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Overabundance of xenia in the odyssey
Overabundance of xenia in the odyssey
Hospitality in the ancient greek
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“The word ‘hospitality’ in the New Testament comes from two Greek words. The first word means ‘love’ and the second word means ‘strangers’. It’s a word that means love of strangers”-Nancy Leigh Demoss. The idea of Xenia might be one of the most important themes in the Odyssey. It is the Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. In the Odyssey, Homer really shows the reader how important this value is. The theme Xenia is a major topic in Homer’s the Odyssey; by giving us many examples of what happens if you show good or bad hospitality. Homer clearly emphasizes the importance of Xenia to the plot by showing that people who showed good hospitality had a better fate opposed to the people that did not.
Telemachus meeting Athena in disguise was an excellent
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example of Xenia. He immediately comes and greets her. He feeds her and offer her and gives her wine and then later asks who she was. Later Athena decides to leave and he still continues to show hospitality and even asks her to stay longer: “Though you are anxious to be on your way, stay a little longer so that you can bathe and refresh yourself.
Then you can go to you ship in a happy frame of mind, taking with you as a keepsake form myself something precious and beautiful, the sort of present that one’s give to a guest who has become a friend” (Rieu. 1.309-314)
This is a perfect example of what a host should be like. Because of his great show of Xenia, he is later rewarded for it when he finally meets his father and is able to get rid of all of the suitors.
The second and best example of Xenia that we get in the Odyssey is when Odysseus meets the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Odysseus decides to go to Polyphemus’s cave in the hope that he will be hospitable. However, that did not happen since Polyphemus locked them in his cave and ate his men. Xenia is mainly prevalent in Ancient Greek society is because of their fear of the gods; however, since Polyphemus is the son of the Greek god Poseidon and he thinks that he is stronger than the gods, he believes that he will not have to deal with their punishment of the so he continues to be
unhospitable. “Stranger you must be a fool, or, must have come from a very far afield, to order me to fear or reverence the gods. We Cyclopes care nothing for Zeus with his aegis, nor for the rest of the blessed gods, since we are so much stronger than they are. I would never spare you or your men for the fear of incurring Zeus enmity, unless I feel like it” (Rieu 9.274-279). Eventually because of his inhospitality he was blinded by Odysseus for the rest if his immortal life. This is an excellent example of what happens if you don’t show Xenia. The Phaeacians were punished despite being the best example of xenia in the epic, which demonstrates significance of fate, not the insignificance of Xenia. When Odysseus came to the Phaeacians they instantly offered him food, a bath and entertainment. However, the King knew what would happen if he did this but continued to do so anyway. Later, as the crew was coming back to their homeland after dropping Odysseus off, Poseidon turn their boat into stone making it sink just as they reached their land. Yet this is more of an example of fate rather than Xenia. The prophecy was stated long before, nevertheless, the King (Alcinous) continued to help strangers including Odysseus. “Alas! He cried. My father’s prophecy of long ago comes back to me! He used to maintain that Poseidon that Poseidon resented our living safe conduct to all and sundry, and he foretold that one day he would wreck one of our fine ships on the high seas as she was returning form such a mission, and would overshadow our city with a ring of high mountains. This is what the old man used to say, and now it’s all coming true” (Rieu 13.173-179). This is a show of fate at working instead of the consequences of showing bad Xenia. Overall, Xenia is extremely important theme is Greek society. It determines the fate of the people in the Odyssey and is a huge factor throughout the book. The reason that this value is so important was because traveling was very common during that period, however, they didn’t have many ways to do so. Therefore, it would take them a longer time to get home, leaving them to rely on others for their hospitality. It eventually became a custom as shown in the Odyssey and eventually shaped the way they behaved and what they believed. It became so essential that it effected the character’s fate by the way they showed it in either a good or bad way.
In the book The Odyssey, xenia is considered sacred. If one was to show xenia in a negative way they would later be punished for it and if someone was to show xenia in a positive way they would be rewarded for it. Yet if xenia was both good and bad, how would that affect the outcome? In the story “The Grace of the Witch”, the great and beautiful Goddess Kirke shows good xenia by giving her guests a warm welcome with rich wine, extravagant feast, and tall thrones to sit upon and feel magnificent, but does it all count if she drugged them to stay? The toss between good and bad xenia is questioned when Kirke shows Odysseus and his men good hospitality but it is also threatened when they are forced to stay or must leave and head to the homes of
“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.
