Xenia

=Significance and Consequences of ‘Xenia’ in The Odyssey = BradleyApril 1, 2011 [|College Papers], [|Undergraduate Work][|8 Comments] The information left in bold is by Bradley as you cite any of his information as coming from the url: [|__http://www.bradleyfarless.com/significance-and-consequences-of-xenia-in-the-odyssey/__]. Where you see information in square brackets [ ], then know that it is Mary van Rossen’s writing added in to help explain the words in the text.
 * This information has been edited by Mary van Rossen and has come from: **

A MAP OF PLACES VISITED IN THE ODYSSEY. (Image from: [|LordAlford.com] )
 * 1) -What is xenia?
 * 2) -What are the basic expectations [codes of conduct] that come with proper [good] xenia?
 * 3) -What did the ancient Greeks believe were the consequences of giving good or bad Xenia either as a host or as a guest?
 * 4) -Why was xenia important to ancient Greek civilization?
 * 5) -What did Xenia mean or represent in the minds of people of ancient Greece?

Introduction
When we read __The Odyssey__, an ancient epic poem believed to be the work of Homer, the story has ancient guest friendship, or Xenia, as one of its main “themes” or ideas. This means that there are lots of examples of Xenia and the beliefs about how and why it was supposed to happen.

One of the most important themes in __The Odyssey__ is the concept of xenia, which is the old Greek word for hospitality. In modern times, hospitality is something we rarely [hardly ever] think of, and the first thing that comes to mind is the hotel industry, but in ancient Greece, xenia was not about hotels, or just about etiquette [manners], it was a way of life with many benefits in a world that was still mostly savage.

Xenia was more than just being polite to strangers. It was a set of rules and customs that defined the guest-host relationship between two individuals, two groups of people, or an individual and a group. Some basic rules of this relationship were that the guest could not insult the host, make demands, or refuse xenia. Additionally, the host could not insult the guest, fail to protect the guest, or fail to be as hospitable as possible. It was also customary for gifts to be given to the guest, or for a gift exchange to be conducted between guest-friends.

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. The custom was for the guest to take shelter in a home that fit his social standing, so you would not normally see a beggar looking for hand-outs at the palace of a king, or a noble seeking xenia from a commoner under, ideal circumstances at least.

This custom of xenia also carried a __burden of trust__, where both the host and guest would have to rely on custom [agreed codes of behaviour] in regards to personal safety. This trust was reinforced by both fear of word getting out that the host had provided improper xenia, and fear of retribution [payback/ utu] by the gods, since one never knew when a traveller might actually be a god in disguise who had actually come to test the level of your xenia.

All travellers were seen as sent by Zeus and under his protection, so giving proper xenia was also a way of showing reverence for the gods, especially Zeus in the form of Zeus Xenios [god of guest friendship].

= Examples of Xenia in The Odyssey = __The Odyssey__ “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. The theme of punishment and reward for how xenia is offered runs throughout __The Odyssey__, starting with Odysseus’ encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus to his return to Ithaka and eventual vengeance against the suitors. The story relies so heavily on concepts of xenia that __The Odyssey__ could not have been written without it in mind. __Almost every encounter between characters gives us demonstrations of how xenia should, or shouldn’t be carried out__.

Good Xenia and Telemachus greeting Athene in disguise as a stranger.
In Book One of The Odyssey by Homer we see an example of good guest friendship in action when Athene goes to visit Telemachus disguised as a stranger. Telemachus is the son of Odysseus and Penelope. He is sitting feeling very angry about the behaviour of the men that have come to court his mother: The Suitors. They had slaughtered pigs and were playing with counters; their servants [squires] were mixing them bowls of wine. Homer writes that Telemachus “caught sight of Athene and set off at once for the porch, ashamed that a stranger should be kept standing at the gates. He went straight up to his visitor, grasped his right hand [remember Athene is disguised as a man], took his bronze spar and gave him cordial [friendly] greetings. ‘Welcome, friend!’ he said. ‘You can tell us what has brought you here when you have had some food.’ With this he led the way and Pallas Athene [disguised as man] followed. Once inside the lofty hall, he took her spear and put it by one of the great pillars in a wooden rack among the any spears … He then conducted her to a beautiful carved chair, over which he spread a linen cloth, and seated her there with a stool for her feet. ...Presently a maid came with water in a fine golden jug and poured it out over a silver basin for them to rinse their hands. She then drew a polished table to their side, and the faithful housekeeper brought some bread and set it by them with a choice of delicacies, helping them liberally to all she could offer. Meanwhile a steward served them places of various meats he had selected from his board, and put gold cups beside them, which a steward [servant] filled with wine as he passed on his frequent rounds.”

