The Significance of Xenia in Homer’s The Odyssey

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

In the morning light you'll bathe him and anoint him so that he'll take his place beside Telemakhos feasting in hall."(P. 363 ln 375-380) This treatment of a mere beggar who showed up to her house, is very odd considering she has been trying to fight off over one hundred other guests for a number of years. Telemakhos even comments that such treatment of a guest is very much not in Penelope's character, "Nurse, dear nurse, how did you treat our guest? Had he a supper and a good bed? Has he lain uncared for still? My mother is like that, perverse for all her cleverness...?" (P. 379 ln146-149). This comment by Telemakhos shows that in the past Penelope has not been as hospitable toward guests. Therefore it is interesting that she would treat such a beggar with such care and compassion. The reason she does this is that she now has an increasing suspicion that the beggar is in fact her husband, Odysseus.

Hospitality goes two ways; Guest have responsibilities just like the host does. The suitors, who are actually unwelcomed, guest takes Odysseus’s wife hospitality for granted as they waste all the goods and try to get at her constantly. Also when Odysseus returns in the disguise of an old man, the suitors treat him with great inhospitality.

When people wonder about Ancient Greece the first thing that comes to their minds is Greek mythology; gods and goddesses that have helped shape many historical events. “In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life.” (“Greek Mythology.”) The civilization showed that numerous characters and stories helped shape Greeks. The beliefs the Greeks had with mythologies was they understood the meaning behind all the characters that are known today. However, to the Greeks, they were not just characters, these were their gods and goddesses who gave them meaning and understanding of the world around them. Worshiping the gods and goddesses helped them with their religious rituals and the temperament of the weather. A famous wine-jar that was made during this time period was “Achilles killing the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, 540-530 BCE, black-figured amphora”. (Khan Academy) The civilization that they lived in grew around their worship and achievements.

Loyalty to family, community, and the gods is an important quality in the lives of ancient Greek citizens. These qualities are clear demonstrated in The Odyssey through Penelope, Telemakhos, and Odysseus.

An example of a lack of hospitality was when Odysseus and his men came upon the Kyklopes’, and the one-eyed monsters treated them terribly. On first sight they tried to kill Odysseus and all his men.

Guests can be the ones to bring the wrath and retribution of the gods upon themselves. In The Cattle of the Sun God, Odysseus and his men come across Helios' island, where Helios keeps his cattle and can not leave due to storms(Homer, The Odyssey, Trans, Robert Fitzgerald, Prentice Hall, lines 830-842). Odysseus goes to the ship to pray to the gods to show him a way out of this situation, but his men are already on shore getting ready to kill Helios' cattle for food, even though they were warned by Odysseus (Homer, The Odyssey, Trans, Robert Fitzgerald, Prentice Hall, lines 839-840,854-855, 864-885). The gods protected Odysseus from the wicked deeds of his men by putting him in a deep sleep: " Made supplication to the gods who own Olympus, all the gods- but they, for answer, only closed my eyes under drops of sleep." (Homer, The Odyssey, Trans, Robert Fitzgerald, Prentice Hall, lines 859-862). Odysseus' men killed the cattle while Odysseus was still asleep. Because Odysseus' men killed their hosts cattle, they broke xenia, and the punishment for the men was death as decided by the gods: " Let me throw down one white-hot bolt, and make splinters of their ship in the winedark sea." (Homer, The Odyssey, Trans, Robert Fitzgerald, Prentice Hall, lines 918-919). Now Zeus, the god of the sky, let the storms that were keeping Odysseus and his men trapped on the island clear up. Odysseus and his crew jump on the opportunity to leave the island, only to meet their demise (Homer, The Odyssey, Trans, Robert Fitzgerald, Prentice Hall, lines 933-939). However, since Odysseus did not partake in the killing or eating of the cattle, he is spared from the contrived destruction of the men (Homer, The Odyssey, Trans, Robert Fitzgerald, Prentice Hall, lines 945-963). The homicide of the crew is punishment for breaking xenia and sends the message, do not disrespect the

