The Odyssey
The Odyssey, by Homer is an ancient Greek tale that follows the journey of a mythical character, named
Odysseus, and his journey home from Troy. Odysseus faces numerous trials, including encountering
different races, that all contribute towards the building of Greek values and status. In this tale,
Polyphemus the Cyclops is thoroughly purposed, by Homer, to explore the values of good and bad Xenia
within the classical world.
Within ‘The Odyssey’, Homer clearly purposes the characters to highlight the importance of Xenia in
Homeric and classical society. Xenia is the Greek custom of hospitality towards strangers and was highly
valued in Greek society because of its links to Greek customs and status. Because Zeus, the king of the
Greek gods, was the patron or protector of strangers, people typically displayed good Xenia in fear of
incurring the god’s wrath. Throughout the Odyssey, Xenia is used, by Homer, to quickly distinguish
between ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ with links to a character's looks, actions and ethics.
Polyphemus’ island
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Actions of bad xenia impact a character’s wellbeing
Immediate bad sense of hospitality as Polyphemus breaks xenia customs by asking
questions.
Customary to serve a guest before asking questions
Polyphemus then kills many of the men in an inhumane fashion contributing towards his lack
of hospitality and savage nature.
Homer uses Polyphemus as an example (takes his sight) to comment on bad xenia.
Contrasts with Telemachus showing hospitality and being rewarded with news of his father.
People rewarded for good deeds, punished for bad ones.
‘Teaching moment’
Appearance in relation to bad xenia
Polyphemus is ugly
Links him to bad xenia because Homer used looks to distinguish between good and bad
people, creating a trend of ugly people showing bad xenia.
Nausicaa follows this trend, she is beautiful and by extension has a lovely nature.
Polyphemus lives in barbaric conditions, which reflect in his behaviour. Nausicaa is rich and
lives in a palace so has good behaviour.
Homer uses these characters to build on the idea that people who displayed good Xenia were
rewarded for their good Xenia with good looks and wealth from the gods, creating a stigma that
ugly and poor people were bad people.
Relate to reverence of the gods.
Reverence of gods in relation to xenia
Religion was important because gods controlled every aspect of normal life.
Tightly linked to good xenia because people feared punishment from the gods.
Polyphemus is disrespectful towards the gods, linking him to bad xenia because he does not fear
zeus enough to have good xenia.
Homer uses this to relate people who lack godly respect with bad xenia.
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Odysseus reinforces this as the perfect hero. He reveres the gods and links kindness with godly
respect, showing how xenia and the gods were linked.
Quotes
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And who are you, where do you come from over the watery ways?
Limb by limb he tore them to pieces to make his meal.
“He then conducted her to a beautiful carved chair, over which he spread a linen cloth and seated
her with a stool at her feet.”
“The very sight of the monster filled us with panic.”
“Nausicaa of the white arms”
“Stranger, you must be a fool, or must have come from very far afield to order me to fear or
reverence the gods.”
“hostile and uncivilised savages, or kindly and god-fearing people?”
Circe’s island - Aeaea
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Circe is a morally grey character– Shows good and bad Xenia.
Odysseus sends half the men to explore the island and inquire of their host.
Circe tricks the men and turns them into pigs- bad Xenia (trickster).
Odysseus, due to his heroic nature, won’t abandon the men and endeavours to trick the
goddess, with the help of the god Hermes.
After Odysseus gains the upper hand and proves his worth, the goddess becomes more
hospitable, she washes and clothes Odysseus, giving him clothing and food.
She also turns the men back and hosts the sailors for a year.
As a goddess she can get away with bad Xenia and still be held in high regard because of her
status and the concept that mortals have to ‘prove’ themselves to the gods.
Even Odysseus ends up relying on her, taking her advice and sleeping with her.
Her beauty and ethereal image allows her to get away with it because good Xenia is
associated with beautiful people in Homeric society.
Quotes
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“Prowling about the place were mountain wolves and lions that Circe had bewitched with her
magic drugs.”
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“that formidable goddess”
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“I went with the goddess to her beautiful bed.”
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“Even the goddess felt pity, and came to me and said: “Favourite of Zeus………, go down now
to your ship by the sea-shore……. and then come back yourself with the rest of your loyal
company.”
Eumaeus’ hut
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Odysseus arrives at the hut of Eumaeus, the swineherd, disguised as an old, frail beggar.
