Hospitality in Greek Culture through Homer Essay example

The concept of guest hospitality is extremely important in ancient Greece. Hospitality, or Xenia, is so essential in Greek society that Zeus, in addition to being the king of the Gods, is also the God of travelers (Wikipedia). This created an obligation for the host to be hospitable to their guests, and conversely, the guests had their own responsibilities as well. If either the host or the guest was to break any rule set by Xenia, there would be severe penalties dealt by Zeus and also by society (Wikipedia). In The Odyssey, Xenia is a theme which is shown repeatedly throughout the book: Nestor and Menelaos take in Telemakhos warmly as a guest and Eumaios plays an excellent host to Odysseus, while Odysseus is disguised as a wandering

Homer values the characteristic of hospitality because the characters who do not demonstrate this characteristic typically suffer fatal or near-fatal injuries. In the Odyssey, Penelope (Odysseus’ wife) was hosting an event to make one of the suitors (potential marriage partners) her new husband because she had given up hope that Odysseus would not return home. The men who were at her house would just eat and drink, and showed no hospitality (21.70-78). In the Odyssey, Odysseus had attended this event disguised, and became aware of Penelope’s discourteous guests. Odysseus then goes on a “rampage” and slaughters all of the guests except for a few men who Telemachus (Odysseus’ son) swore their loyalty (22.16-529). Additionally, in chapter 21, Antinoös was the first to be killed because of his abrupt and rude manners, and distinctly

The Odyssey is an epic poem attributed to the now-famous Greek poet, Homer, written approximately in the early sixth century B.C.E. The poem shares the tale of the wily adventuring solider, Odysseus', return from the Trojan war to his wife and home in Ithaca. The poem details his misadventures, the efforts of his son, Telemachus, to find him, and revenge on his wife's suitors. While many themes run through this poem, the most prevalent is that of hospitality. The Host-Guest relationship is significant in the Odyssey as it acts as one of the main thematic devices used by Homer and examples of good hospitality versus bad hospitality and their results serve as the main plot elements throughout the tale.

Hospitality is mentioned all throughout the book. Hospitality is important to the people in that time. 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. “It’s wrong my friend, to send any stranger packing-even one who arrives in worse shape than you. Every stranger and beggar comes from Zeus and whatever scrap they get from the likes of us, they’ll find it welcome.” (Book 14 pg.303 Line 64) This statement shows how important it is that the people follow Zeus’ law of xenia. Along with providing great hospitality the guest has to be respectful as well. Some of the biggest parts in the book that shows hospitality is with the Cyclops, and the goddesses Circe and Calypso, the suitors and the Phaeacians.

In Greek society, hospitality is really important. The Greeks strongly believed in their gods, and they always wanted to be prepared if one came knocking at

During 1200 B.C., Greeks were very thoughtful and caring of strangers who came to the homes. Hospitality was taken very seriously, considering Greeks thought one day it could be a disguised god or goddess that comes down to them, knowing that they would want to take care of them very nicely so the god or goddess will be on the mortal’s side and protect them when needed. As seen when Athena came to Nestor’s son Pisistratus, he “ waved [waving] them on in welcome”, Pisistratus welcomes in the strangers not knowing one of them is a goddess(Athena), he then “sat them down at the feast/ poured some wine…lifting it towards Athena/and greeted the goddess now with an invitation” (3.38-47). Greeks welcomed strangers with open doors and made them feel welcomed.

Hospitality is the idea that no one is unwelcome in your home; everyone is treated like an honored guest. In the Iliad, written by Homer, this practice is extremely important in the culture present, as it a reoccurring idea throughout the books. The characters in the Iliad are split between the Greeks and the Trojans, excluding the gods, all with their own separate interpersonal conflicts, all of which are greatly affected by hospitality. Hospitality in The Iliad is an important theme, whose importance is shown through the situations it shifts along with its affects on character development, that is either respected or ignored, both with dramatically different results.

Xenia is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity shown to those who are far from home. Xenia is an important theme in the Odyssey – it is shown in the numerous characters, whether royal or monstrous, that Telemachus and Odysseus encounter, and could be shown as willingly given and wanted hospitality, unwanted/overwhelming, or unwillingly given; these encounters can also show lack of hospitality. This essay will discuss what xenia was to the ancient Greeks, and how this virtue was portrayed in the Odyssey.

