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This blog is intended to serve as a online journal for the Step-Ahead class of World Literature.
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One could argue that Homer’s classic and timeless epic, The Odyssey, would not have been as enticing or suspenseful without the gods and their constant meddling in the affairs of the mortal humans. The
“Grey-eyed” goddess of wisdom, Athena is the one often seen helping Odysseus get home and enact his revenge upon his enemies throughout the entire story. However, all of the gods and goddesses play a key role within the action, whether that be Odysseus’ journeys or battles. One example of direct intervention on behalf of the gods, is that of Athena persuading Zeus to demand that Hermes tell the goddess Calypso to free Odysseus and his men from her island after nearly a decade being held captive on the island (p. 385). Without her meddling, Odysseus would have likely spent much longer than just seven years on the island of Ogygia. This scene also depicts the code of hospitality, xenia, that the gods demanded of the humans. However, this is one of the few instances in which the reader sees said code shown in an interaction between the gods and goddesses. Before Hermes shares Zeus’ message that he was sent to deliver, Calypso addresses him by name and treats him to nectar and ambrosia, which he finishes before he tells her what Zeus has demanded of her (p. 387). Another illustration of the gods interfering in the lives of mortals is Poseidon hampering Odysseus’ journey home because he was angry that Odysseus blinded the god’s son, the one-eyed cyclops, Polyphemus, on the island of the cyclops after wandering into his cave where he kept his sheep (p. 395). Also, when Athena goes to Nausicaa during the night to tell her that she should wash her clothes as a ploy to get her where Odysseus could see her and she would help him convince her parents, King Alcinous and Queen Arete of Phaeacia, to assist him in his journey home to his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, in Ithaca (p. 397). The last example of the gods directly influencing the lives of the mortals, particularly Odysseus, is again one with the conspiring goddess Athena. Towards the end of the epic, after Odysseus has killed all of the suitors and those who were disloyal to him during his absence and also revealed himself to Penelope and they are reuniting after his twenty-year absence, Athena prevents the sun from rising so Odysseus’ wife could treat him to a proper homecoming and so they could exchange tales of the past twenty years before he had to leave on one last trip in order to fulfill the prophecy and please the ocean god, Posiedon before he can come home for good (p. 606).
While the Odyssey is based on the adventures of the mortal man Odysseus, the Greek gods play major roles throughout the story and one could say that Odysseus’ 20-year journey home may have not occurred with out the help and the harm caused by the Gods. While the gods are immortal, each with many powers, the gods are fairly similar to the humans in how they act. They all display human like emotions such as rage, jealousy and empathy. In one of Odysseus’ and his men’s adventures the landed on the island of the Cyclops. When they were on the island they became trapped by Polyphemus, one of the Cyclops that just so happened to be a son of Poseidon. Polyphemus was torturing and eating Odysseus men so he devised a plan to escape his cave. When they enacted this plan Odysseus ended up stabbing Polyphemus in his one and only eye causing him to go blind. Of course the Cyclops was furious and called out to his father for revenge. So Poseidon made Odysseus’ journey back home long and hard by making the seas rough and destroying his ships (438, 606). While Poseidon’s interventions hurt Odysseus, the goddess Athena had a strong liking for Odysseus and helped him on many occasions during his journey. One way she helps him is when he finally escapes calypsos island and he has washed up on the shore of the island that Naussica and her family lived on. She encourages Naussica to go down and wash her clothes in the river knowing Odysseus was there and that they would encounter each other (478). Because of this Naussica’s father threw a feast and celebration for Odysseus and offered him many gifts and gave him a crew and a ship to get back home, which is also an example of the xenia that was of extreme importance in the Greek culture (490). Athena also intervenes when Odysseus returns home to Ithaca by disguising him as a beggar so he would not be recognized by anyone and could more easily kill the suitors (515). Lastly Zeus also aids Odysseus during the competition meant for the suitors who were trying to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. Upon winning the competition Zeus makes a loud thunder showing that he was on Odysseus’ side (610). Going back to the topic of xenia, Naussicas father was not the only person who exemplified this. During Telemachus’ trip to find his father Meleneous openly welcomes him into his house and offers him food and a place to sleep even without knowing who he is (430). Additionally, upon Odysseus return, when he is disguised as a beggar the swinehearder also welcomes him into his home offering him food and a place to stay (510). The reason all these people (plus many more) so easily welcome these random people into their homes is because this is extremely important to Zeus and the other Gods because you never know who could come and visit you; it could be a god disguised as a mortal. And because of this it was very important within in the Greek culture to always welcome and invite strangers into your home.
