Telemachus then greets Athena and invites her in to “find a royal welcome” (Homer 1.145) and he then instructs Athena to “have supper first, then tell us what you need,’” (Homer 1.146). This demonstrates that it was customary to invite a guest into their home and taking care of
In the epic poem, we keep reading about how every time there is a guest in a household, the owner of the house, which is the host, is usually following these rules when they greet their guest. For example, the way the Phaeacians welcomed Odysseus to their house. They gave him food and a bath, offered him a place to sleep in and only then they questioned him about his life back home, although they knew of his name and where he is from. He then shared his story about his journey form Troy, which is something that is often seen in the Odyssey; exchanging stories is part of xenia and counts as a gift. An example of good xenia happening in the epic movie is when the suitors come to Odysseus’ house and Penelope and Telemachus follow the xenia rules; give them food, baths and a place to sleep.
Xenia is the concept of guest hospitality, this means that you must feed and serve the guest, and in return they will tell you the story of how they came to your home. It was very important in Ancient Greece as it's patron was Zeus, meaning it was one of the more followed concepts in the ancient world. It's importance is shown throughout the Odyssey through how the different characters act in accordance with Xenia and how the characters who follow the concept are favoured by the gods and how the characters who breach it are punished. The first case of Xenia is shown when Athene appears as Mentes, a family friend of Odysseus, to Telemachus. He first appears as "sitting disconsolate" among the Suitors in his home but he jumps up "at once" when he sees her waiting and immediately offers her some food.
Odysseus’ observant mind leads him into agreeing to “go up into [Circe’s] bed” and “make sweet love” with her because he knows that this is a way to free his men (10,441). By Odysseus carrying-out this event, it shows that he has developed into a perceptive character thinking about the outcome of the situation and not just his own desires. Also, Odysseus stays in Circe’s home for one more year so he can let his fellow crew “feast on sweet wine and large supplies of meat” before they set off onto the rest of their mission (10,603). This portrays how the epic hero grows into a receptive human being by feeding his crew well because he knows that he needs strong men to steer the ship, and he doesn’t want them to rise up against him. Additionally, Odysseus has come to the “sad darkness” of the Underworld and has to make a tough decision based upon freeing his mother or talking to Teiresias (11,190).
In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, xenia is an important theme that gives insights into the characters and the Achaean culture. Xenia is the concept of hospitality toward foreigners, and it comprises both the responsibilities of being a good guest and a good host. The responsibilities of the host are to give food, clothing, and a bath to a foreigner and even a gift of some sort. The guest is expected to be courteous and not to take advantage of the host and overstay or expect too much. Xenia is usually done to show your wealth, or out of fear that you may be punished by Zeus.
He then arranged a wedding and Perseus was invited. As custom, guests must bear gifts but Perseus alone was without a gift until he proudly proclaimed that he will get the head of a gorgon as a gift. Polydectes did this so that nobody else would be in his way when he proposed to Danae later on. Both Hermes and Pallas Athena helped
STORY The legend of Perseus and Medusa is set on an island called Seriphos, where a young man named Perseus lived with his mother, Danae. The king of the island, Polydictes wanted Danae to marry him. He was a horrible, wicked tyrant and Danae did not want to marry him. Polydictes thought it was Perseus’ fault and if Perseus was dead, she would happily marry him. So, Polydictes invited all the young men from Seriphos to a banquet.
They had rulers but they also had people who would gather and have meetings to choose one person to represent the people. Greek and Roman culture have survived through time and are still observed and learned and studied in the United States. Things such as the US Constitution and architecture in the US have all copied themes from Greek and Roman culture. Plato and Aristotle are still taught in school. Persia formed during the same time era as the Romans and the Greeks.
Joel Zwick’s “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, is an independent picture which débuted in 2002 along with a string of other romantic comedies. The movie is a comical embrace and celebration of Greek culture. In some ways it pokes fun at the Greek family but in a kind gentle hearted way. The Portokalos family values could apply equally to any ethnic clan, regardless of whether they're Greek, Italian, Polish, Spanish, etc. “Culture is usually viewed as a blueprint for our way of living, thinking, behaving, and feeling.
Throughout both readings the nature of truth along with the distinction between what appears and what is real are both discussed and shown throughout. There are also many similarities within the Meno and the Euthydemus that try and help explain the meaning behind virtue. Within the Meno, the first question raised is; “Is virtue teachable?” but then elevates to “What is virtue?”(Meno, 70a-71a). It is obvious that virtue must be carefully defined before dealing with successive questions about it. A number of definitions of virtue are offered by Meno but they all merely come together to form Greek cultural customs.