Throughout Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus the main character in the story is tested with the true meaning of hospitality. In the heroic age, hospitality was viewed as punishment or acceptance of a stranger. While Odysseus longed for his return to home, he faced the two different kinds of hospitality offered within the heroic age. My theory is that Odysseus was provided with good hospitality when he would enter a town that allowed him to eat at their table, bathed within their baths, and sleep within their homes. The townspeople and their king often provided superior hospitality for strangers without questioning them first. It's thought that maybe the wonderful hospitality was provided in return of viewing the stranger as a

In Homer’s, The Odyssey, Greek hospitality is demonstrated in the sections of the Cyclops. Expectations in Greek hospitality include, not only being graciously welcomed into the home of another, but also feasts, entertainment, shelter at times and bearings for their journey from which they came. Not only is this portrayed in the scenes with the Cyclops, but also in the beginning of the epic, where Telemachus warmly welcomes the suitors and goddess Athena into the home of Odysseus and his family. Ancient Greeks treated guests equivalent to their own. As common in Ancient Greece, there are consequences for disobeying or not following social conduct and culture. These inferred consequences are likely to include, misfortune, isolation or a curse. The reasons being that because most of Greek culture is derived from the gods, the power is present to determine punishment and the wellness of those who disobey forums. Because the Cyclops shows no signs of hospitality to Odysseus and his men, they have characteristics of being barbaric, brutish in nature and the overall damnation of being

The Greeks have been known for their hospitality and politeness, especially when treating guests- whether strangers or not. This is demonstrated near the beginning of the Odyssey when Telemachus went to Pylos to visit Nestor. Nestor, not knowing who he was taking into his home as guests, treated them with great honor and respect. "Now is the time," he said, "for a few questions, now that our young guests have enjoyed their dinner. Who are you, strangers? Where are you sailing from, and where to, down the highways of sea water (p 299)?" If ever Greeks were to serve themselves before their guests or even a little better than them, then they were breaking the most basic of all Greek customs,

Each culture treats strangers and guests with distinct differences from every other culture. One of the most hospitable cultures was that of the ancient Greeks, exemplified in Homer’s The Odyssey by both gracious hosts and guests. In Greece and The Odyssey, not only was good hospitality etiquette expected, but the added pressure from the conviction that the gods would punish the host if guests were treated without respect (whether they were poor or rich) further compelled excellent manners. The Odyssey illustrates the proper etiquette when dealing with guests.

The Odyssey is a celebrated epic filled with many different themes, motifs, styles, and characters that could be examined in vast detail, but the theme of hospitality is a reoccurring one throughout the entire narrative. Homer writes about examples of both great hospitality and very inhospitable characters in his epic poem. Hospitality in The Odyssey creates definition of how individuals are either punished or rewarded by the gods.

For inquires made of the stranger’s history is not spoken of until after the feast. As stated previously, hospitality was often as result of trying to attain a good reputation. With a good reputation, society viewed one higher on the social hierarchy. It is during the guest’s departure from the host’s home where the creation of good reputation is put into action. During the farewells, the act of gift-giving of the finest and most valuable items is presented to the guests by the host. Through the act of gift-giving, one’s reputation was seen as wealthy, kind, generous, and more importantly, honourable. The basis of social standing was primarily based on the ability give gifts. This is apparent when Telemachos departs from Menelaus’s home and is presented with an abundance of gifts. While giving Telemachos a mixing bowl Menelaus states that the bowl “is of silver, all but the edges, and these are finished in gold. This is the work of Hephaestus. Courageous Phædimus, the king of Sidon, gave me this bowl when, on my homeward, I was his welcome guest” (Od. 15. 115-120). The significance of the quotation is that one sees how Menelaus is spreading the reputation of Phaedimus, who was a good host to him, as well as exhibiting his own generosity for offering such a valuable item. So if anyone was to inquire about the origin of the mixing

The role of hospitality is seen in many examples throughout the Odyssey. However, it is not always the same in every example that Odysseus encounters. When Odysseus comes across the Cyclops Polyphemus, the hospitality he receives is totally outside the norm of civilization, which is what he is used to. Instead, because of his ego, Odysseus receives a barbaric welcome instead of the hospitable welcome that he is accustomed to.