Telemachus has no idea who Athena is, yet he still shows extreme generosity towards her. Telemachus is a perfect role model for Xenia. Even though the suitors have been pushing him around for years, he still finds it in his heart to provide strangers with a lovely experience when they visit him. It seems as though he has seen how terrible it is to be treated with bad xenia and he in turn wants to treat his guests the way that he hopes to be treated. Other acts of hospitality are seen throughout The Odyssey.
Odysseus ' principles and characteristics are a prototype of an ideal Homeric Greek leader. Odysseus is noble, clever and loyal. Through his distress and blunders, he gains knowledge that was not only crucial for his survival but for his companions too. Odysseus’s cleverness constantly allowed him to avoid death because he relied on trickery, rhetoric and disguise. “The society depicted in The Odyssey is one where male values were dominant and where all socially relevant transactions took place between the male members of the community”. (Whittaker 39) While males’ dominance takes the forefront in society, their principles are continuously being challenged by the allurement of women. In The Odyssey, many instances of such seduction reveals
For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined. This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization. Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--man and woman. Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative. Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men. Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each--through her vices or virtues-- helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman. Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Clytaemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks.
... make more of an impact and add a new form of relevance to the meaning of hospitality. The act of xenia does not have to be carried out in some sort of extravagant way, but in the form of offering up the most simplest of things. People who are in need have always been around, and will also continue to be here; therefore, the means of hospitality should be spread.
So Xenia throughout the Iliad gives us a glimpse at their culture and tradition. The Iliad is full of examples where strangers, are welcomed into the homes of strangers and are sent away full of food and protected for upwards of a week. Even in the midst of war the Greeks stuck to their belief system that they had during their upbringing. The Greek sset a great example for us to follow to give grace to everyone even in bad circumstances.
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
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.
Women play an influential role in The Odyssey. Women appear throughout the story, as goddesses, wives, princesses, or servants. The nymph Calypso enslaves Odysseus for many years. Odysseus desires to reach home and his wife Penelope. It is the goddess Athena who sets the action of The Odyssey rolling; she also guides and orchestrates everything to Odysseus’ good. Women in The Odyssey are divided into two classes: seductresses and helpmeets. By doing so, Homer demonstrates that women have the power to either hinder of help men. Only one woman is able to successfully combine elements of both classes: Penelope. She serves as a role model of virtue and craftiness. All the other women are compared to and contrasted with Penelope.
Throughout history, gender discrimination has taken away countless lives of women, lowering the overall social status of women in society. For example, Salem witch trials, a series of unreasonably prosecution of women accused of witchcraft, in Massachusetts are an ancient example of gender discrimination towards women. The Odyssey by Homer exemplifies a modern vision of breaking free from the obsolete cultural expectations of the Greek society as well as the world, seeking for gender equality and demanding for a more egalitarian society. Despite the restrictions on the role of female in a typical patriarchal Greek society, Homer innovatively breaks the barrier that persistently favors males over females, which results in a unique influence on his male characters as well as a strong female attitude behind each line of the epic poem. This feminist aberration from traditional Greek values is portrayed through the intelligence of Penelope, the tenacious assistance of Athena for Odysseus in spite of Poseidon’s antagonism, and the imprisonment of Odysseus by Calypso.
... 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.
And that is the brilliance of Homer. He takes The Odyssey told in his day as an oral tradition and turns it into a masterful book that has meaning even into today. Homer believes that we should all be kind to our fellow man. In ancient Greece, that means being hospitable to whoever steps into your domain. Anyone who will show hospitality: Telemachus, Nestor, Menelaus, and Alcinous, is revered as a good man worthy of respect and honor, but those that cannot or will not respect xenos are subject to the vengeance that they receive: Aegisthus, Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, and Circes. Homer wants us all to be hospitable in our lives and he uses Telemachus’ and Odysseus’ journeys in The Odyssey to show us this.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.