= Bad Xenia pointed out to Athene disguised as a stranger also in Book One. = Telemachus starts to talk to Athene, who is disguised as a man, about how badly behave the suitors are as guests. Homer writes that Telemachus says: “How easy it is for that gang over there to think of nothing but music and songs! They are living free off another man.” Later when the Suitors burst into uproar, and each man voiced a prayer that he might sleep with her, Telemachus called them to order: “Gentlemen...from you who court my mother this is sheer insolence. For the moment, let us dine and enjoy ourselves, but quietly ...in the morning I propose that we all take our places in assembly so that I can announce my demand that you quit my palace. Yes, you feast yourselves somewhere else and eat your provisions in each other’s homes. But if you think it a sounder [better] scheme to destroy one man’s estate and not make restitution, then eat your fill, while I pay that Zeus will bring you a day of reckoning, when in this house I will destroy you - and not make restitution.”

Good Xenia: Odysseus and Nausikaa


NAUSIKAA AND HER HANDMAIDS WITH ODYSSEUS IN THE BACKGROUND. One of the best examples of good xenia in __The Odyssey__ is that of Nausicaa, a princess on the island of the Phaeacians. Odysseus had been shipwrecked and took refuge under a bush for the night. 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. Seeing an opportunity for help, he decided to approach them. Emerging from the bushes, rough, ragged, crusted with dried seawater and covered only by an olive branch, he approached Nausicaa and her maids-in-waiting. A natural reaction in this sort of situation would be to run and hide, which is what Nausicaa’s maids-in-waiting did, but in Book 6 of The Odyssey we see Nausicaa, remember the obligations of xenia ...stand her ground and wait for Odysseus to explain himself. After he spoke, she used what means she had available to her to offer good xenia to a guest on her father’s island. She called back her maids and says ...This man is an unfortunate wanderer who has strayed here, and e must look after him since all strangers and beggars come under the protection of Zeus, and to such people a small gift can mean much. So give him food and drink, girls, and bathe him in the river where there’s shelter from the wind. She provided him with fresh clothing, taken from the laundry she’d washed in the river. She also offered him food and drink.

These are all examples of good xenia to a stranger. She took care of his needs and then, afterwards, she even offered a parting gift: information about how he could accomplish his task of getting home. 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.

Odysseus, for his part, also kept up his side of the obligations of xenia. He calculated how best to seek her aid without insulting her and therefore show how he knew how to act as a good [polite and well-behaved] suppliant/seeker of Xenia help from a host.

In Book 6 Homer writes: “”Odysseus considered whether he should throw his arms round the beautiful girl’s knees and beg for help, or just keep his distance and beg her with all courtesy to give him clothing and direct him to the city. He decided that as the lady might take offence if he embraced her knees it would be better to keep his distance and courteously [politely] plead his case….’Pity me, princess. You are the first person I have met after all I have been through, and I do not know a soul in this city or this land. Do direct me to town and give me some rags to put round myself.”

We can see that Nausicaa recognises that Odysseus is well mannered and knows how to act as a well-behaved ancient Greek because he is showing courtesy. She shows this by saying: “since your manners show you are not a bad man or a fool ...you certainly shall not want for clothing or anything else that an unfortunate suppliant has the right to expect from those he meets. I will show you the way to the town and tell you who we are.”

It’s easy to see the result of good xenia here, in terms of how Odysseus profited by it. He eventually encountered Nausicaa’s parents, was well received, entertained, and was sent on his way in a Phaeacian boat to Ithaca, loaded down with treasures.

It’s more of a stretch to see how the Phaeacian’s benefited from their good xenia, since the boat that took Odysseus home, along with its crew, was turned to stone within sight of Scheria Island, their home. It’s possible that the ability to tell future guests that they once played host to the great Odysseus may bring them some fame and honour.

