...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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...In Homer’s The Odyssey, Xenia is a reoccurring topic between characters. While sitting with the suitors and Athena, Telemachus is daydreaming with grief. When he looks at Athena, he stands up, holds her right hand and says “Greetings, stranger! Here in our house you’ll find a royal welcome. Have supper first, then tell us what you need.” (1.144-6). Telemachus is very welcoming in giving Athena food and anything she needs from him. Nestor and his sons are sitting while friends are setting up the banquet with roasted meats and skewered strips. As soon as they see the strangers, “all came crowding down, waving them on in welcome, urging them to sit. Nestor’s son Pisistratus, first to reach them, grasped their hands and sat them down at the feast...
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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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...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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...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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...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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...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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...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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...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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...The Odyssey was written by homer as an ode detailing the adventures that Odysseus went through until he was able to return to his home in Ithaca. The labors and hardships that Odysseus went through were after the Greek had emerged victorious in their battle at Troy. However, there were some gods who were displeased with a proclamation that Odysseus had made and due to that he was made to wonder in the seas for ten years before he returned to Ithaca (Foley, 10). The recollection of those tribulations are written and document by Homer who was a Greek scholar and poet and throughout the years there have been constant questions about whether the story was true or fabricated. However, the story remains one of the best-written documentaries on the...
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...Christians and humans alike. Throughout the exploit on the Aeaean Island, the home of Circe, hero, Odysseus and his men were forced to utilize both innate and acquired tactics to advance to the next episode in their journey home. The reader is inescapably presented with examples of the king and his crew displaying the powerful characteristics of instinct, courage, obedience and wisdom as god-fearing men. Odysseus shows his fear of the gods most consistently through trust, though it is many times accompanied with disturbing obstacles. HEROIC CHARACTERISTICS AND LESSONS LEARNED After two days and two nights of a restless breather in their journey, upon sunrise, Odysseus immediately and instinctively sought a sign of human industry. (Odyssey 10.161) The irrefutable necessity of food and rest presented itself, though coupled with uncertainty of who or what may be encountered, brave Odysseus presses onward. The noble warrior and his countrymen are obligated to exude faith in the gods and themselves while diving into the unknown, yet again. Strategic Odysseus organized a plot to first feed his men, a need he realized must be met for optimal performance, and then send them out to scout, leaving himself as the overseer. Odysseus’ skill and wisdom is displayed when he captured the stag by using nature’s resources, mere twigs, to braid securely enough to hall the beast to his men for feasting (10.195). Hunger or the need for...
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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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...A portion of The Odyssey that creates a train of thought for me is Odysseus’ journey into and the escape from Polyphemus’ cave. In this cave, the reader can see many of the elements that make Odysseus into the nuanced protagonist that he is. When Odysseus first enters the cave of Polyphemus, he expects that he and his men will be treated to xenia, the Greek custom of hospitality to guests. However, his men had encouraged him to “let them help themselves to the cheeses and be off” (104). His men were afraid of whatever kind of creature lives alone in a cave in the wilderness. This showed how Odysseus was prideful, to the point where many of his men were eaten by Polyphemus because Odysseus insisted on meeting the owner of the cave. However,...
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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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