The theme of hospitality in The Odyssey is of extreme importance. The Odyssey is an anthem to one of the most honored ancient Greek society’s value, as was hospitality. Hospitality tended to bond Greek’s personal relationship, such as friendship and at the same time loyalty; it symbolizes respect, honor, and justices. Although most of the host from The Odyssey did honor their guesses, Odysseus and his son Telemachus, the most remarkable examples of genuine hospitality in the poem are three. Nestor of Pylos and Meneláos lord of Sparta, they gave a great welcome to Odysseus’s son Télemakhus. At Pylos, Nestor feasted with him and offered libation to the gods for his guess, then send one of his son to help the boy on his quest. When Télemakhus arrives to Sparta seeking news of his father, Meneláos treats him The last example comes from a servant from his own land Ithaka, by Eumanios. Most of the various host in the rendered the proper hospitality honor to the guess but from the three main examples the best host was Alkínoös and his daughter Nausicaa. Princess Nausikaa gave him food to satisfy his stomach and put him clothes to cover his naked body, advised him about the attitude of the citizens toward visitors. The Phaiakians preferred not to have contact with others, so for that reason he might not be welcomed in the king’s halls as a guess; as for the princess, she saw no evil on Odysseus and that is why she gave him a warm welcome. “Stranger, there is no quirk or evil in you that I can see. You know Zeus metes out fortune to good and bad men as he pleases him. Hardship he sent to you and you must bear it. But now that you have taken refuge here, you shall not lack for clothing or any other comfort due to a poor man in distress” (Book VI, 200-205). Odysseus’s success obtaining hospitality from the Phaiakians king, Alkínoös was because he followed Nausicaa 's advices. She counsels him that in order to gain her father favors Odysseus must
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.
“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.
Temptations that Odysseus faced reflects experiences that happened in my own life. Every Time a person enters my home, I make them feel welcomed and not uncomfortable. This connects with the Odyssey because hospitality is a good policy I go by. “It is our luck to come here; here we stand beholden for your help, or any gifts you give as custom is to honor strangers.” (Homer 9.170-72) Basically, you should have good behavior to your peers. After this, obstacles are what you can overcome.
...o all guests saved Odysseus and helped him return home to his wife, son, and kingdom. Even though people from many different kingdoms and islands took Odysseus in their home and showed him great kindness on his return home, the individual who helped him most was the goddess Athena. In many occasions Athena assisted Odysseus. One such example is when Odysseus was fighting of the suitors and they threw spears at him. "Re-forming, the suitors threw again with all their strength, but Athena turned their shots, or all but two (p 566)." Another instance which Athena aided Odysseus was when she disguised him as a beggar on his arrival to his homeland. "Would even you have guessed that I am Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus, I that am always with you in times of trial, a shield to you in battle (p 444)." "Your goddess-guardian to the end in all your trials (p 539)."
Altogether, hospitality was an important theme for Odysseus, during his adventure back to Ithica. Hospitality also played an important role for Telemachus, and the search for information about the whereabouts of his father. Without this tradition of Greek hospitality, the sequence of events in The Odyssey could have changed drastically. Not only was this Greek custom of hospitality important in The Odyssey, it was also important to Greek citizens. Just the simple tradition of hospitality, whether positive or negative, can explain much about Greek citizens, and how they treat each other.
Hospitality In The Odyssey by Homer, hospitality plays a very important role. There are certain rules of hospitality needed, such as inviting a stranger into your home, not asking them their name before they have dined at your table, and sometimes even gift offerings. If these rules of hospitality are not carried out, the consequences are very severe. Hospitality is to be given to all by all. Being a good host is very important in The Odyssey, even to the gods. It is a sign of respect for all no matter where they are from or how poor they appear to be. This means that as soon as you see a stranger, you invite them into your home to sit at your table just as king Nestor did. "As soon as they saw the strangers, all came crowding down, waving them on in welcome, urging them to
All throughout The Odyssey there are scenes of good and bad, xenia, or hospitality. It can be seen that hospitality is extremely important in the Greek culture, both how someone treats their guests and how the guests treat the host. A closer look chronologically into the good, then bad examples will show how one acts affects the actions that are brought upon them when they either follow or disobey Zeus' Law. Right at the beginning of The Odyssey, the reader is shown the hospitality that Telemachus has. Athena arrives, disguised, and he invites her into his home by saying: "'Greetings, stranger!
