hospitality and guest friendship (xenia)

• this code of behaviour was seen as a law sacred to Zeus
• to harm your hose or guest was to harm Zeus himself
• Xenia is at the heart of the Odyssey
• Paris violates the sacred rules when he is a guest of King Menelaus of Sparta
• he steals Helen, his wife, and sets in motion the Trojan War
• nearly every encounter in the Odyssey is constructed around xenia
• the stranger arrivers, and as a sacred guest, is welcomed and offered food, drink, a bath and a bed
• to pay back the host, the guest provides a gift
• since the guest is probably without resources, the gift can be a story
• in a world where contact with outsiders is limited, a story is a very valuable gift
• when the traveller leaves, the host gives him a bath, clothes and what is needed for the journey