...In Greek culture, it is considered very impolite to refuse a guest to enter your house. In most cases,xenia is good, when a guest does not overstay his welcome and does not eat too much food, but bad xenia can occur when a guest intrudes a house, stays for too long, does not treat the house with respect, and eats too much food. In the novel, The Odyssey, Homer reveals and illustrates the centrality of xenia in Greek culture by writing countless events of characters that show strong and poor hospitality including the encounters between Eumaeus and Odysseus, Menelaus and Telemachus, and the suitors and Penelope. He stresses the importance and normality for People to treat others this way as it reflects upon their own character as a host. Eumaeus...
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...Xenia is the Greek word for hospitality. It is the law that requires both hosts and guests to be polite and respect each other. To be a good guest, one should provide his own stories, or bring trade or gift to the host. On the other hand, a good host has much more things to do than a good guest. He should bathe the guest, give him clothing, food, as well as guest present, and also transportation and protection. Gods might also disguise themselves into human beings to test the hospitality of a host. Xenia is an essential and highly expected quality for both guests and hosts according to Homer. In The Odyssey, he provides several examples: the suitors and Polyphemus (the Cyclops), Telemachus, Nestor, and Menelaus, as well as Calypso and Circe....
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...How Xenia is Key in The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer shows how the Ancient Greeks relied on each other for hospitality which was known as Xenia. Xenia is an Ancient Greek Value and it made the Greeks allow strangers into their homes for food and a place to sleep. The Greeks were also not allowed to ask questions because Xenia was based on showing generosity to anyone who showed up to your door. This was because it could be a god disguised as a civilian, and usually the homeowners were supposed to give the stranger a gift when they arrived at their door for this reason as well. When someone did not follow the rules of Xenia, they were disciplined; like the suitors getting killed, and the Cyclops getting his eye poked out by Odysseus....
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...Noah Schoonveld Mrs. Kelley Bailey World literature December 13, 2016 Xenia in The Odyssey Zeus, the ruler of the Olympians, the God of the Sky and thunder, was at the epicenter of Ancient Greek Mythology. Those who worshiped the many Greek gods and goddesses would try to emulate and embody the many characteristics of Zeus, one of them being xenia, The Ancient Greek concept of hospitality. Xenia plays a crucial role throughout Homers The Odyssey. Starting in the very first book, Telemachus is seen opening up his father’s palace to Athena, And later in what might be the greatest display of xenia, Alcinous opens his kingdom to Odysseus. Xenia is so important In the Greek culture, because it develops a mutual understanding and trust between...
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...The Odyssey, written by the poet Homer, examines the theme of xenia and the importance of following cultural norms throughout the texts. Xenia demonstrates the way guests and travelers should be treated when they arrive at a host’s house or land, including and not limited to feeding the guests, providing them with entertainment, and giving a sacrifice to the gods. Essentially, it is a form of politesse and hospitality imposed as a social norm for travelers and hosts in Greek mythology. Violations of xenia are severe for they signal a disregard for social norms and a disregard for the well-being of others (i.e. in this case, those of the travelers). Polyphemus, a son of Poseidon, was a cyclops in the Odyssey, known to demonstrate poor xenia...
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...Savannah Cook Western Lit 13 October 2016 Hospitality Xenia is defined as the Greek relationship between two people from different regions. Hospitality in Homer’s time was essential because in this day and time, methods of travel were less convenient. The communication and technology during this time period was far less advanced than the modern times to come. With the less progressive communication avenues along with longer travel times, more nights were spent away from home in other locations. The most common forms of transportation of this day were boat or on foot which obviously took longer than today’s modern transportation. In addition to this, travelers were not able to afford to stay in hotels or inns every night therefore it was...
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...The epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, shows how ancient Greeks relied on strangers and others to be well treated when visiting. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus had to travel to get home, but in doing so, they had to get help by others. Odysseus would arrive to get help and the host would show Xenia. Xenia is a translation of hospitality, where the host has to give food and something to drink, and it was not polite for the guest to be question before he/she is treated. The extreme value of Xenia to the ancient Greeks is a recurrent theme in The Odyssey, as shown through the examples of Telemachus with Mentes, Alcinous with Odysseus, and Penelope with the beggar. The first example is when Telemachus offers his home to Mentes. It shows how...
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...Loyalty in The Odyssey Many human cultures assign values as well as worthiness to the existence of loyalty. As a Classical culture known for its emphasis of loyalty at home as well as abroad, the faithfulness of ancient Greeks in their relationships is exemplified in many Classical texts, such as Homer’s The Odyssey. In both ancient Greece as well as in The Odyssey, loyalty was the social norm because of the egalitarian nature of the city-state as well as because of the typical ancient Greek family structure. Not only because of social expectations as well as traditions was loyalty expected, but there was also an added pressure by one’s religious conviction such that it was believed that if the guests were in any way or manner mistreated, then the ancient Greek deities would punish the offender(s). There are several passages in Homer’s Classical text The Odyssey which illustrate these aspects of ancient Greek loyalty. In illustration of the faithfulness between Odysseus as well as his crew, there is a passage that notes loyalty in the crew-leader relationship: He saw the town as well as learned the minds of many distant men, as well as weathered many bitter nights as well as days his deep heart at sea, while he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home. But not by will or valor could he save them, for their own recklessness destroyed them all- children as well as fools they killed as well as feasted on the cattle of Lord Helios, the Sun… (651). It would initially...
