All guests must be treated as God. This was the concept followed by the Greek society, also known as Xenia. The Greek valued hospitality, and while today hospitality is associated with hotels, in ancient Greece it was away of life that was practiced to show reverence to Zeus, as all travelers were thought to be sent by him and could be Gods. In Homer’s epic “The Odyssey”, the main hero Odysseus travels to unknown lands and is greeted with different types of hospitality. Xenia is an important part of “The Odyssey” and the epic could not have been possible as each scene builds upon the type of generosity and hospitality shown by the characters. Homer emphasizes the importance of xenia in greek society by rewarding good xenia and punishing bad
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An example of this is the good xenia practiced by Nausicaa, a princess on the island of Phaeacians where Odysseus wakes up after being shipwrecked. Nausicaa finds odysseus in a compromisable position, he is dirty, rough and covered by only a olive tree branch. Despite this, she offers him “a cloak and shirt for him to wear, they gave him the golden flask of supplying olive oil and pressed him to bathe” (276) and “set before Odysseus food and drink, and he ate and drank” (277). While her reaction could have been to ignore him, which is what her maids did but Nausicaa understood her responsibility of being hospitable. It is also important to consider that Athena made Nausicaa dream about the arrival of Odysseus, and made him appear more attractive which most likely contributed to her willingness to be more hospitable. Nausicaa fulfilled her duties and offered him food, clothing and respect. She took care of his needs and provided him with information to please her father, the king and her mother. The king also practices good hospitality by offering Odysseus parting gifts and saying “Come, let’s give him the parting gifts a guest deserves. Let us each contributes a fresh cloak and shirt and a bar of precious gold” …show more content…
When Odysseus arrives back in Ithaca he was disguised as a beggar to test his wife Penelope’s loyalty to him, and to make sure he does not get killed by the suitors that have taken over his estate. His appearance is that of a dirty beggar, and he appears homeless and rough. While this was also true when he appeared at the island of the Phaeacians, he had Athena’s spell and dream to make his arrival more convincing. On the other hand, Eumaeus decided to take in Odysseus without any hesitation despite his appearance. When odysseus first arrives in his house, Eumaeus follows the same custom as Nausicaa and says, “Come to the cabin. You’re a wanderer too. You must eat something, drink some wine, and tell me where you are from and the hard times you’ve seen” (248). Eumaeus does not ask Odysseus about his identity and who he was, rather he wants to learn more about where he came from and what hardships he has experienced. Unlike the cyclops who did not practice good xenia, Eumaeus does not refer to Odysseus as a stranger, but rather displays empathy by stating that he is also a wanderer. He also makes a bed for Odysseus and offers him his own cloak to keep him warm. It is also important to remember that Ithaca was currently a city without a king and suitors who were attempting to take his spot. In these turbulent times, Eumaeus still fulfills proper xenia he adds, “rudeness to a
An example of this is the good xenia practiced by Nausicaa, a princess on the island of Phaeacians where Odysseus wakes up after being shipwrecked. Nausicaa finds odysseus in a compromisable position, he is dirty, rough and covered by only a olive tree branch. Despite this, she offers him “a cloak and shirt for him to wear, they gave him the golden flask of supplying olive oil and pressed him to bathe” (276) and “set before Odysseus food and drink, and he ate and drank” (277). While her reaction could have been to ignore him, which is what her maids did but Nausicaa understood her responsibility of being hospitable. It is also important to consider that Athena made Nausicaa dream about the arrival of Odysseus, and made him appear more attractive which most likely contributed to her willingness to be more hospitable. Nausicaa fulfilled her duties and offered him food, clothing and respect. She took care of his needs and provided him with information to please her father, the king and her mother. The king also practices good hospitality by offering Odysseus parting gifts and saying “Come, let’s give him the parting gifts a guest deserves. Let us each contributes a fresh cloak and shirt and a bar of precious gold” …show more content…
When Odysseus arrives back in Ithaca he was disguised as a beggar to test his wife Penelope’s loyalty to him, and to make sure he does not get killed by the suitors that have taken over his estate. His appearance is that of a dirty beggar, and he appears homeless and rough. While this was also true when he appeared at the island of the Phaeacians, he had Athena’s spell and dream to make his arrival more convincing. On the other hand, Eumaeus decided to take in Odysseus without any hesitation despite his appearance. When odysseus first arrives in his house, Eumaeus follows the same custom as Nausicaa and says, “Come to the cabin. You’re a wanderer too. You must eat something, drink some wine, and tell me where you are from and the hard times you’ve seen” (248). Eumaeus does not ask Odysseus about his identity and who he was, rather he wants to learn more about where he came from and what hardships he has experienced. Unlike the cyclops who did not practice good xenia, Eumaeus does not refer to Odysseus as a stranger, but rather displays empathy by stating that he is also a wanderer. He also makes a bed for Odysseus and offers him his own cloak to keep him warm. It is also important to remember that Ithaca was currently a city without a king and suitors who were attempting to take his spot. In these turbulent times, Eumaeus still fulfills proper xenia he adds, “rudeness to a