By Paul Hope
In my younger years, I found it difficult to make my landlords happy. So, in an effort to appease them, I regularly found myself seeking the assistance of a fellow renter. The ideal roommate would be someone looking for a place to call home. I would reap the benefits of a smaller monthly burden. In addition, I thought, I would have some good company. But they never lasted. More often than not, I found myself scrambling for a portion of a rent payment that I wasn’t responsible for. Ultimately, I recognized that my kindness had been taken advantage of by others. My food and drink were consumed and my furniture was ruined. My heart grew cold and I quickly learned an important lesson.
The heroes of the Odyssey seem to have learned the same lesson. In keeping with ancient Greek traditions of good hospitality, Odysseus and his wife both find themselves in a struggle to combat encounters with those who disregard these values and, in turn, learn that sometimes survival takes precedence over good manners.
Hospitality, or xenia as it is referred to in the Greek, can be defined as “the law or custom of offering protection to strangers” namely those traveling in unfamiliar territory, and needing shelter (Princeton). In its fundamentalism, xenia maintains a dominant role in ancient Greek culture and mythological stories. Basically, the Greeks believed that practicing xenia would be the only surefire way not to anger the gods in the event that one paid an unexpected visit. To the ancient Greeks, being hospitable to a guest manifested itself in several different ways. A good executor of hospitality would ensure that a guest was well fed, was offered the most comfortable chair to sit in, and was given a gift to depart with, demonstrating as much benevolence as possible so as not to anger a god in disguise. But the practice of xenia wasn’t only the responsibly of the host in these social situations. Even the visitor was expected to present some show of respect, charm, or entertainment during the visit. A display of graciousness and good etiquette would ensure that they too weren’t a disappointment to Zeus Xenios, the overseer of xenia laws (Potter).
It can even be argued that the Trojan War itself was started because of the disregard of xenia on the part of Paris of Troy. Upon his arrival to Sparta, Paris was shown hospitality by Helen and her husband, King Menelaus, but the favor was not returned. Instead of returning the favor of xenia to his hosts, Paris of Troy responded to this hospitality by stealing Helen from her husband. Under the influence of the goddess, Aphrodite, Helen agreed to elope with Paris back to Troy, which infuriated Menelaus and triggered the infamous Trojan War (Encarta).
Because of its social importance in Greek civilization, it is no surprise that the traditions of xenia are heavily explored in the epic poetry of Homer, creator of one of the most famous literary works, the Odyssey. Interwoven in this epic about a man and his journey home after the Trojan War are scenes that illustrate the establishment of hospitality in ancient Greek culture. Much of the first half of the epic features Telemachus and Odysseus arriving at someone’s land and being received as a guest.
These scenes show how the guest- host relationship is properly established. As the story progresses, however, we see a potential downside to the Greeks’ expectation that a guest should always be polite. In his ten year journey home to his beloved Penelope, Odysseus finds himself and his crew of shipmates on the shores of the land of the Cyclopes, and with hopes of being well received by the natives sets out in exploration to “see if they are uncivilized savages, or a hospitable and humane race’” (Homer). His hopes are dashed when learns that the Cyclopes “have no laws nor assemblies of the people […] and they take no account of their neighbors” (Homer).
Upon his arrival to the cave of Polyphemus, a native of the Island of Thrinacia, Odysseus finds himself in a struggle for survival. Two by two, Odysseus’s shipmates become a meal for the giant and, with little other choice, Odysseus is forced to use his guile to outwit and blind Polyphemus by first getting him drunk on wine and then piercing a smoldering piece of wood directly through his eye. While this act may seem totally justified for Odysseus, having to employ his survival instinct to escape a man-eating monster, his lack of xenia doesn’t sit well with Polyphemus’s father and god of the sea, Poseidon, and he is further punished for his actions.
Meanwhile, Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, finds herself at the mercy of a pillaging group of suitors out to steal Odysseus most prized possessions. In her observance of the cultural traditions of hospitality and the value of being a welcoming host, Penelope quickly recognizes that her kindness is being taken advantage of. Without regard to exercising xenia themselves, the suitors consume the wealth of Odysseus and attempt to take Penelope as a wife. We can see the importance of xenia in ancient Greek civilization through the illustrations woven into the scenes of Homer’s epic poetry. The institution of xenia and the cultural imperative to be a generous host to guests (regardless of having the favor returned) could very well have prompted the intrusion of those who saw hospitality as a weakness.
Homer’s Odyssey ultimately reveals an important lesson about benevolence toward complete strangers. Throughout the story of Odysseus’s return home, we’re able to see the weight that good manners carry for ancient Greek civilization as the subject of xenia oftentimes lends itself as a burden to decent characters. While the traditions of good hospitality may have been meant to produce a compassionate society, Homer’s epic illustrates the possibilities of a contrary effect and also proves that no good deed goes unpunished.
Works Cited
Ford, Andrew. “Two Basic Greek Terms.” Princeton Press. Princeton University, 2004. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Homer. “The Odyssey Trans. Samuel Butler.” The Internet Classics Archive. Web Atomics, 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
Potter, Ben. “The Odyssey: Be Our Guest with Xenia.” Classical Wisdom. Classical Wisdom Weekly, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
“Trojan War.” The Encarta Encyclopedia, 1997. CD ROM. Microsoft Corporation. 1997.
Image: Ulysses and Nausicaa (1654) by Michele Desubleo via Wikimedia Commons