Duality Of Hospitality In Genesis And The Odyssey

The Homeric scene of hospitality described in the encounter of Odysseus and the Cyclops has the same elements of what we see in the other hospitality scenes, however, there is a change in the form and content. As Reece points out,

One of the most compelling and interesting episode in the Odyssey is the conflict with the Cyclopes, Polyphemus, son of Poseidon. Odysseus after escaping from the lotus eater’s island arrives to an island inhabited by the cyclopes, with every necessity growing from the ground such as wheat and vines of grapes. He and a small expedition group go into the island, and then into one of the Cyclopes cave. He then faces the Cyclopes, Polyphemus, who eat his companions. The way in which Odysseus, although making an effort to go back home, cannot resist going to new places. This is a very human feeling whether coming from hunters needing to explore areas in order to stalk big animals, or the curiosity that may be unique to man, humans cannot resist the unknown, even if it is scary. As humans have discovered more and more about our environment, the scope of the unknown has diminished on earth, yet there is a reason that space is the final frontier. Odysseus also suffers from the custom found in Greek culture, which is that as a guest in a stranger’s home, they may receive gifts or some hospitality. In this way, the ancient author explores the idea of what would happen to a Greek person in a situation where hospitality rather than being the norm, is actively subverted. In this way, the Odysseus, who is the common Greek, has a right to fix this wrong, which he does by blinding the beast

Homer is believed to have lived around 8th century B.C. Ironically, Homer’s life coincides with the earliest known manuscript of the Holy Bible, the Codex Amiatinus. Although Homer possibly lived during the rise of very significant biblical prophets such as Amos, Hosea, Zachariah, Isaiah and Jonah, Homer writes his epic poem, The Odyssey, in a strictly pagan method. Both The Odyssey and the Holy Bible praise the virtue of hospitality; however, it is evident that the Ancient Greeks and the Hebrews have contrasting motivations for hospitality. Therefore, it is no surprise that Odysseus’ voyage home was epically arduous.

The Odyssey by Homer has many themes that are important throughout its books, although hospitality is one to not forget. “Hospitality is our motto!” is what Scott Humphrey, one of the Bar J Wranglers, said when he hired me to work at the Bar J Chuckwagon for the summer. The hospitality found in The Odyssey holds true to our everyday lives as it did to the Greeks around 800 B.C.E. The greeting to a guest is very similar, the feast is eaten, and the new found friend is sent on his merry way. The greeting to a newcomer is crucial.

Due to social utility gained from following religion and fear of eternal backlash, pious mortal characters experience an indirect relationship in heeding commands of the Gods and the level of free will–the condition of acting without fate or necessity. Throughout The Odyssey, Homer brings light to the value of piety in Ancient Greece. In good faith, Gods often reward those who are religious, especially heroes. Pious individuals are revered both by their peer mortals and the Gods, causing the emergence of a feedback loop that rewards those who are pious. Furthermore, there are different forms of piety present in The Odyssey, but it is evident that pious individuals gain glory from their actions, usually as a result of receiving favorable treatment from the Gods.

Xenia is the ancient Greek word for hospitality and is a major theme throughout The Odyssey. Xenia was the guest-host relationship in ancient Greece and was basically a set of rules and customs that people followed. Overall, the rules stated that the host and guest should be kind, generous, and polite toward each other. Hospitality was the main reason for Odysseus’ fortunes and hardships. People either let Odysseus into their house, turned him away or even worse, attacked him. In ancient Greece, hospitality was very important. A person's social status was based on how kind they were. Hospitality was a prominent force in these times and was a generally accepted rule of law.

In the epic poem, the Odyssey by Homer and translated by Stanley Lombardo guest are always provided hospitality out of dignity and honor as a social significance. Guest are routinely provided basic amenities such as food, a place to sleep, a bath, and a gift. Food is a considerable component of accommodations given to guests. As a social significance in fear of the gods. Hospitality is also given to a guest to acknowledge both of the guest and the host as a social significance. The core values of why this hospitality is given in a social implication is a recognition of the dignity and honor of humans. It is fundamental that humans provide each other companionship as in Greek religion gods are in the hierarchy and superior to mortals.

For instance, during Telemachus travels he encounters King Nestor at his palace and is given shelter, entertainment, food, and gifts. Afterwards, Telemachus leaves and travels to Sparta to visit King Menelaos, and once again he is greeted with a similar welcome. Homer illustrates the theme of hospitality early in the story, as in trying to stress its importance. In Odysseus travels he receives remarkable help from the Phaeacians and, initially, from Aeolus. Circe is also of great assistance after Odysseus conquers

Allow oneself to be enveloped by the intricacy of Ancient Greece. The beauty of a historically-rich culture with an innovative mindset may appear enticing initially; however, one may neglect to recall the perpetual distress found in Greek society. Fear derived from the punishments of a mistreated god stimulated the growth of xenia (hospitality), the courteous welcoming and entertainment of guests, within the Grecian city-states. Therefore, if literature is indeed the reflection of its society’s ideologies, then one may anticipate such emphasis on hospitality in the time-tested works of Ancient Greek literature, for instance, Homer’ The Odyssey translated by Robert Fitzgerald. The significance of xenia is meticulously constructed in the tale

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, hospitality to a guest or a stranger that comes to their home was considered very crucial. The Greek considered the hospitality as a very important and natural behavior because they thought the stranger might be one of the gods who wants to test them. Throughout this epic poem, hospitality was shown numerous times in different situation and usually gave the guest or the stranger nice bath, food, drink, and place to sleep. However, not every person or a kyklop in the poem gives a nice greetings to his guests. Eumaios, a responsible swineherd, gives a great hospitality to “a beggar”, and Polyphemos, Poseidon’s son who’s a kyklop, fails to treat his guests nicely.

Book 9 of Homer’s Odyssey tells the tale of Odysseus’ encounter with a cyclops named Polyphemus. In this book, readers are able to perceive the Greek views on civilization, and their relationship with the Gods.

The origin of hospitality comes from the concept of traveling. In ancient times, travelers wandered on unknown regions of the earth in pursuit of trading gifts both material and nonmaterial, knowledge, and creating a network with people. Traveling to foreign areas expanded civilization and led to further innovations. It was a profound way to have business with other cultures, cultivate relationships with others, discover different types of food, clothes, and people. Such connections among natives and foreigners were very common among the Greeks during the Mycenaean Age. Greece is known to be a country that’s surrounded by bodies of water such as the Ionian Sea, Aegean Sea, Thracian Sea, Sea of Crete, and Gulf of Corinth. Although walking was

Telemachus is made to be the standard by which we can judge the following instances of hospitality or lack there of. He is rewarded for his kindness too. In this way, Homer can subtly teach us the virtues that he believes define a man’s character by giving them good fortune. Athena gives Telemachus hope of his father returning and tells him how to find out more from Pylos and Sparta. They set off together to gain knowledge of his father and to give us a dose of good hospitality.

The respect from host to guest. The host must be hospitable to the guest and provide them with food, drink, and shelter.

In modern society, the codes of behavior that each society member is expected to follow are known as etiquette. In ancient Greek culture, it was essential to follow codes of behavior. In the first half of The Odyssey, there are several codes of behavior spotted like hospitality, vengeance, fidelity, household loyalty, and reverence. The particular types of codes of behavior that will be discussed in this essay are fidelity and hospitality. Hospitality is an important aspect in a society where guests are treated as though they were God. Fidelity is loyalty between husband and wife being loyal to each other.