Xenia Essay

Mortals are flawed beings, as such, even kind-hearted intentions can result in the deadliest of consequences. Society often aims to choose the most viable of opportunities, but rarely does a perfect plan come to fruition. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, many conflicts occur between Odysseus and his enemies, however the entirety of them have legitimate reasons. Odysseus injures Polyphemus out of necessity for the survival of his crew. Also, he kills the suitors as compensation for…

Two Types of Monsters The scene between Odysseus and the Cyclops, Polyphemus, in Homer’s Odyssey is universally recognized as one of the greatest displays of cunning in ancient Western literature. Odyssey is the narration of the epic hero, Odysseus, and his journey home to his native land, Ithaca, after the fall of Troy. Throughout the narrative, Odysseus meets and interacts with a wide array of characters—gods, creatures, and humans. In Book 9, Odysseus and his men come to the land of the…

One of the key concepts in Homer's The Odyssey is the link between the Ancient Greek gods and mortal men. Furthermore, Ancient Greek gods are highly unique in The Odyssey because they serve as guides for the characters in the story. For example, Athena served as Odysseus and Telemakhos's helper throughout their journeys. In essence, Odysseus overcomes his knack for falling into temptations and Telemakhos learns to fight for his rights and maintain proper oykos in the household while Odysseus was…

idealized as a hero because Xenia is immediately expressed--even in non-greek lands. For example, while Odysseus stays at Eumaeus’s farm, he expresses extreme Xenia by giving him his own bed, clothes, food, and advice/update about his own house in Ithaca. Also, in the Phoenician palace of Queen Aretes and King Alcinous, he is offered the kings daughters hand in marriage. This shows he is very likeable because he hadn’t revealed himself yet and they were expressing Xenia. Odysseus also knows he…

Odysseus’s crew fall under a curse that turns them all into pigs after entering her home and when Odysseus tries to rescue them, Kirke tries to trap him too. She soon realizes that her curse doesn’t work on him and tries to remedy her violation of Xenia by feeding and housing them all for a year. Due to Kirke’s initial actions of malediction I believe her attempt to right her wrong was in vain because she wouldn’t have redressed her wrongdoing if Odysseus would have fell…

Odysseus becomes distracted by wanting to gain gifts and rewards from his stopping destinations in the epic. This is clearly seen in Book 9, where he told his men that he wanted to stay to collect gifts and allow the owner of the home to provide good xenia for him and his men. Unfortunately for Odysseus and his crew, this lead him into danger as some of his men were killed by Polyphemus and he endangered the rest of his journey home by chanting words of abuse to Polyphemus. However, it can be…

While reading each myth presented in this class, I’ve noticed clear similarities between all of them. The stories we have read surrounding the Flood all have very similar pattern of events. Aside from this there are still many key details that make each myth unique. Both God and Jupiter share a few similarities. First, both of these Gods regret having humans on Earth and wish to destroy the human race. They are especially angry at humans for their wickedness. Both these gods also decide a flood…

heroes. These humans are respected by the gods for their wisdom beyond human measure, heroic nature, and offferings. The gods are moved by these mortals, and Odysseus is one of the select few. 2. Prince Telemachus exemplifies greek hospitality, or xenia. At this point in book one, Telemachus is sitting amidst his mothers numerous suitors. He allows the multitudes of men to take their seat in the Great Hall and lets the suitors eat and drink to…

Cyclops’ island against his comrades will. His romanticised image of self is observed as he notes that the bard’s utterance is like a god’s (Book IX, page 99) and his insistence as a guest-friend (Book IX, page 99) that foreshadows his betrayal of xenia and presents the motive of his recount. Odysseus’ immediate betrayal of such values is presented within Shewring’s translation as he affirms that the Cyclops’ race are arrogant lawless beings who leave their livelihood to the deathless gods and…

generic representation of women in mythology supports the fact that women were created to be an evil burden rather than a benefit, except when they are using their bodies like Circe does after Odysseus negotiates with her. Circe may have expressed xenia initially (the welcoming of guests), but is discovered to be an evil entity as she “laced [a] potion with insidious drugs” when the crew is invited to feast (253). Since the creation of Pandora in Theogony: Work and Days, women have been…