Good Xenia: Odysseus and Eumaeus
Another example of good xenia in __The Odyssey__ is Odysseus’ reception by Eumeus, a swineherd on his estate in Ithaca. This takes place in Book 14. Even though Odysseus appeared to be a homeless, wandering beggar, he was still received well by Eumaeus. He was immediately invited in for food and drink: “Come to the cabin. You’re a wanderer too. You must eat something, drink some wine, and tell me where you are from and the hard times you’ve seen”. Eumaeus even arranged his own bed as a bench for Odysseus to sit down, reminding Odysseus that “…rudeness to a stranger is not decency, poor though he may be…”. When evening came, Eumaeus made a bed for Odysseus and even offered him his own cloak to keep him warm during the night. This level of courtesy towards a man, who, for all appearances, was nothing more than a beggar, shows Eumaeus’ dedication to proper xenia.

Odysseus continued to stay with Eumaeus for multiple days, but at no point did Eumaeus ever insist that he leave. He offered as much hospitality as he could to Odysseus, trusting in the customs of xenia that Odysseus would make no unreasonable demands or overstay his welcome.

For his part, Odysseus made no demands of Eumaeus and did not threaten or insult him, despite his humble offerings. In fact, Homer repeatedly indicates Odysseus’ pleasure at Eumaeus’s actions. We see that Odysseus is very pleased with Eumaeus’s level of hospitality when Homer writes that he says: “My good host, may Zeus and the other gods grant you your dearest wish for receiving me so kindly.” To which the swineherd replies to Odysseus - __and makes it really clear to those reading The Odyssey just how important guest friendship was to the ancient Greeks__: “Stranger, it is not right for me to turn away any stranger ...strangers and beggars all come in Zeus’s name and a gift from folk like us none the less welcome for being small.”

Eumaeus’s hospitality, and later his help, enables Odysseus to reclaim his house and get rid of the suitors. In return for Eumaeus’s good, kind and proper treatment of Odysseus as Eumaeus treated Odysseus to good xenia, and proved his continuing loyalty to him during the conversations they had while Odysseus was in the guise of a beggar, __his life was spared when Odysseus slaughtered the servants who had turned against him and against his house.__

Bad Xenia: Odysseus and The Suitors


ODYSSEUS SLAYING HIS WIFE’S SUITORS AFTER RETURNING TO ITHAKA. (Image from: [|FrogStorm] ) One of the most obvious examples of bad xenia in __The Odyssey__ is the treatment of Odysseus’s house, and by extension Odysseus himself, by the suitors who, in his absence, have come to his home seeking his wife’s hand in marriage.

The mere fact that they came to his house, seeking Penelope’s hand in marriage, isn’t necessarily wrong as Odysseus had been gone for nearly 15 years when the suitors showed up. There had been no solid news of him, and no one had any idea if he were alive or dead.

What makes their behaviour bad xenia is the way they went about it. They imposed themselves on the household, devouring the livestock, consuming the wine, insulting their host, Telemachus [the son of Odysseus and Penelope], and refused to leave when their presence and intentions toward Penelope were obviously not wanted.

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 ... sheep along; her friends ought to be feasted, gifts are due to her; would any dare to live at her expense?” She also later reminds them, “suitors indeed! You commandeered [took over] this house”.

The suitors even made plans to kill Telemachus, 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. [pretty bad guest friendship!] 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.

Additionally, when Odysseus returned home, though in disguise, the suitors continued to show bad xenia. Antinous was particularly vicious to him. As Odysseus made his rounds of the suitors’ tables, //in the guise of a beggar asking for hand-outs//, Antinous threatened him with violence, mocked him by calling him a pest, and then threw a stool at his back that hit him. These actions, along with further demonstrations of bad xenia on Antinous’s part and from all the suitors in general, show us the exact opposite of what good xenia is.

In the role of the guest, the suitors insulted their host by overstaying their welcome, by making unreasonable demands on the house in terms of provisions, and by attempting to kill Telemachus.

In the role of being a kind of host, the suitors failed to provide proper xenia by insulting their guest, Odysseus, by injuring him instead of protecting him from harm, and by not being as hospitable as possible. Their bad xenia was well rewarded, since Odysseus was home with the blessings of Zeus, who avenges bad xenia, and Athena, Odysseus’ patron goddess. As Odysseus prepared to draw the first arrow, __Zeus sent an omen signalling his approval, a loud thunderclap.__ 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. Antinous, the most vicious of the suitors, was the first to fall. In the end, all of the suitors died, and the disloyal servants with them. Bad xenia met with a bad end.