-Laina
The Odyssey is filled with instances of divine intervention. The gods take a special interests in Odysseus and his journey home. One of the first instances of intervention by the gods is when Athena asks Zeus to send a message through Hermes to Calypso to free Odysseus from her island (385-386). Another common theme that is often tied into the interactions of the mortals and gods is the concept of Xenia. This is the idea of the Guest Host relationship and the protocols that come with that code of conduct. Xenia is a code that is very important when it comes to honoring the gods as well as to the Greek culture as a whole. if a person were to act in breach of this protocol there would be serious consequences for that person and their entire household. Calypso both respected this code and also caused a breach of the code. She honored this code when she agreed to help Odysseus on his journey home and gave him advice on how to best defeat the challenges he would face later on his journey. (477).She breached this code by keeping Odysseus captive for 7 years on her island before she is forced to free him by the gods. Just as Athena plays a major role in the journey of Odysseus, Poseidon also plays a pivotal role in his journey as well, but not to Odysseus’ benefit. After his altercation with the Cyclops Polyphemus; Odysseus yells out his real name, and Polyphemus asks Poseidon to curse Odysseus’ journey home and to delay him in any way he can (437). Poseidon answers Polyphemus’ request and causes many storms on Odysseus’ journey which cause multiple detours on Odysseus’ journey to Ithaca. (437). Another example of the Xenia is Odysseus’ encounter with King Alcinous who gives him a bag of wind as a parting gift after he has properly entertained Odysseus and his men as per the protocol of Xenia. Although this example of the guest host relationship starts out in good spirits, turns sour when Odysseus’ crew betrays him and sets them on a course back to King Alcinous by opening the bag of wind because they let their curiosity and jealousy get the better of them. (478-479). King Alcinous that the gods are against Odysseus, so he says he will never help another traveler after Odysseus. The gods take an interest in the journey after Odysseus’ crew kills the cattle of the sun on Helios’ island. Zeus and Poseidon work to destroy the ship and kill each of Odysseus’ crew members leaving him to fend for himself. (481) After Odysseus’ long journey home Athena disguises him as an old beggar so that he is able to see the true state of his kingdom and what has happened since he left to fight in the Trojan War. (483-484). The themes of Divine intervention and Xenia play a pivotal role in the progression of the epic story of the Odyssey.