Eumaeus is the swineherd of Odysseus but is unaware that the stranger is Odysseus.
He is still mourning for the death of his master and doesn’t like serving the suitors.
Eumaeus invites the old man in, feeding him with his master’s own pigs, giving the old man a
place to sleep for the night and sharing his spare cloak, despite his sorrow.
Eumaeus shows the most honourable Xenia, giving everything he has instead of just what is
expected.
He is also not wealthy and is not expected to pay such high respect to such a low-class
member of society, yet does anyway and even humours the old man’s tales which he doesn’t
believe to be true.
Honours the gods thoughtfully and before eating his own food. - link to good xenia
Quotes
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“The good swineherd”
“ invited him to sit down on some brushwood covered with the shaggy skin of a wild goat…..
which served as his own mattress.”
“a gift from folk like us is none the less welcome for being small.”
“The swineherd, who was a good and virtuous man, did not forget the immortals, but began
the ritual by throwing a tuft of hair from the white-tusked victim into the fire and praying to all
the gods”
Multiple events
The ancient Greek story ‘The Odyssey’, by Homer is an oral tale by an unverified author that was later
recorded in writing. It tells the story of an ancient Greek hero named Odysseus and his ten year
journey home from Troy, where he fought in the Trojan War. In this story Xenia, the Greek concept of
hospitality, was developed through the way people treated Odysseus on his journey and was
emphasised in how many prestigious people held it in high regard.
In ancient Greek society, Xenia was the law or custom of offering protection and hospitality to
strangers, with homeowners welcoming guests into their home and showering them with food and gifts
worthy of their status. It was an extremely important religious custom for many Greek people because
“all strangers and beggars come under the protection of Zeus”. It was considered extremely
disrespectful to him to turn strangers away and many feared that Zeus would punish them for acting
discourteously. Therefore people who expressed Xenia to guests were considered good god-fearing
people and gained a good reputation through their virtuous attitude. In The Odyssey, these people
were typically associated with ‘good guys’ with Odysseus commonly asking if people were “hostile and
uncivilised savages or kindly god-fearing people”. However, there also existed the concept of bad
Xenia in which people treated visitors discourteously and did not host them. People who did this were
generally scorned by ‘good god-fearing people’ and, in stories such as the Odyssey, were typically
gruesome monsters. On his journey home from Troy, Odysseus encounters both good and bad Xenia
from many different races and cultures. He is gladly hosted by the Phoenicians and Eumaeus but is
turned away, tricked or attacked by people such as the lotus eaters and Polyphemus. Additionally, he
encounters Circe, who initially indicates bad Xenia towards him and his men, but hosts them
graciously once Odysseus has proven his strength. The concept of good and bad Xenia, or hospitality,
is thoroughly explored in the Odyssey through the characters, their actions, words and appearances.
After leaving Troy and encountering the Cicones and the lotus-eaters, Odysseus and his men arrive at
the island of the Cyclopes. After landing on the island, Odysseus gathers twelve of his most trusted
men and ventures to the nearby cave which ,is later discovered, is home to Polyphemus the one-eyed
Cyclops. On arriving home, instead of gladly receiving the guests, Polyphemus endeavours to trick
them into revealing the location of their ship, kills many of Odysseus’s men and traps the rest of them
inside his cave. The Cyclops then proceeds to keep the men in the cave as a source of food.
Polyphemus expresses bad Xenia to his guests by not sharing what he has and attacking them
without reason. His character is painted as a villain in this story not only because of his actions but
also because of his views and appearance. Good Xenia, in Homeric Greece, is typically associated
with good-looking and kind god-fearing people. While describing Polyphemus, Odysseus calls him a
“monster” and says that the very sight of the Cyclops “filled us with panic.” Additionally, the Cyclops
calls Odysseus a fool “to order me to fear or reverence the gods.” This all contributes to the image of
bad Xenia surrounding Polyphemus because he does not comply with the Homeric standard of ethics
and diverts from the expectations surrounding good Xenia.
Further into his journey, Odysseus and his crew land on the island of Aeaea, the home of Circe, “A
formidable goddess with a mortal woman’s voice.” Odysseus, wanting to investigate the island, sends
a group of men to scout the area which consequently leads them to be tricked and turned into pigs by
the immortal goddess. On hearing this news, Odysseus, aided by the god Hermes, ventures to save
the crew and manages to best the sorceress, gaining her oath that she would no-longer trick them.