Importance of Xenia in Greek Civilization
The custom of xenia was, to the Greeks, the mark of civilisation in the late 12th century BC, a time when most of the world was still savage. This is evident by Odysseus’ statement in Book Six when he is washed up on the island of Scheria and had not yet met Nausicaa: “Now, by my life, mankind again! But who? Savages, are they, strangers to courtesy? Or gentle folk, who know and fear the gods? [eg Zeus as Zeus Xenios: patron of the traveller]”. This was his reaction when he woke up on the island of Scheria and heard Nausicaa and her maids screaming while playing with their ball. He wondered if the people of the island would show courtesy (xenia), or if they were savages that had no regard for Zeus Xenios. __This shows us that any place that did not practice xenia was considered uncivilized.__

// Besides being a measure for determining who was civilised and who wasn’t, it was an important part of the religious aspect of ancient Greek life. Since they believed that Zeus was the patron god of travellers seeking xenia, honouring a guest was the same as honoring Zeus. Failure to honour a guest was to risk incurring the wrath [anger] of the gods. //

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__. These bonds of xenia could prove useful if one friend were attacked. He could call on the people he’d shown good xenia to, to aid him in seeking reparations, or for making war. Hopefully, though, if good xenia is practiced by all, then hostilities would not be a problem, because proper respect would be shown by both the guest and host, reducing the chances of conflict. __In this way, the Greeks’ sense of community is greatly aided by the relationships they created through xenia.__

**Showing good xenia could also be a way of spreading fame for your house or country.** When, in Book 7, Odysseus is on the island of the Phaeacians, as part of King Alcinous entertainment (his xenia toward Odysseus) he presents the Phaeacian 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”.

Later, when Odysseus is in his own house posing as a beggar, he implores Antinous to give him a bit of bread, telling him, “Let me speak well of you as I pass on over the boundless earth”. In other words, he would tell others he met of Antinous’s good xenia and raise his reputation and fame. Of course, that’s not what happened in that instance, but it’s still obvious that providing good xenia was beneficial to reputation and fame.

//** Xenia was as important a part of Greek civilisation as government, reinforced by religion and constantly producing beneficial results for all those that participated appropriately in the kind of xenia that was expected. **//

= Conclusion = __The Odyssey__, with all of its examples of both good and bad xenia, offers us a look into the world of the Greeks, and the importance this cultural element or aspect of their society’s values played in their daily lives.

Throughout the story, bad xenia is punished and good xenia brings rewards to those who offer it. It was religious, it was beneficial, and it distinguished the Greeks from their barbarian neighbours. __The Odyssey__, as well as being an entertaining story, reinforced the ideals of civility among the Greeks who heard it. This means that the actions to do with xenia showed the listeners what was expected of them as hosts and good travellers. It showed them that behaving in accordance with the rules of good xenia meant they were acting “civilised.”

As the ancient Greeks sat beside a fire and listened to a bard tell the story, they heard about how characters were treated to good and bad xenia and so heard about codes of conduct in action that reflected what they knew and understood. In this way __The Odyssey__ is an enlightening primary source reference tool to better understand the world of the ancient Greeks.

Biggs, Cory, et al. __The Value of Hospitality__. n.d. 27 March 2011. Homer. __The Odyssey__. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc., 1998. Pitt-Rivers, Julian. “The Stranger, the Guest and the Hostile Host.” Peristiany, J. G. __Contributions to Mediterranean Sociology__. The Hague: Mouton, 1968. Wilson, Nigel Guy. __Encyclopedia of ancient Greece__. Psychology Press, 2006.
 * Works Cited **

-- =RITUALISED FRIENDSHIP AND THE GREEK CITY STATE, by Gabriel Herman, Lecturer in Ancient History. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Published by Cambridge University Press, London. 1987.= page 2..
 * The following information has come from:**

--- https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/07/09/xenios-zeus-and-true-meaning-greek-hospitality
 * The article below is from July 9, 2013 : **

July 9, 2013 12:00AM EDT =Xenios Zeus and the True Meaning of Greek Hospitality = Published in Open Democracy Show More Services