In the Odyssey, Xenia is also shown to be one of the hallmarks of a civilised society, allowing us to judge the societies that Odysseus visits by their attitudes to xenia. For example, the Cyclopes are well informed about Xenia, yet disregard it because they have no fear of the God’s retribution. This tells us that the Cyclopes live in a formidable and amoral society. Even the Gods are shown to respect Xenia rules, for example in Book 5 when Calypso gives hospitality to Hermes. Good xenia is shown to have good repercussions for both the guest and the host: for example, Odysseus’ stay on the island of Calypso, where he is met with exceptional hospitality. Odysseus received this hospitality well and continued to please Calypso. Only at the end did he ever try to refuse her hospitality and leave, and even this caused no serious problems. Here we have an example of the guest-host relationship working well. Calypso is provided with a companion, even if it was not permanent, and Odysseus was provided with shelter, provisions, and protection for his men. In the end it proves to be a beneficial situation for them both.

The hospitality is both wanted by the guest and willingly given by the host, and Menelaus fulfills all the “requirements” that are expected of a good host. Telemachus is bathed by the women of Menelaus’s palace, which is a recurring example of good hospitality in Homer’s works. The women “draw warm fleece and shirts around their shoulders” (Homer, 240), and Menelaus welcomes him with a grand feast. He tells Telemachus to “Help yourselves to food, and welcome! Once you’ve dined we’ll ask you who you are” (Homer, 240); here he demonstrates that he knows the proper “principles” of xenia, as he only asks questions after he serves his guests. “I’ll give you a princely send-off – shining gifts, three stallions and a chariot burnished bright- and I’ll add a gorgeous cup so you can pour libations out to the deathless gods on high and remember Menelaus all your days” (Homer, 253). The “three stallions and a chariot” included in his gifts to Telemachus are meant to serve as transportation. “…and remember Menelaus all your days” – as stated previously, hospitality could have been used to spread a person’s name if they would provide a high standard of it to strangers, and Menelaus would have wanted to be known for his hospitality. He also would have wanted for Telemachus, the son of the known Odysseus, to remember that Menelaus

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

Offering a hot beverage, food, the safety of your home, or entertainment are all examples of presenting good xenia to guests. xenia is commonly used to portray hospitality or a guest/host relationship. xenia, is important in Ancient Greek society. Zeus is the God of travelers, in addition to being the king of the Gods. This forces for the host to feel obliged to treat their guests with much hospitality, and vice versa with guests, serving with high responsibility. Zeus would severely punish those who break the fine rules of xenia and hospitality. In the epic,“The Odyssey” by Homer, there are multiple examples of good and bad xenia. The group of 108 men who slouch around Penelope show poor xenia and are eventually stricken with their bitter death. Conversely, Eumaios presented great xenia when taking Odysseus in, even while he was disguised as a beggar. Xenia is a prevalent theme in the book and holds a central place in The Odyssey.

The historical significance is an amazing example of why you should still study “The Odyssey.” The beginning of the story tells about the Trojan War and why the Trojans and Greeks were at war. The history of “The Odyssey” gives a glimpse to the readers of the time period it was written in. An example of giving a glimpse of the time period is in book one, lines 1-27, “Tell me, O Muse, of the man of many devices, who wandered full many ways after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy. Many were the men whose cities he saw and whose mind he learned, aye, and many the woes he suffered in his heart upon the sea, seeking to win his own life and the return of his comrades. Yet even so he saved not his comrades, though he desired it sore, for through their own blind folly they perished—fools, who devoured the kine of Helios Hyperion; but he took from them the day of their returning. Of these

The first time we are truly introduced to Odysseus and a situation with positive hospitality, is when he manages to make it to the island of the Phaeaceans. This is a group of people and society that was incredibly giving and generous to Odysseus. In order to assist in getting Odysseus home, the king of the Phaeaceans gave him the gift of wind. It was very powerful, and was to be kept in the bag at all times, under all circumstances. As the weary crew approached Ithaca, a few over zealous crew members opened the bag. The immediate swirling seas and rocky waves destroyed their ship, and sent them sprawling right back to the island of the Phaeaceans.

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.