Within Homer’s The Odyssey hospitality and relationships between the guest and host was a powerful tradition in Ancient Greek times, which built strong relationships and forged alliances. This guest-host relationship is known as xenia, a pinnacle of Greek society, and is a major theme throughout The Odyssey, and influences the plot of the story in very important ways. For many modern readers xenia is difficult to discern in terms of the guest-host relationship and how it is applied without clearly learning it. Fortunately, there are certain essentials of hospitality that are required for a guest to be properly welcomed and received. Additionally, these essential requirements of xenia aid in the development of the plot, particularly near the end of the epic when Odysseus discards his disguise as a guest in his own home and is there to reclaim and restore it. The custom of xenia was seen as a measure of who was civilized, as well as being a significant part of the religious aspect of the Greek’s lives. The Greeks believed that Zeus was the patron God of hospitality and honouring a guest was the same as honouring Zeus. They believed that failing to honour a guest would bring the wrath of the gods upon them. By portraying good xenia, many people were able to spread the fame of their house and improved their own statuses. Xenia is evident in many different incidents throughout The Odyssey. Most of the first half of the epic portrays Telemachus and Odysseus being welcomed as guests in a foreign land. As each interaction develops, they each share common features of hospitality. These features include the bath, the feast, the question of who the guest is, the guest-gift, and the promise of transport and protection. However, throughout T... ... middle of paper ... ... an understanding of what establishes the guest-host relationship helps one to recognise how significant the role of xenia is. Being a good host and offering hospitality would lead to the uncovering of a stranger’s identity, which is seen during Odysseus’ homecoming. This plays a major role in the epic due to the fact that Odysseus must reveal his identity to reclaim his home and rid it of the suitors that have moved into his palace. Due to Telemachus’ hospitality towards Odysseus when he is disguised as a beggar, Odysseus is able to take the necessary steps to secure his home, determine who should be punished and take up the bow used to kill those who defied him and his wife. Hospitality is essential in creating this vital moment within the epic and what it has been built up to. Xenia defined who a person truly was and helped Odysseus eventually make his way home.
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
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
Home was a prevalent concept in Ancient Greece. Not only was there a goddess of the hearth and home, Hestia, but hospitality towards others was highly stressed. Home was regarded as a place to escape from chaos in the outside world. Homer and Euripides in The Odyssey and Medea, respectively, use the motif of home to show the difference in an individual’s public manner versus their personal, more natural manner. This difference is caused by the different levels of comfort individuals have in different settings. Specifically, the two works portray the difference through experience of the characters, mistrust developed towards others, and the maintenance of dual identities.
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.
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
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
An example of complete xenia would be when Telemachos meets the people of Pylos. Telemachos meets the Pylonians while they are in the middle of an important ritual to Poseidon. Even though they are in the middle of a ritual to another god, they stay true to Zeus’s law of hospitality. The people of Pylos welcome Telemachos without question, and as soon as he arrives. They do not ask his name or where comes from until they have fed and entertained him, further following the rules of hospitality. They honor the law of Zeus and continue their festival to Poseidon. The people of Pylos are polite to their guests and treat them very well from the moment they greet them. They wait until Telemachos has eaten to ask him his name and where he has come from. Throughout Telemachos’s stay, they never give him a reason to be nervous or uncomfortable. The people of Pylos are the perfect role models of xenia in The Odyssey because they follow all the rules of hospitality unreservedly.
In our modern day, there are plenty of different ways that a person can show hospitality towards a guest whether it be a stranger or friend. Having only lived in the United States, I have found myself to be treated most graciously by my friends, but every so often, I do find myself to be lost in a friend 's house. Every person was taught certain morals as a child that they now use in their adult lives, but for some people, hospitality has been thought to be just letting them come into the house. In the Odyssey, so far, we as the readers have come to see how hospitality can be very well done. Whether it be Telemachus or Odysseus traveling and staying at places, they were served at the finest level even though they were complete strangers. The providers have a dedication to help the stranger because they could possibly hope that the gift of food or money will be passed on.
Hospitality in Homer’s era was thoroughly presented through extended travels such as Odysseus ' in The Odyssey in addition to the guest-friend relationship, acknowledged as xenia. There are various feasible motives why hospitality was more customary in those times. Traveling in Homer’s time period was much lengthier than in modern times. The reduced amount of advanced methods of transportation is used in Homeric times, for instance by boat or by foot. Their methods were much more time consuming than forms of transportation today. Therefore, several additional nights were spent away from home. Because during this time era hotels were not available to travelers nor would they be affordable if they had. travelers relied on the generosity
It is not merely the mortals who respect xenia and the implications it creates, but the Gods provide and honor the sanctity of guest courtesy in Greek culture as well. Zeus, ruler of the gods, is often known as Zeus Xenia, or the god of travelers. He protects Greek travelers and the mortals respect xenia in fear of Zeus’ wrath and not only to adhere
In The Odyssey of Homer, translated by Allen Mandelbaum, Odysseus makes the journey home after twenty years. He faces obstacles that he must overcome, which includes the loss of all his men. While away his wife Penelope was to pick a suitor from many men who consumed all of Penelope and Telemachus’ wealth. Odysseus returns to Ithaca as a beggar and with the help of Athena, is able to defeat the suitors. Hospitality played a major role in the Odyssey, because it determines the fate of both the host and the guest. Showing anyone into one’s home and respecting them because it is morally right, but the guest must also respect the host repay the favor if needed.
In Ancient Greek, being hospitable was critical. Not only was it a religious duty to be hospitable, it was expected of everyone to be hospitable towards guests. In the article “Welcome: A Religious Duty”, it quotes “Hosts had a religious duty to welcome strangers and guests had a responsibility to respect hosts. The relationship is often symbolized in the Odyssey by the presentation of gifts.” (Welcome: A Religious Duty). Guests could include almost anyone, ranging from friends and family to complete strangers. It was not unusual for travelers to take refuge in a complete stranger’s home. In the Odyssey, Odysseus says to a Cyclops, “It was our luck to come here; here we stand, beholden for your help, or any gifts you give- as is custom to honor strangers.” (Homer 9.170-172.1115). as if it wasn’t enough to have a home to stay in, the guests were expectant of gifts, as displayed by Odysseus previously. It seems as though the gifts would be an item of value, however, not all gifts were tangible items. For example, the Greeks knowledge of current events were vague because there was not a news system, so in exchange for a place to stay, the newcomer might give information to their disconnected hosts. An example of this is when Odysseus is in King Alcinious’ court and tells the king of the obstacles they have encountered trying to get back home to Ithica. Because ...
Xenia, at the ancient Greeks society, simply means hospitality: the standard practice of the host and the guest from various locales. Examples from providing food and drink, through offering bath and gift, and to protect and escort guests to their destination are extremely common and what seemed appropriate to expects from the host. Basic rules of xenia include how host should respect guest by not asking questions about one before one finish dining, and how guest should respect host by offering gift and to not to be a burden. Through out Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, hospitality plays a major and constant theme where it at least appeared in 12 different occasions. At Homeric times due to limitation on transportation, people can only travel by vessel or by foot, which were much slower than current sorts of transportation and made the journey back then much longer and more challenging. Additionally, there were
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