This oath causes a drastic change in character for the goddess and she frees Odysseus’ men, feeds
the company and allows them to stay in her home for a year. She also comforts Odysseus in his
sorrow and gives him advice on how to continue his journey. The Xenia shown by Circe is extremely
two-sided with her initially showing bad Xenia but evolving to showing good Xenia once she has been
overcome. This dual personality can easily be related to the idea of who is typically seen to be
showing bad or good Xenia. In Homeric society, bad Xenia is associated with monsters whereas good
is associated with beautiful people. Circe is a goddess so is naturally ethereal and alluring, whereas
her personality is more manipulative and proud. Her beauty allows her to get away with bad Xenia at
first and still be viewed as a courteous host later down the line. Odysseus himself even ends up
holding her in a high regard, calling her “that formidable goddess”. The fact that she is a goddess also
earns her quick forgiveness because the gods are held in high regard in Greek and Homeric society.
Overall, Circe shows both good and bad Xenia to Odysseus and his crew but is ultimately forgiven
because of her beauty and godly status.
After losing all of his crew and being trapped on Calypso’s island for 7 years, Odysseus finally returns
to his homeland with help from the Phaeacians. Disguised as a beggar by Athene, he arrives at the
home of the swineherd Eumaeus, one of his own men. Eumaeus, despite being in grief for the master
he believes to be dead, welcomes the ‘beggar’ into his home saying “Stranger, it is not right for me to
turn away a stranger, even one in a worse state than you are.” Eumaeus then slaughters and cooks
two swine for their meal, provides Odysseus with a comfortable seat and Eumaeus’ own warm cloak
for the night. Up to this point in the story, Eumaeus shows the most honourable Xenia to his guest. It is
clear that he is not wealthy and does not have to treat a beggar so kindly as beggars are held in low
regard in Greek society. Regardless “Eumaeus covered him with a great thick cloak, which he kept as
a spare garment.” and allowed him to stay the night. Eumaeus covering him with his own cloak shows
an immense amount of respect for someone of such low status and paints Eumaeus as a very
good-hearted character. This can relate to the concept of good Xenia being shown by kind or well
mannered people. Despite being a swineherd, Eumaeus speaks eloquently and treats his guest kindly
regardless of his status. The author clearly paints Eumaeus as a character to be fond of, even
referring to him specifically calling him “you, Eumaeus” consequently breaking the fourth wall.
Eumaeus’ attitude contributes immensely to the concept of Xenia, representing how differently the
Greek people interpreted it. It also represents how in Homeric society, reputation and personal honour
were highly valued. Compared to many wealthier people in the story, Eumaeus arguably shows the
best Xenia because he gives as much as he can whereas they give as much as expected. Overall,
Eumaeus is a character that expresses outstanding Xenia to his guests. This idea can be related to his
personality, words and actions.
In the Odyssey, the idea of Xenia is thoroughly explored through the ideals, personalities and
appearances of the characters. Xenia, both good and bad, is shown by many different people in the
story, and is interpreted differently by the varying classes and races. Overall Xenia is an extremely
important theme and is a common part of ancient Greek and Homeric society.
Polyphemus
The Odyssey, by Homer is an ancient Greek tale that follows the journey of a mythical character, named
Odysseus, and his journey home from Troy. Odysseus faces numerous trials, including encountering
different races, that all contribute towards the building of Greek values and status. In this tale,
Polyphemus the Cyclops is thoroughly purposed, by Homer, to explore the values of good and bad Xenia
within the classical world.
Within ‘The Odyssey’, Homer clearly purposes the characters to highlight the importance of Xenia in
Homeric and classical society. Xenia is the Greek custom of hospitality towards strangers and was highly
valued in Greek society because of its links to Greek customs and status. Because Zeus, the king of the
Greek gods, was the patron or protector of strangers, people typically displayed good Xenia in fear of
incurring the god’s wrath. Throughout the Odyssey, Xenia is used, by Homer, to quickly distinguish
between ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ with links to a character's looks, actions and ethics.