- Gracie Cahalan
The multiple gods in the story of the, “Odyssey,” were the ones who carried the story at most points. They created pivotal turns that caused the plot to thicken. Such as in the beginning of the story, when Athena gets permission from the other gods to get Odysseus back home. (p.334) She goes down to Ithaca, and Telemachus spots her first. She tells him her plan to get Odysseus back to Ithaca, as well as Telemachus showing her the damage that came from the suitors. Athena took control into her hands because of her favor over Odysseus, and she fought hell or high water for him to return home. She used deception many times, such as when Telemachus was told to go out and find news of his father. For example, Athena disguised herself as Telemachus to gather up a crew for his ship.(p.351) Another example of the gods being significant, is when Hermes went to visit Calypso. Zeus commanded Hermes to send Calypso a message about sending Odysseus on his way home. (p.386) After arguing with Hermes about her own dignity, she went to Odysseus and told him he must leave. He must make a raft and get out. Odysseus was upset at first, but she comforted him and assured him that no harm would come his way. The next example would be the goddess, Circe. She brought Odysseus and his men into her house and showed great xenia. (p.442) She welcomed them and fed them. As well as warning them about the obstacles they would face while crossing the ocean. Most of the gods also had quick tempers, such as Zeus and Poseidon. They were quick to avenge their power on those who disrespected them. The goddess Circe illustrated amazing xenia. She did not force them to stay over the respective amount, she allowed them to leave when they wanted. She fed them, bathed them, and entertained them. Now the other gods were not so happy to have Odysseus and his men in their presence, such as Helios. Odysseus specifically told his men not to eat the cattle of Helios’s land, but they disobeyed. They got their punishment once they left that island, which included all his men being killed. The gods expected respect from the humans, because they were the higher power that created them and made them successful. They did not take disrespect lightly. One can argue that the gods were extremely important to building this story, and giving it the plot that it obtains. Without the gods differing opinions, Odysseus would have made it home in 20 days rather than 20 years.
Throughout Homer’s novel, “The Odyssey,” immortal gods played a key role in almost every aspect of the ancient Greek society Odysseus lived in. The god’s were very involved in everyday lives of humans they watched over. Perhaps the most influential goddess was Athena, or “the grey eyed one.” Athena had a spot in her heart for Odysseus, there are many times in which the goddess provides Odysseus solutions as well as help in seemingly impossible scenarios. A primary example of her handiwork is shown on pages 397-499 when Athena craftily disguises Odysseus as a poor beggar. She does this so Odysseus will be able to tell who remains loyal in his household and who is disloyal, as well as the opportunity to devise a plan to take vengeance on the suitors. Is at the beginning of his journey back to Ithaca when he is shipwrecked and floats to an island, the island of Ogygia that belonged to the goddess Calypso. Calypso fell in love with Odysseus; she even offered him immortality if he agreed to stay on the island with her, he politely denied her request. The goddess would not allow Odysseus to leave, thus preventing him from seeing his family and his estate. Athena assisted Odysseus here as well; she came down to the island and softened Calypso’s heart. Calypso agreed to help Odysseus build a sturdy raft so he could leave the Island and sail toward Ithaca. Without Athena’s help and guidance, Odysseus would most likely never been able to leave the island. Another key piece in Homer’s epic was Xenia, the guest host relationship that was so important to not only the Greeks, but also the entire world. People in that time believed that gods often came in the form of mortal men, so when a stranger would show up at one’s house the custom would be to bathe, feed, and give their guests extravagant gifts to send them on their separate ways. This xenia is exemplified when the Phoenicians assisted the stranger Odysseus with his travels. He washed up on the shore of the Phoenician’s country where they immediately fed him and took care of him. After competing in a form of Olympic style games, they gave him a fast ship with food, supplies, as well as a full crew to assist him in his return to Ithaca. While the result was not a positive one for the hosts, the gods almost always smiled on it. Xenia and the god’s were both key aspects of Homer’s book the Odyssey.