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...Homer’s epic The Odyssey, the young, arrogant athlete, Broadsea, challenges Odysseus to sports. The scene shows the overall themes of respect for elders and Xenia, and Odysseus’ values of being a Greek warrior. Broadsea starts by insulting Odysseus by implying he is too old for the games and should “try [his] hand at the contests” (Homer 8: 167-168). Broadsea shows a lack of respect for elders which is a major Greek value. Odysseus knows that Broadsea is a “reckless fool”, therefore he fires back at Broadsea by telling him he will compete and win in all the games (Homer 8: 192). Typically Xenia and respect for elders go hand in hand, for example in Greece if someone came to one’s house and needed to stay the night one would let them in no...
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...and ancient Greeks had certain rules, expectations and customs as part of their culture. Xenia, meaning the relationship between host and guest was a term that the ancient Greeks used to refer to hospitality. Hospitium, was what the ancient Romans used too describe hospitality it meant the divine right of the guest to receive hospitality and the devein responsibility for a host to provide hospitality. Hospitality towards a stranger or a traveler was an important element in the ancient Greek and Roman culture. The Odyssey and the Aeneid best demonstrate 1) why hospitality is so important, 2) what do the gods have to do with hospitality, and 3) what was expected from the host as well as the guest. There are many reasons why hospitality was so important in those times. It was for shelter, food, protection and most importantly it was a matter of life or death. One example would be Odysseus’s long traveling in the Odyssey. Traveling back then was not as advanced as it is today. The method of traveling was done by boat or on foot. This meant that many nights would be spent away from home and the travelers would have to rely on the hospitality of strangers for food and shelter. There were no hotels or restaurants in the ancient times and if there were hotels and restaurants, the travelers would probably not be able to pay for the many nights that they would have to stay. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men relied...
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...As humans or more importantly, mortals, even justified intentions can result in the deadliest of consequences. In addition, society often aims to choose the most viable of opportunities, however a compromise is usually forced and as a result, progress is made in irrelevant fields. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, many conflicts occur between Odysseus and his enemies, however the entirety of them have legitimate reasons. Odysseus injures Polyphemus out of necessity for the survival of his crew. Also, he kills the suitors as compensation for tarnishing his home. Similarly, the servants and other such characters are killed for betraying Odysseus’s household and supporting the suitors. To begin, Odysseus drugs and blinds Polyphemus, not...
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...what is given.”(Odyssey 1. 32-34) These words are spoken by Zeus at the beginning of Homer’s The Odyssey as he explains that it is not the gods who are responsible for the suffering of mankind, but that these hardships come from one’s own choices and character flaws. Homer begins The Odyssey with this dialog to inform the reader that the fate of Odysseus, his ten year long journey home, is the result of his own choices and flaws rather than portraying him as a victim of the gods. Although Odysseus is certainly a great hero, Homer makes it clear from the beginning, through that quote from Zeus, that...
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...One’s reputation can influence all aspects of his life. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the way characters are treated and viewed by others depends on their reputation. Those with bad reputations are threatened or abused by the gods, while those with good reputations are loved and rewarded by the gods. A character’s reputation determined how one is treated, and if one was favored by the gods. In the epic, Odysseus earns kleos and therefore he is treated like a god when he travels to other places. During his journey, Odysseus encountered many people who welcomed him into their homes. In Book 10, Aeolus “hosted [Odysseus] for one entire month” (10. 17) and “he denied me [Odysseus] nothing” (10. 21) after “he pressed me [Odysseus] for news of Troy and...
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...Odysseus’ Journey: A Path to Redemption In Homer's The Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus sets off on a 10 year journey to reclaim his throne as king of Ithaca after the Trojan War. Throughout his journey, Odysseus constantly struggles with temptation. Odysseus faces the challenge of overcoming his weaknesses to obtain redemption from the gods. Odysseus' chances of returning home are compromised by his flaws and those of his crew; however, Odysseus possesses the necessary virtues and qualities needed to reclaim his throne. One flaw that dooms Odysseus is hubris. When Odysseus and his crew become trapped in the Cyclops’s cave, Odysseus uses his intelligence and cleverness to escape. After the escape, Odysseus brags and reveals his real name to Polyphemus, yelling from his ship “…if any man…should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus…he gouged out your eye” (Homer 9.558). Polyphemus is enraged and curses Odysseus' name to Poseidon, praying that his father will delay Odysseus’ return. Poseidon curses Odysseus and his men by causing storms and winds to prevent him and his crew from returning home. If Odysseus didn’t let his pride influence him in this instance, he may have returned to Ithaca earlier and saved the lives of many of his men. Another example of Odysseus’ pride compromising the success of the journey was when the crew was facing the Sirens. The Sirens are dangerous sea enchantresses that lead sailors to their deaths through song. Instead of putting...
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...GREEK MYTHOLOGY Background to Homer’s Odyssey As you read each story, ask yourself: What is most enjoyable, predictable, or bizarre about this story? How would I have responded in this situation? What mysteries or features of the world might this story try to explain? What bit of moral or religious instructions (i.e. don’t disobey the gods) might be contained in this story? How does this story compare with Christian beliefs, or with the values of our culture today? Are there any other stories or fables I’ve heard that follow the same pattern as this story? The Creation Myths Part 1 Before there was anything, there was Chaos, a formless void. This void, this pure nothingness, gave birth to Gaea (the Earth itself), Tartarus (the underworld), Eros (love), Erebus (underground darkness) and Nyx (the darkness of night). The two kinds of darkness joined together and gave birth two kinds of light: the Light of the heavens and the Light of day. Nyx (night) also gave birth to the three Fates, who control the course of the universe and determine the length of each person’s life on their wheel of fortune. Of the fates, Clotho spins the threads of each person’s life, Lachesis measures the length of the thread, and Atropos cuts the thread. The Fates – Francisco Goya (one of the best painters ever!) 1823 – Note the scissors in the hand of Atropos and Lachesis measuring with a magnifying glass. Who’s...
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