Polyphemus’ actions are thoroughly purposed, by Homer, to explore the diminishing effect that bad Xenia
has on a person’s character and wellbeing. When Odysseus and his men first encounter Polyphemus,
they are immediately met with a bad sense of hospitality. Polyphemus breaks Xenia customs by
immediately asking questions to the travellers; “And who are you, where do you come from over the
watery ways?” This behaviour links Polyphemus to bad Xenia as it was customary to provide for a guest’s
needs before enquiring about their reasons for being there.This notion of bad Xenia is then furthered as
Polyphemus kills many of the men and traps the remaining men, along with Odysseus, in his cave; “Limb
by limb he tore them to pieces to make his meal.” Polyphemus’ barbaric actions in killing the men, as well
as killing them in an inhumane fashion, all contribute towards his savage nature and his lack of hospitality
in providing for his guests. Later in this chapter, Homer makes an example out of Polyphemus, causing
his sight to be taken away, in order to comment on where bad Xenia gets you in life. Polyphemus was
punished because of his bad Xenia which contrasts with how Telemachus is rewarded earlier on in the
story for good Xenia; “He then conducted her to a beautiful carved chair, over which he spread a linen
cloth and seated her with a stool at her feet.” This contrast displays how Xenia was viewed by Homer and
classical society, in the belief that people were rewarded for good deeds and punished for bad ones. This
development of Polyphemus’ barbarism in contrast to Telemachus’ nobility is used as a ‘teaching
moment’, by Homer, to comment on how classical society should act with good Xenia if they wanted to be
viewed as a good and just person.
Homer clearly utilises the appearance of Polyphemus and his surroundings to comment on the Greek
values of beauty and how it was associated with good and bad Xenia. Polyphemus is a one eyed cyclops
and has a monstrous appearance, reinforced by when Odysseus’ crew meets him; “The very sight of the
monster filled us with panic.” This links him to bad Xenia in a tale such as the Odyssey as looks were
used, by Homer, to quickly distinguish between good and bad people, creating a trend that causes the
reader to expect bad Xenia from ugly people. Nausicaa is quickly established as having good Xenia in the
same way, with her being referred to as “Nausicaa of the white arms” and being renowned for her beauty.
As a lead-on to this, we see her elegant and hospitable nature, similar to how we see Polyphemus’
barbaric behaviour. In addition, Polyphemus lives in a basic and barbaric cave amongst his goats which is
later reflected in his savage behaviour towards the crew, relating him back to bad Xenia through his
surroundings while Nausicaa is a wealthy princess living in a castle, relating her to kindness and good
Xenia. Homer’s use of this trend clearly displays how the Greeks valued beauty and wealth, as it was
seen as a gift from the gods. Homer uses these characters to build on the idea that people who displayed
good Xenia were rewarded for their good Xenia with good looks and wealth from the gods, creating a
stigma that ugly and poor people were bad people, otherwise the gods would have looked after them.
This clearly displays the reverence of the gods in Greek and Homeric society as well as the status that
wealth and beauty could get you.
Within the Odyssey, Homer clearly uses the reverence of the gods, in partnership with Xenia, to comment
on the ethics and nobility of people and characters. Religion was a large part of Greek society because
the Greek gods symbolised everything in daily life and respect towards the gods was believed to gain you
good fortune, wealth and looks. Showing good Xenia was tightly linked to this because Zeus was the
patron god of strangers and therefore people showed good Xenia because they feared his wrath. In the
Odyssey, Polyphemus blatantly shows disrespect towards the gods; “Stranger, you must be a fool, or
must have come from very far afield to order me to fear or reverence the gods.” This line clearly shows
his lack of respect or fear towards the gods, displaying his bad Xenia in the fact that he does not fear
Zeus enough to consider acting hospitably. Homer’s clever use of this sentence to reveal Polyphemus’
merciless nature, clearly presents that lack of reverence towards the gods immediately relates a person to
bad Xenia and lack of nobility within Greek society. This idea is cemented in the contrasting character of
Odysseus who is distinctly written to be the faultless character of the novel. Odysseus clearly reveres the
gods, commonly asking if people were “hostile and uncivilised savages, or kindly and god-fearing
people?” The fact that Odysseus sees god-fearing people as kind, as well as the fact that his character is
written to be the image of perfection firmly reinforces the link between Xenia and reverence towards the
gods and the importance of these values in Greek society.
Overall, Homer’s epic poem clearly purposes the looks, actions and ethics of characters, in relation to
their environment and other characters, to display the values of Xenia and reverence towards the gods in
Greek and Homeric society. The character of Polyphemus is thoroughly used, by Homer, to explore the
negative effects that the disregard for these values had in the Greek world.