The Concept of Xenia in The Odyssey

Throughout The Odyssey a recurring feature is how societies invite strangers into their

palace to be cleaned up, eat, drink, and be entertained. This hospitality was a social code that

every society seemed to follow closely, except for the island where the Cyclops Polyphemus

lived, who handled things in a much more anarchistic manner. This form of hospitality might

seem excessive for todays standards, especially for uninvited strangers. In ancient Greece

however, this hospitable social code was quite common and held much importance.

No matter who the stranger was, a kingdom would uphold this social code known

as xenia. Homer repeats himself a lot during these moments of xenia. The characters in The

Odyssey who receive xenia are Odysseus, Telemachus and their respected crews. Before even

telling their hosts their names and why they arrived in their kingdom, xenia was practiced. The

repeated actions of xenia Homer repeats, involve having the stranger, or strangers, sit near the

kings and queens, having a pitcher of water brought forth by a servant to pour water over their

hands so they can clean them, then having a table brought to them where food and drink would

be served, they would reach out for all that was served to them and have their fill of it all. Only

after these events would the king or queen address the strangers and ask questions regarding who

they are and why they are here. Xenia might seem strange to modern man, but to an ancient

civilization like Greece, this practice held much importance.

There are three significantly important reasons the ancient Greek practiced xenia: firstly,

the ancient world was much larger than the modern world, or rather, it appeared to be larger,

with far distances from land mass to land mass and therefore long distances between

civilizations. These distances one had to travel to get from one place to another, were full of

various dangers, from sea-storms, to sea monsters, to land monsters, to Poseidons or some other
deitys wrath, to uncivilized lands where laws were pointless and anarchy was the name of the

game. Secondly, because of the vast distances between human civilizations, and the dangers of

the natural world, and the dangers of invading forces (something for which Odysseus himself is

guilty of doing), creating allies was a way to insure the survival of a kingdom. By treating

strangers with respect and compassion, one can build bonds with other kingdoms. And in the

ancient world of the Greek, altruism had been a proven method for insuring the longevity of

ones bloodline, culture and kingdom. Lastly, the gods were known to take the form of a human,

sometimes as a stranger, other times as a known person. The possibility of a stranger visiting

your land that may actually be a god in disguise, makes it too big of a risk not to entertain this

social code. It was a way to keep the gods happy and their civilization safe from their wrath. It

also was wise to show this hospitality to strangers who may be favored by a specific god, and by

way of the strangers influence, the god may bring prosperity as a form of payment for treating

their beloved human well.

In The Odyssey, there are several instances where the act of xenia occurs, and as

mentioned previously, they are a lot alike regarding the order of events that occurred and the

similarities of all that happened in the events. However, there is one case when xenia is not

practiced, and it catches Odysseus and his men off-guard. The referred case is when Odysseus

and his convoy reach the island of the Cyclops and venture into the cave of Polyphemus, who

also happens to be the son of Poseidon. When they reach his cave, they immediately make

themselves at home with the expectation that the owner of the cave wouldnt see fault in their

behavior. There we built a fire, set our hands on the cheeses, offered some to the gods and ate

the bulk ourselves and settled down inside, awaiting his return (Homer, p. 218).
 However, when Polyphemus returns home, he quickly reveals that codes such as xenia

have no influence over his home, or entire island for that matter. When Odysseus answers

Polyphemus regarding who they are, he makes it clear that he expects Polyphemus to follow the

social code of xenia. Were glad to say were men of Atrides Agamemnon, whose fame is the

proudest thing on earth these days,, so great a city he sacked, such multitudes he killed! But since

weve chanced on you, were at your knees in hopes of a warm welcome, even a guest-gift, the

sort that hosts give strangers. Thats the custom. Respect the gods, my friend. Were suppliants

at your mercy! Zeus of the Strangers guards all guests and suppliants: strangers are sacred Zeus

will avenge their rights! (Homer, pp. 219-220). Polyphemus answers this threat-fueled demand

being made of him, You must be a fool, stranger, or come from nowhere, telling me to fear the

gods or avoid their wrath! We Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeuss shield of storm and

thunder, or any other blessed god weve got more force by far. Id never spare you in fear of

Zeuss hatred, you or your comrades here, unless I had the urge. (Homer, p. 220).

The differences between the civilizations of man and Cyclops clearly exist because of

their different natures. Man has much to fear and often relies on the trust of other men to survive

as well as the mercy or favoritism of the gods. The Cyclops fear nothing and no one, they have

no need for travel, nor feel any need to appease the gods. Homer is showing the importance of

altruism and how it shaped the ancient world as well as the current world today.

Homer also uses this social code to show what happens to those who dont practice laws

and largely agreed upon ethics. Polyphemus is the first to suffer for his disregard for xenia, by

being blinded. If he had shared his food and home freely with Odysseus and his crew, he would

have not suffered such a loss. Also Poseidon wouldnt be angered or later discouraged when

Zeus enforced his authority over him. The same goes for the suitors in Odysseus palace. Had
they been civil and treated others with respect and not forced their hosts to host them against

their will, had they not attempted to drain Odysseus kingdom dry of its food and wine, they

wouldnt not have faced such a dismal and dark ending. Homer uses xenia to explain the

importance of respect, honor, compassion and altruism and how important these aspects are for

the survival of a civilization and the well-being of the its inhabitants.

Works Cited

Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. NY: Penguin Books, 1998