Jack Brunton
A big part of all of Homer’s stories is the gods that intervene in the lives of his characters. The gods constantly insert themselves into the lives of Homer’s characters for necessary and unnecessary reasons. They feel that it is their job to control everything that goes on amongst the mortal lives. They also play a huge role in the theme of xenia that Homer continues to bring up. The god either personally helped a mortal stranger or helped someone else help the stranger. For example, Odysseus resided on Calypso’s island for seven years (p. 477). She kept him there and offered him immortality, though he did not take it. When Odysseus felt the longing to return home to Ithaca, Calypso helped build him a raft to get him to his next stop. Though she felt sad for him leaving, she followed the rules of xenia by sending him off with a gift: the raft. Also, Odysseus and his men were taken in by the Cyclops, which demonstrated a negative aspect of xenia (p. 438). Odysseus and his men stayed with the Cyclops in his cave for a while. Eventually, the Cyclops ate all of Odysseus’ men but Odysseus himself. Odysseus could not get out of the cave unless the Cyclops himself moved the stone. Odysseus ended up stabbing the Cyclops in the eye making him blind. When the stone is finally rolled away and Odysseus can leave, the Cyclops does not send him off with any gifts. In fact, he sends him off with a curse. This would be a negative example of xenia. The goddess Circe also had a major impact on Odysseus and his men’s journey and gave a great example of good xenia. She invited them into her home and served the men a big feast (p.442). She was patient with the men and gave them insight on the troubles that they would face traveling over the ocean. Another example of xenia that is demonstrated by the gods is from the goddess Athena. Athena, being the goddess of wisdom, asks the other gods- most importantly Zeus- for permission to help Odysseus on his journey back home to Ithaca (p. 334). First she appears to Odysseus’ son Telemachus and explains to him that his father is going to be journeying home soon and what her plan is to help him get there. She then tells him how to deal with the suitors until his father arrives. Of course, Telemachus trusts what Athena has to say. Homer uses the gods as huge examples of leadership in his stories. The gods and goddess rule in a way that makes it seem no mortal man could ever reach the potential of a god.
-Abigail Wells
The gods play a pivotal role in the Odyssey, and they often directly intervene in the affairs of mortals that they favor or do not like. When Odysseus goes to try and rescue his men from Circe, Hermes knows that Odysseus will get turned into a wild animal if he does not have any assistance from the gods. So Hermes intervenes in the action and meets Odysseus on his way and warns him about Circe. He gives Odysseus an herb that prevents the mixture from working on him and tells him exactly what to do so he will not get turned into a wild animal (pgs. 444-445). Since Hermes intervened in the action, Odysseus did not get turned into a wild animal. Whenever mortals offended the gods, the gods would directly intervene and punish the mortals. An example of this is when Odysseus and his men offended Helios for eating the Cattle of the Sun. The sun god angrily asked Zeus to punish Odysseus and his men, so Zeus sent a terrible storm that killed everyone except for Odysseus (pg. 476). In Homeric times, when a stranger visited a certain place, the host would be expected to invite the stranger in, offer to bathe him, put him in a place of honor to the right of the king, wash his hands and feet, feed him, and give him wine. A host would often not do this out of love; he would do it out of a sense of obligation to the gods. This code of “Xenia” was important, and if someone dishonored a guest sent from the gods, then they would be killed or punished. However, there is also an example of someone obeying the code of hospitality and getting punished. King Alcinous was very gracious to Odysseus when he was in his land and did everything that a proper host was supposed to do. He even gave Odysseus a ship and told his best men to take him back to his homeland. When Odysseus was safely returned to his homeland, Poseidon became angry and wanted to punish Alcinous for aiding Odysseus. Poseidon asked Zeus if he could destroy the ship and kill the crew, and Zeus decides to honor the wish and let Poseidon turn the ship into stone (pg. 481). Even if Zeus did not want to destroy the crew, Zeus would honor his request because he wants to keep Poseidon happy. Alcinous becomes upset when he sees the destruction and knows the gods have punished him, even though he honored the code of hospitality. Shortly after he sees the ship go down, he vows to never assist any stranger ever again. One final example of the gods directly intervening in the action is when Athena aids Odysseus in his battle with the suitors (593). Athena causes the arrows of the suitors to misfire, and the battle is over quickly once she intervenes. Odysseus would not have been able to defeat the suitors without the help of Athena, and the fate of Ithaca would have been totally different if Athena did not intervene in the action.
