Xenia Essay

With the development of the Phaeacian characters, Xenia became a highly regarded and practiced tradition. For example, when Alcinous met Odysseus he had said, “This stranger, I do not know who he is . . .he pleads for passage, he begs we guarantee it . . . let us press on and grant him an escort” (8.30-36). Without even knowing who Odysseus is, Alcinous had offered Odysseus a way to get home and treated him with hospitality, proving that the Phaeacians follow Xenia. Another example was the Phaeacian elder who saw Odysseus on the ground and exclaimed, “There is no way, Alcinous. How indecent, look, our guest on the ground, in the ashes by the fire! . . . raise him up and seat the stranger now . . .” (7.189-192). The opposition that the Phaeacian…

How do you treat guests at your house? Hospitality is important to the ancient greeks because often gods and goddess would disguise themselves as humans to see how the greeks would treat them. Today we aren't usually hospitable to strangers who randomly show up at our houses.In “The Odyssey”, Homer makes it so people who aren't hospitable die or get injured. Homer shows the importance of Xenia in ancient Greece by making it an deciding factor in an characters fate like the suitors and the…

In The Odyssey, there is a cultural rule called xenia, and it is the idea of welcoming a stranger into one’s home. There are four main parts in xenia: welcoming the stranger in without asking any questions, bathing them, giving them food and drink, and giving them a gift as they leave. In the 21st Century, there are some parts of xenia that should apply, and some parts that should not. Though some practices of xenia are archaic, parts of xenia still remain, showing how it should still affect the…

Odysseus and Vladek both show and receive xenia throughout their journeys. In The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus received a lot of xenia to help him throughout his journey. King Alcinous of Phaeacia says, “On the contrary, I can assure you now/ of passage late tomorrow: while you sleep/ my men will row you through tranquil night/ to your own land and home or where you please.” (VII.341-344). This xenia that King Alcinous shows, helps Odysseus go back home safely. In Maus II, by Art Spiegelman,…

Homer is about Odysseus and the reader learns that Xenia was given to anyone who needs it. Xenia means guest friendship and is given in times of need. Guest friendship was used in ancient Greek times around the country you did not necessarily need to be a hero Xenia was given to everyone and anyone who needed the hospitality. Hospitality meaning providing food, a bath, bed to rest, clothes, etc. There were rules to Xenia they consist of respect from host to guest and respect from guest to…

Xenia is a key value in the The Odyssey by Homer, as the book focuses on when it is offered and when there is a lack of it in the places Odysseus visited. Xenia is the Greek concept of hospitality, generosity towards travelers who are far from home and is very important to the Greeks. During Odysseus and Telemachus’ travels, they encountered many people with different ideas of a welcome to their home. A few were very hostile and Odysseus lost men, but many offered an open home to the unknown…

also reveals fundamental Greek values concerning relationships, specifically between hosts and guests. The concept of hospitality is defined by the Greek term “xenia” and its influence is seen throughout the backdrop of this poem. Through its portrayal of various guest-host relationships, one can perceive the great importance that Greeks place on xenia, the proper way of demonstrating it and their belief that it is essential to be successful and have the favor of the Gods. Early in the poem,…

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…

Ancient Greek’s regarded hospitality with great importance in their culture. Being a good host was a reflection of power, as well as a form of honoring the gods, especially Zeus—who was associated with xenia. Xenia extended past hospitality rather it was a form of proper behavior between individuals, both host and guest. This mutual trust helped establish and create bonds. These bonds were often created through eating; food was associated with bonding and power, eating was seen as a luxury and a…

Xenia is an important theme throughout The Odyssey. Xenia is the ancient greek word for hospitality, and affected everyone during that time period. 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. In ancient Greece hospitality was very important. A person's social status was based on how kind they were. Hospitality was…