[|Print] [|EXPAND] Police detain individuals assumed to be migrants in central Athens, on Sunday, August 5, 2012. Between August 4, 2012, and February 22, 2013, Greek police detained almost 85,000 people of foreign origin on the streets of Athens to check their identification papers and legal status. © 2012 Associated Press/Thanassis Stavrakis “Police officers came to the door and said ‘All blacks out, all blacks out,’” Tupac told me as he recalled how police officers forced him and other black and Asian passengers out of a bus in central Athens for an identity check in early February. After pulling him off the bus, the police held Tupac, a Guinean registered asylum seeker, for approximately 10 hours to check his legal status in Greece. Tupac is one of the tens of thousands of people who have been stopped, searched, and detained by the police under Operation Xenios Zeus—an epic-scale sweep operation to crack down on irregular immigration that began almost a year ago. Whoever christened the operation has a bad sense of humor: Xenios Zeus was the ancient Greek god of hospitality. While researching police practices under Operation Xenios Zeus, I heard many disturbing accounts of clear targeting by the police on the basis of race or ethnicity during identity checks. The number of people stopped and detained is mind-boggling. In the first seven months, the police rounded up almost 85,000 foreigners and took them to police stations to verify their documents. Of these, fewer than 6 percent were then arrested for unlawful entry and stay in the country. The fact that such a small percentage were actually found to be in Greece unlawfully suggests ethnic profiling and arbitrary deprivation of liberty. I spoke to dozens of foreigners, including migrants and asylum seekers with a legal right to be in Greece, who have been repeatedly subjected to these lengthy procedures by the police, both on the street and at police stations. People on their way to work, to the grocery store, or just walking in Athens city center described being stopped and held by police officers in the street, confined in police buses, and detained in police stations and the Aliens Police Division for hours. The police had no reason to think they were undocumented migrants, except for their physical appearance. Ethnic profiling is discriminatory and unlawful when groups are systematically targeted solely or mainly on the basis of race or ethnicity. Depriving people of liberty is also unlawful and arbitrary when based on discriminatory grounds such as in Xenios Zeus. It is true that the influx of destitute migrants living on the streets has brought disconcerting change to Greek cities, particularly in Athens. Immigration as well as concerns about rising crime and urban degradation have become dominant features of everyday conversations as well as political discourse. With the far-right, anti-immigrant party Golden Dawn gaining in popularity and all this discussion, it’s hard not to see heavy-handed measures like Xenios Zeus as a public relations response. That is especially true given that police and government officials say the operation has been a success, despite the small number of irregular migrants actually apprehended after all that expenditure and effort. In mid-June, I met with high ranking police and government officials to discuss our findings and recommendations. I was struck by how defensive government officials and parliament members from the ruling New Democracy Party were about the issue. Athanasios Andreoulakos, secretary-general of the Public Order Ministry, as well as members of the parliamentary committee on public order, denied and rejected our findings outright. In response to our call to publicly reject ethnic profiling and other instances of police abuse, Andreoulakos said the government would “never condemn something that does not exist.” //**We were also told over and over that Greece is historically tolerant with a longstanding tradition of hospitality, that it is a victim of a mass influx of migrants, and that it’s “in the DNA of Greeks not to be racist.”**// Our recommendations on training, technical capacity, and guidelines for police officers on how to conduct immigration stops while respecting rights were more attractive to officials. In a meeting with Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis and the Justice Ministry secretary general Marinos Skandamis, they promised to examine ways to clarify the legal framework governing the procedure. Since we met a few weeks ago, Roupakiotis has been replaced in the government reshuffling amid Greece’s most recent political crisis. And the personnel could change again, given the general political instability in the country and the weak majority of the government in parliament. But as long as Operation Xenios Zeus remains in force, violations of rights will continue. The bottom line is that Greece should not discriminate based on race or ethnicity and should not subject migrants to arbitrary deprivation of liberty and other abusive treatment, irrespective of who is in power. The Greek authorities should revise Greece’s general stop and search powers, including for Operation Xenios Zeus, and adopt legal and policy reforms to ensure that all measures to identify irregular migrants fully comply with national and international law prohibiting discrimination. Police officers conducting immigration stops need appropriate training, equipment, and guidance on how to conduct immigration stops without abusing people’s rights. Instead of focusing on discriminatory sweep operations like Xenios Zeus, stigmatizing migrants and asylum seekers, Greece should invest more in stemming the tide of anti-immigrant sentiment in the country and showing migrants and asylum seekers the true meaning of Greek hospitality. //Eva Cossé monitors Greece for Human Rights Watch and is author of the report// Unwelcome Guests: Greek Police Abuses of Migrants in Athens//, published on June 12, 2013.//