Hospitality in the greek is Xenia which was the guest to host friendship and obligations of the host and guest. The giving of gifts was usually done between guests and hosts. They really strived for a symbiotic give and take relationship in which the host does most of the leg work but a honorable and good guest would give so gift or reward in return. The only time when the host could really reject or throw out a guest was when a guest violated xenia terribly to the point where Zeus would give the order to seek justice for an act of such magnitude. For example when Paris is a guest in the King of Sparta Menelaus’ house as a guest and then steals his beautiful daughter from him and runs away. The theft of a princess is a major offense and would definitely deserve some repercussions it says many times in the Iliad of how the gods disapprove of this act.
In the Odyssey the people of Ithaca are accustomed to hospitality. In Odysseus’s lengthy journey home he learns to maintain modesty. Odysseus’s family never give up on him throughout his entire 20 year journey, and they kept Ithaca for him when he came back. The Greek values of hospitality, humility, and loyalty are conveyed in The Odyssey.
Hospitality today is nothing like it was in Ancient Greece. Today, good hospitality is being friendly and respectful to a guest. In Ancient Greece, hospitality was something people had to do, or face the wrath of Zeus. Zeus’s law of hospitality is that any stranger that comes to your home, the host must be willing to feed, entertain, and maybe offer them a bath and anything else they might be in need of without question until those things had been given, and also give them a parting gift. The guest, in turn, would not be a burden in any way. In The Odyssey, most people follow the rules of hospitality, but there are others who do not. The Greek concept of xenia shows the serious priority the Greeks place on the laws of the gods.
...ers him help with anything. The old man shows how outstandingly loyal Odysseus’ people are for him, because even after so long of being away, a normal person would have forgotten about the man in question and moved on. QUOTE!!
Through characters and situations, The Odyssey promotes and emphasizes many important ancient Greek values such as hospitality, pride, and fate. Stressed greatly in ancient Greek culture, hospitality is evident throughout Homer’s writing, which reflects and expresses many different value systems within it. For example, when in the cave of the Cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus confronts him by saying, “we therefore humbly pray to show us some hospitality and otherwise make us such presents as visitors may reasonably expect” (92). To the Greeks, hospitality was very important, to the point that it was an expectation and not just a quality, as it is in today’s culture. If you feared Zeus and the gods, you were to show hospitality.
What are some influences that help make decisions in the Odyssey? One of the biggest influences is ancient Greek value. Some ancient Greek values that influenced the Odyssey are hospitality, family, and justice. Without the characters believing in these values the story would have been very different. Even Odysseus’s journey back home would have not happened without believing in family. In Homer’s epic story ancient Greek values has made Odysseus and many other characters respect hospitality, always return home to family, and bring justice to people who disrespect others.
Zenia, the Greek concept of hospitality and generosity, plays a critical role in Greek culture, as illustrated throughout the novel, The Odyssey, by Homer. One form of Zenia particularly emphasized the relationship between a host and their guest. The Greeks aimed to make any stranger, especially those far from home, feel comfortable in their household. Ancient traditions and culture demanded that all guests be given the highest respect and showered with luxuries such as food, wine, clothing, and women. Within the first four books of The Odyssey, Telémakhos, son of the renowned Odysseus, faces a predicament; his father’s whereabouts seem unknown and suitors continue to wreak havoc on his home, attempting to force his mother to wed one of them.