xenia in the odyssey examples

Book Three describes his visit to Nestor, who is a prominent character in The Iliad and is now back home on Pylos, where he rules as the king of a well-ordered and pious country. My reasoning for this theory is as follows: these three elements of xenia are the causes of the most concern in examples of failed, unequal or unusual relationships of xenia in the Odyssey. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. There are examples of this motif across many cultures. Late the next morning, he woke up to the sound of girls screaming while at play with a ball they had accidentally kicked into a nearby stream. In "The Odyssey", xenia is an important factor. Homer. While the tale has various mythical and magical motifs in the form of Yet she does not guide Odysseus to her father’s house. Menelaus and Nestor 's houses are seen when Telemachus visits. Xenia is a hospitality tradition in the ancient Greek tradition and consists of a permanent unplanned friendship agreement between host ceremonies that take a series of steps and strangers. Odysseus finally reaches the shores of Ithaca, assisted by the Phaeacians. Some positive examples of respecting xenia include Telemachos’s stay in Sparta and Odysseus’s stay with Nausicaä. Since Odysseus was, in fact, still alive and master of his house, all of these transgressions of xenia can be seen as transgressions of xenia against Odysseus. Examples of Hospitality in the "Odyssey"represent Greek hospitality (xenia). The physical surroundings are described. The Odyssey can be thought of as a manual for a host of how to (and how not to) show hospitality to a guest and vice versa. In keeping with good xenia, he defers questions until after the meal. It can be seen that hospitality is extremely important in the Greek culture, both how someone treats their guests and how the guests treat the host. My reasoning for this theory is as follows: these three elements of xenia are the causes of the most concern in examples of failed, unequal or unusual relationships of xenia in the Odyssey. The mere fact that they came to his house, seeking Penelope’s hand in marriage, isn’t necessarily wrong. We moderns tend to disdain religious ritual, often preferring the casual style of non-denominational churches to more ceremonial churches, for example. They call to mind associative meanings…                                  (Reece 1). She appears at Odysseus’ threshold in time to observe Telemachus seething with anger over the riotous behavior of his mother Penelope’s suitors. Additionally, the host could not insult the guest, fail to protect the guest, or fail to be as hospitable as possible. In the episode “Darmok,” the crew of the Enterprise encounters the Tamarians, a species whose unusual language defeats the efforts of the Federation’s universal translator. The Odyssey by Homer may be viewed as a study in the laws of hospitality and is full of examples of both good and bad xenia, where good xenia is rewarded and bad xenia is punished. Nevertheless, he does approach the girls.       are dynamic ingredients of oral poetry… that have accrued deep and Still playing up to his role, Odysseus proved himself by firing the arrow through the rings on the axe-heads, and then turned bring an end to the mockery the suitors had made of his house. Antinoos, the most vicious of the suitors, was the first to fall. Xenia refers to the classical concept of hospitality, and is a recurring theme through the entirety of the Odyssey. The Odyssey. This is because the casus belli of the Trojan war, Paris’ abduction of Helen, was a most serious breach of xenia etiquette. He leads Athena/Mentes to an elaborate chair of honor equipped with a stool, but seats himself in a lower chair. These actions, along with further demonstrations of bad xenia on Antinoos’ part and from all the suitors in general, show us the exact opposite of what good xenia is. As they arrive at the palace they observe a double wedding in progress. Professor Reece has compiled a list of thirty-eight different elements (Reece 6, 7) that make up a Homeric hospitality scene, which, for the purposes of this paper, I have shortened to fifteen broader elements found in The Odyssey, in the order in which they typically appear: Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Odyssey — Xenia in Homer’s Odyssey: Episodes of Hospitality and Virtue This essay has been submitted by a student. The repetitions in Homer’s hospitality scenes produced similar associative feelings in the ancient Greeks as they listen to the poems.       verse-fillers, generic descriptions and mnemonic devices. They One of the best examples of good xenia in The Odyssey is that of Nausikaa (Homer 104 – 108), a princess on the island of the Phaiakians. After Odysseus wakes up from his nap under the brambles, he hears the voices of young women. The next day the men participate in Olympic-style games and Odysseus is taunted by some of the young men and this lack of respect goes unchecked by Alcinous. They are given the best seats next to Nestor. As suppliants, Telemachus and Pisistratus wait outside the entry to be acknowledged before entering the palace. While the phenomenon of xenia had religious features and explanation, it was a rule that guaranteed safety to both parties at times when physical aggression between people was an everyday norm. Failure to honor a guest was to risk incurring the wrath of the gods. They refuse to leave when they are told to do so, and they feasted on everything that was available in Penelope’s household. Helen enters and comments that one of the guests looks like Odysseus and must be Telemachus. Xenia is displayed in many instances throughout the novel, and the importance of xenia is emphasized by the … Xenia in the Odyssey There are many themes in the book The Odyssey by Homer. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Savages, are they, strangers to courtesy? Menelaus agrees and puts the entire company into tears as he laments the apparent loss of Odysseus. Odysseus had been shipwrecked and took refuge under a bush for the night. Pitt-Rivers, Julian. Every household in the epic is seen alongside xenia. As a story within a story, Odysseus recounts his hair-raising experience on the island of the Cyclops. Odysseus must have been tempted to cast off his disguise but instead tells his host a rambling but contrived story about his past. Have supper first and tell us what you need” (Fagles 81). There are more rituals, a bath, clean clothes, a meal, and a gift of swift horses. The couple is rewarded by the gods for their piety. Telemachus, escorted by Pisistratus, arrives at Sparta by chariot. Bad xenia met with a bad end. Polyphemous has no fear of the gods because he is the son of the Poseidon and believes he will be protected from Zeus’ wrath if he disregards the rules of xenia. References: Frank JI. The custom of xenia was well established in the Iliad, particularly in Book IX where the envoy to Achilles feast twice within hours in order to avoid offending their hosts. 12. Metamorphoses by Ovid. They utterly fail as guests. Through books 1-4, many characters demonstrate methods of Xenia which allow us to see its importance in society. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. This complicated guest-host relationship placed equal burden on both the host and the guest, starting with the guest finding a ‘proper’ place to seek xenia. There are different examples of master and guest through epic. Spell. They land on an island teeming with wild goats, which they slaughter and eat. In the end, all of the suitors died, and the disloyal servants with them. The xenos (traveler) arrives at the destination. 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. It deals with concepts of hospitality in The Odyssey. The bard Demodocus’s songs bring him pain. The story relies so heavily on concepts of xenia that The Odyssey could not have been written without it in mind. Odysseus had been shipwrecked and took refuge under a bush for the night. Polyphemus, for example, perpetrates one of the most horrible, ugly and disgusting violations of the guest-friendship demands of xenia when, instead of feeding Odysseus and his men, he eats them for his own dinner. Use the Essay Topics About Xenia In The Odyssey paper you get from us to: . Created by. Eumaios’ hospitality, and later his help, enables Odysseus to reclaim his house and get rid of the suitors. 427, 428). Psychology Press, 2006. Keeping with the formula, Telemachus begs his guest to stay longer, offers a bath and a gift. First of all, this poem presents a bad master like Calypso and Laistrygones. References: Frank JI. Nestor, Menelaus, and the swineherd show good xenia, with varying degrees of sincerity. In Homeric poem “The Odyssey,” we are treated to an account of the story of Odysseus as he tries to make his way back to Ithaca after successfully aiding the Greeks in conquering the city of Troy. The suitors even made plans to kill Telemakhos, to get him out of the way so they could further their goal of obtaining Penelope’s hand and dividing the spoils of the house. Because we have motels, hotels, restaurants, and speedy modes of transportation, modern man no longer needs to rely on the hospitality of strangers. Emerging from the bushes, rough, ragged, crusted with dried seawater and covered only by an olive branch, he approached Nausikaa and her maids-in-waiting. This custom is seen mostly through Homer’s Odyssey. Before asking questions, the guest is wined and dined to the best of the host’s resources. The first sign of xenia shown in Book 1 is provided by Odysseus’ son Telamachus when he first sees Athena disguised as Mentes, ‘straight to the porch he went, mortified that a … If one drives on the American freeway system from San Francisco to New York City, the journey will take only three days. As he made his rounds of the suitors’ tables, in the guise of a beggar asking for hand-outs, Antinoos threatened him with violence, mocked him by calling him a pest, and then threw a stool at his back that hit him (Homer 326). An episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation might serve to illustrate this concept to a modern audience. The hospitality of the loyal swineherd follows all the rules of xenia just well as the three kings discussed earlier, although we can’t help but think with more sincerity. She told him how best to approach her parents and how best to win them over, so he would have a good chance of receiving the help he needed to get home. They are not travel-weary strangers looking for a bed and a bath; they are opportunistic parasites who are eating Penelope out of house and home. you are an absolute hero haha. Telemachus shows very good xenia to this traveling stranger, although later in the poem he is more reluctant to offer generosity when his father Odysseus appears, disguised as a beggar. These are all examples of good xenia to a stranger. Wilson, Nigel Guy. The Odyssey by Homer may be viewed as a study in the laws of hospitality and is full of examples of both good and bad xenia, where good xenia is rewarded and bad xenia is punished. He is attempting to appear as non-threatening as possible. In both stories, gods (and God) in disguise visit an elderly couple. Formulaic phrases, type-scenes, repeated themes [are] more than, verse-fillers, generic descriptions and mnemonic devices. The suitors violated the law of xenia in a variety off ways. xenia, is important in Ancient Greek society. Xenia was actually the root cause of all the troubling situations Odysseus found himself in throughout The Odyssey. It finally concludes with a word from a seer who says Odysseus is still alive and is being held captive on an island by the nymph Calypso. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. This hospitality scene is more secular than the story of Nestor on Pylos, which contains many instances of prayer, libation, and sacrifice. Judeo-Christian teachings also have their own beliefs… It was also customary for gifts to be given to the guest, or for a gift exchange to be conducted between guest-friends (Wilson 370). Reece writes that there are 18 hospitality scenes in Homeric literature: 12 from the Odyssey, four in the Iliad, and two in the Homeric Hymns (5). If Odysseus is going to survive, he must get help from these girls but he is filthy and naked. There is a reception scene, where the guest offers supplication and the host      responds. Their bad xenia was well rewarded, since Odysseus was home with the blessings of Zeus, who avenges bad xenia, and Athena, Odysseus’ patron goddess. Almost every encounter between characters gives us demonstrations of how xenia should, or shouldn’t be carried out. Often the guest is invited to participate in religious rites such as prayer, libations, and sacrifice. He was immediately invited in for food and drink: “Come to the cabin. Straight away the guests are bathed, oiled, dressed, and given seats of honor next to Menelaus himself who encourages his guest to “Help yourselves to food, and welcome” (126). Xenia is a strong theme that runs through the Odyssey as a whole. It was religious, it was beneficial, and it distinguished the Greeks from their barbarian neighbors. Even though Odysseus appeared to be a homeless, wandering beggar, he was still received well by Eumaios. ( Log Out /  Xenia in the Odyssey There are many themes in the book The Odyssey by Homer. Telemachus grasps her hand and relieves her of the heavy spear she carries with the words “Greeting, stranger! These girls are Nausicaa, the king’s daughter, and her maids who are down on the beach doing laundry. They all run away, except Nausicaa, who seems to be fearless. Xenia shows respect. Xenia also tells us a lot about ancient Greek society, as it provided a moral grounding and allowed travellers to go from place to place. These two are the only ones in a town of a thousand “locked and bolted” houses to offer xenia to the travelers and thereby unwittingly practice theoxenia, that is, hospitality to a god. In the Genesis account, aged Abraham and his wife Sara are visited by three strangers. When Odysseus is on the island of the Phaiakians, as part of King Alkinoos entertainment (his xenia toward Odysseus) he presents the Phaiakian dancers, in the hope that Odysseus would, “on his return tell his companions we excel the world in dance and song, as in our ships and running” (Homer 132). All throughout The Odyssey there are scenes of good and bad xenia, or hospitality. LitCharts makes it easy to find quotes by section, character, and theme. Historically, hospitality towards foreigners and guests (Hellenes not of your polis) was understood as a moral obligation. The entire Homeric epic begins with an example of bad xenia when Paris, who is a guest of Menelaus at Sparta, kidnaps his wife Helen and so begins the Trojan War. It’s more of a stretch to see how the Phaiakian’s benefited from their good xenia, since the boat that took Odysseus home, along with its crew, was turned to stone within sight of Skheria Island, their home. Yet even though we are not willing to practice Homeric-style xenia ourselves, we still find it admirable when we read about it in The Odyssey. Preserved bonds between families. "The Odyssey" Rough Draft Xenia is the word for hospitality. After the meal, and in keeping with convention, Nestor asks Telemachus to identify himself, which he does in a truthful way and a long conversation ensues, culminating with the king advising Telemachus to visit Menelaus in Sparta for news of Odysseus. I hope it helps, and good luck! Xenia was also a good way for Greeks to develop reciprocal relationships with each other, creating bonds of trust between members of city states, and more importantly between the nobility of the city states. As Thor was traveling from Asgard to Jotunheim he is offered hospitality by a farmer and his wife, whom he rewards. The custom of xenia was, to the Greeks, the mark of civilization in the late 12th century BC, a time when most of the world was still savage. Athena, who is disguised, covers him with a mist and warns him that “The men here never suffer strangers gladly” and “have no love for hosting a man from foreign lands” (180). Penelope tells the suitors in the hall, “Others who go to court a gentlewoman, daughter of a rich house, if they are rivals, bring their own beeves and sheep along; her friends ought to be feasted, gifts are due to her; would any dare to live at her expense?” (Homer 325) She also later reminds them, “suitors indeed, you commandeered this house” (Homer 393). Odysseus falls short on several occasions. On the contrary, this would be extremely discourteous, if not threatening, to the homesteader. The icon that depicts this scene is also called “The Holy Trinity.” The most famous example of this type of icon was painted by Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev in the fifteenth century.

Tremec Tko 600 For Sale, Mens Bedside Table Tidy, How To Join A Terraria Server On Xbox One, How To Propagate Calathea Dottie, Succulent Died Overnight, Buzzfeed Pie Quiz, Quartz Gemstone Crossword Clue,