacians this: “But I would not give way...not until I saw him, saw what gift’s he’d give” (9.256-58). By waiting for the lawless Cyclops to come back and grant the soldiers gifts, he and his men were put in danger, since Polyphemus was not friendly, nor was he willing to give them anything, and
When Odysseus left Ithica, Telemakhos was only an infant. Now twenty years later, Telemakhos is faced with the hoggish suitors and shows little sign of hope for the future. In fact, when Athena approaches him as Mentor, he gives this grim description of his situation: "they eat their way through all that we have, and when they will, they can demolish me" (I.297-298). Telemakhos is rightfully anxious about the problems at hand. He doesn't remember his father, whom he refers to as "a man whose bones are rotting somewhere now" (I.199), and holds out little faith "in someone's hoping he still may come" (I.206-207). This shows Telemakhos' realization of the scope of his problems at hand. He is not naive to the suitors intentions, and seemingly too him, he is left alone to contend with them. It is here that Telemakhos displays emotional immaturity and a lack of confidence. Though he may realize the necessary strength of one who could overtake his enemies, he cannot identify these capacities within himself. Fortunately, Athena's encouragement comes just at the right time. She encourages that he "call the islanders to assembly, and speak your will, and call the gods to witness: the suitors must go scattering to t...
Homer’s Iliad is ripe with a variety of social structures. The passage where Diomedes meets Glaucus in battle shows the reader how a variety of these structures interact, and how the Argives value them in relation to each other. There are times when the characters fight for glory, there are times when they strive to earn riches, but above all else, they respect xenia. Xenia is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, and it is evoked any time a guest visits a host. The Achaeans respect it above all else, and failure to adhere to its strict customs could lead to the forfeiture of countless souls. By the end of the story, xenia has overpowered money, battle, and glory, cementing its place as the most powerful force in all of Homer’s Ancient
The. " In disguise as an old friend of Odysseus', Athena travels to his manor in Ithaka, now overrun with noisy, lustful suitor's intent on marrying Odysseus' wife, Penelope. Odysseus' son, Telemakhos, unhappy among the suitors, greets Athena warmly as a stranger and invites her to their feast. As the suitors devour Odysseus' oxen, Telemakhos says he believes his father - whom he does not know at all - is dead. "(gradesaver.com/
Throughout the Odyssey, Homer presents the reader with certain clues about what Odysseus feels his homecoming should (but not neccessarily will) be like. First of all, Odysseus wants to return to Ithaka. Homer goes as far as having Odysseus describe Ithaka: "There is a mountain there that stands tall, leaf-trembling Neritos, and there are islands settled around it, lying one very close to another. There is Doulichion and Same, wooded Zakynthos, but my island lies low and away, last of all on the water…" (Bk. 9, ln. 21-25). Kalypso lives on island, which may indeed resemble Ithaka. In this way, Homer begins to alert the reader that this scene may be a false homecoming. But, simply the fact that Kalypso lives on an island is not enough evidence to draw the conclusion that this may foreshadow Odysseus’s true homecoming. Other evidence is needed, and Homer provides it for us. Odysseus expects to return to his family and to the way of life which he is accustomed to. For the most part, Kalypso treats him as he is used to being treated—there is a certain sense of familiarity here. Returning from ten years of war with Troy and at least several years at sea, Odysseus wants to return to the comfort of home. Her cave has ...
... hospitality should be given to a guest because of how they treat Telemachos. The Cyclops, Polyphemos, shows how xenia can be not given at all, by the way that he treats Odysseus and his men. How one disregards the rules of hospitality, and does it knowingly, is how the suitors behaved. Throughout the Odyssey, Homer writes about many different instances of good hospitality, like the people of Pylos. Homer also shows instances of bad hospitality, like how the suitors behave as guests and how Polyphemos treats his guests. No matter if it is a good or bad example of hospitality, the impression of how important xenia is to the Greeks is always present. All of the Greeks follow the rules of hospitality to the nines, for fear that they will be struck by Zeus’s lightning bolt.
During his absence, many suitors propose to his wife Penelope. Upon his return, Odysseus and Athena decide to kill all the men who seeked marriage with his wife. Athena is excited to see Odysseus back to his god-like self, and asks him to “consider how [he’s] going to get [his] hands on these shameless suitors, who for three years now have taken over [his] house, proposing to [his] wife and giving her gifts.” (XIII, 390-393) Athena enjoys plotting against these suitors, which her language in talking about them shows. It should also be noted that she never asks Odysseus if he wants to kill the suitors. Immediately, she assumes that he is going to kill them. How is Odysseus supposed to turn her down? She is a goddess, and he is a god fearing man. His power to murder the suitors is infinite, with a goddess on his side. He is not abusing his power, but is in fact using the power that is expected of him by
As technology slowly consumes society, the custom of hosting a stranger, or even a friend, is gradually declining. Thankfully, The Odyssey, written by Homer, gives an example of the ideal host. The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus’ trials and tribulations as he makes his way home from Troy. As Odysseus is on his journey home, he finds himself on the island of Phaeacia. While on Phaeacia, Odysseus humbles himself and accepts the kindness and generosity the Phaeacians offer him. This is the last stop for Odysseus before his journey finally comes to an end when he reaches Ithaca. Throughout his stay on Phaeacia Odysseus will experience the ideal way to host a guest. The Phaeacians are the ideal host because they welcome Odysseus into their home without