Why Is Xenia Important In Ancient Greek Culture

In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, he tells the story of the mighty Odysseus. In this story a value called Xenia is essential to Odysseus’ and many others success and survival. The concept of Xenia is essentially hospitality taken to its limits, example being letting a complete stranger stay in your home for as long as they like. In this story Odysseus is granted Xenia a lot and could’ve died if he had not. This value, Xenia was very important to the ancient Greeks in The Odyssey, this is displayed in many ways one being when Odysseus stayed with the Phaeacians, also when Aeolus gives Odysseus supplies, and another when he kills all the suitors for improper Xenia.

Xenia in the time of The Odyssey was a way for hosts to show off just how much they could spoil their guests. However, modern day xenia has taken on a very different form. Xenia once entailed bathing one's guest and throwing a feast, but now donating money or a blanket is viewed as generous. Though ancient xenia entailed showering one's guest with gifts and asking no questions before letting a stranger into one's house, modern xenia has taken on a much simpler form to make the practice more accessible.

The Ancient Greek practice of “xenia” is highly valued, and in Homer’s The Odyssey the practice of “xenia” is vital to receive good one’s fate. For example, the cyclops, Polyphemus, does not value “xenia”, so instead of welcoming Odysseus and his crew, the monster decides to eat the men. As a consequence, he lost his sight, which was primarily from Polyphemus 's blatant disregard for the Ancient Greek practice. His fate could have easily been avoided if he had not eaten his visitors. Another example is when Nestor of Pylos and Menelaos of Sparta are both hospitable towards Telemakhos, granting him whatever he pleases on his quest. Both of these men are abundantly rewarded by the gods all from their respect for “xenia”. “Xenia” is the most important

The book is better than the movie, a comment that is stated after every film adaptation ever known to man. Why does the book always seem to be more preferable? Seeing the book on screen, through the eyes of the director, will never live up to the expectations that were implanted upon the viewer when the book was read themselves. “The Odyssey” is a superior work of art to the film O! Brother, Where Art Thou? because Odysseus is the worthier epic hero and the film loses the major theme of hospitality that is displayed throughout the poem.

Odysseus is strong, handsome, smart, and a hero, but throughout the story, he falls into many temptations, is irresponsible, and kills ruthlessly. All these affect Odysseus’s heroic stature, or his reputation as a hero. Some may say that Odysseus’s positive attributes, such as his strength, and his negative attributes, like his tendency to fall into temptations, make up his heroic stature. However, Odysseus’s heroic stature is mainly dependent on the gods. Countless times in The Odyssey by Homer, the fate of Odysseus depends on the gods. Although Odysseus is a strong, smart man, his heroic stature depends on the gods in every situation, particularly Athena and Zeus.

Since the beginning, men have worshipped higher beings. Elaborate stories of the gods and humanity have been passed down through generations; and Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ is an excellent example of this relationship. _________ . The Odyssey’s themes of sacrifice and revenge depict this relationship as both beneficial and detrimental, and necessary for mankind.

10. Hospitality is shown throughout The Odyssey, as a form of noble gesture. This is very

During the time of Thanksgiving, many families join together in one place and prepare a huge meal. In a way similar to the cultures in the Odyssey, the host family prepares this big meal, comfort, and relaxation for all of the other members and travelers who have decided to join them. Although Thanksgiving is a tradition that started in 1621 and the Odyssey was first written in the eighth century BC, they still have a lot of the same attributes in common. Characters throughout the story such as the people of Pylos cease their celebration to show hospitality to strangers whom they have never met before. Other characters offer hospitality to strangers, who, in the end, appear as gods or well-known people such as Menelaus. Other characters throughout the story, such as the Cyclops (Polyphemus), do not show hospitality, but rather harm the strangers whom they encounter. Throughout Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, several characters offer hospitality to strangers because they respect the power of the gods. Conversely, other characters do not respect the power of the gods, and show negative hospitality toward the strangers they encounter or show hospitality based on their fear of the gods. Throughout the duration of the epic poem, there are several examples of positive and negative hospitality in all aspects of Odysseus’ travels.

“It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value” ---Arthur C. Clarke

The purpose of this essay is to inform about the use of xenia. Xenia is the use of hospitality and friendliness when a person comes for shelter, food or drinks.To analyze uses of xenia we will have to use examples of personification, alliteration, simile and metaphor. In book 2 Homer shows that back then Greeks really respected the use of Xenia.

In Greek culture, loyalty was greatly emphasized, most importantly towards superiors and family. To teach this lesson, they included various examples of people being rewarded for staying loyal, as well as the punishments for being disloyal, such as in Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. The Odyssey expresses the message that loyalty towards one another is rewarded, as shown by Eurycleia’s and Penelope's cases, and disloyal actions are punished, as shown by Odysseus' mutinous men.

Martin Luther King Junior once said “Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave”. The importance of home is an universally applicable subject from Odyssey that has a meaning that can be applicable to our lives. Home was a very important part in Greek culture and is also important to us in western society. In The Odyssey by Homer, xenia, nostos, and hubris is used to show the importance of home.

“Xenia”, the Greek concept of hospitality, is both followed and rejected throughout Homer’s The Odyssey, and it causes significant results in the situations expressed throughout the book. For example, when Odysseus gets back to Ithaka, Eumaios, his swineherd, does not recognize his master but still welcomes him into his hut, resulting in Odysseus eventually reuniting with his son. Even though Eumaios does not know it is his master, he still allows Odysseus to come inside and make him feel comfortable. Eumaios’s actions prove the significance of the practice of xenia throughout Ancient Greece. In opposition, when Odysseus and his men go into the house of Polyphemus, a savage kyklops who does harm unto any trespasser, they are showed hostility,

Odysseus, glorious and epic in essence assisted by men of steel, faces a challenge that may be tougher than their own guts in one of Homer’s two mighty epics, The Odyssey, written in the 8th Century BC, and taking place 400-450 years before it was written. On their journey home from the Trojan War, shortly after setting sail from the lands of the Lotus Eaters, Odysseus and his men set foot on the mysterious land of the Cyclopes. This land is full of inhabitants, lawless, isolated, one-eyed, and large, with an appetite for humans.

Xenia is an Ancient Greek religious custom which captures the essence of the guest-host relationship. It is a sacred, religious law that may lead to severe punishment by the Greek God, Zeus, if not abided by. However, xenia may do more harm than good in some cases, plenty of which presents itself in the Odyssey. Xenia is a process and has to do with hospitality and mutual respect between a guest and a host. This is an extremely civilised practice placed in such a chaotic and barbaric age. It starts with the guest seeking lodging in a home fitting to his social-standing in society. No person should refuse a guest. Guests and hosts were expected to respect each other and were not allowed to hurl insults at each other. It was considered extremely rude to question the guest until the point of guest comfort was reached. The guest cannot make demands and the host is expected to treat the guest as well as he possibly can. In addition to this, the guest is under the host’s protection for the duration of the stay. The interchanging of gifts was also customary. Other practices included feeding, bathing, clothing and entertaining the guest, thus basically ensuring he or she is totally comfortable. The guest also had responsibilities such as not overstaying his welcome, providing entertainment and to avoid offending the host.