One of the major themes in the Odyssey is hospitality. Hospitality is really important in Odysseus’ time because they thought that at any time they could be hosting god, or a god disguised as a traveler. On Odysseus’ journey home, he encounters lots of different people. Right before he gets home, he ended up on the island of the Phaeacians. King Alcinous, practicing xenia, took in Odysseus, offered him gifts, and told Odysseus that he and his men would help him get back home to Ithaca. King Alcinous remains true to his promise and provides Odysseus with a crew and a ship to make his voyage home. They Phaeacians drop Odysseus off in Ithaca, and then they sail home. As they are sailing home, Poseidon talks to Zeus and asks for permission to punish the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus get home. Zeus grants him permission and Poseidon turns the Phaeacians’ ship, and all of the crew, to stone (481). Because of this, King Alcinous vows to never help another traveler on their voyage again. When Odysseus first landed on the Island of the Phaeacians, Athena helped him get to King Alcinous. Athena went to princess Nausicaa in a dream and encouraged her to go to the spot where Odysseus had hidden him (397). Then, Athena made Odysseus look taller and more handsome because she knew that he would intrigue the princess as a possible husband, and then get Odysseus to her father. This is an example of Athena intervening and encouraging proper xenia. On page 389, Calypso helps Odysseus to get home, or at least closer to home. Calypso is practicing good xenia by helping him in his journey. She gave him the instructions to get off of her island, to build a raft and sail away. Calypso told Odysseus that she would “stock it with fresh water, food and red wine,” and that she will “clothe you (Odysseus) well and send you a following wind to bring you home safely to your own native land”. Calypso followed xenia “protocol” by offering Odysseus, a traveler, help on his journey and offering him gifts. This is how the gods expect hosts to treat their guests. Circe was a goddess who was the opposite of a good host. When Odysseus’ men approached her house, she offered them in and fed them- which is proper- but then, she drugged them and turned them to swine (443).By doing this, she was preventing them from continuing in their travels. Although she was polite by offering them in and feeding them, she did one of the worst things a host could do by preventing them from their journey.
Caroline
In the Odyssey, the gods are a crucial role and often get involved in the business of mortals that they like and hate. When Odysseus attempts to rescue his men from the witch Circe, Hermes knows that without his help, Odysseus will get turned into swine if he does not eat an herb that will prevent the spell. So Hermes interferes by meeting Odysseus before he goes to fight Circe. He gives Odysseus the herb and tells him what he needs to do step by step so he will not get transformed into a pig like his men (pgs. 444-445). Since Hermes interferes with this action, he stops Odysseus from getting off course from his journey any further than he already is. Another example of the gods interacting with men is when Athena assists Odysseus when he fights with the suitors (593). Athena influences the arrows of the suitors, which causes the skirmish to last shortly. Without Athena’s help, Odysseus would have failed in his attempt to defeat the suitors, and, on top of that, Ithaca and the lifestyle would be polar opposite without Odysseus. Everything is already in chaos because Odysseus has been gone 20 years. When a stranger would visit a certain place in the time of the Greeks, it would be common courtesy to invite the stranger in, offer a bath, place the traveler to the right of the host, feast, and wash his hands and feet like Jesus did with his disciples. These actions were done out of fear, because they feared that the traveler might be a god or a messenger sent from a god. This ethnical behavior became known as “Xenia” and was important enough that if someone violated the stranger, then they would be killed or punished by the gods themselves. Yet, there is an unlikely circumstance of someone that follows every rule of Xenia and gets punished ironically. King Alcinous was generous and heartfelt to Odysseus and is the example that I’m talking about. He gifted Odysseus a ship so he could reach back to Ithaca. Odysseus returned to Ithaca and when Poseidon found out he punished Alcinous for assisting Odysseus. Poseidon asked Zeus to obliterate the ship, and Zeus decided to grant Poseidon’s wish and Zeus turned the ship into solid stone, sinking it to the bottom of the Ocean (pg. 481). Alcinous is saddened when he saw the ship sink and knows that the gods punished him for the helping out of Odysseus, though he followed xenia he was still punished, making this scenario ironic. This makes King Alcinous vows to never again help strangers that wash up on their shore. The gods would interfere most of the time to punish the lives of the mortals when they pissed off the gods. For instance, when Odysseus and his men offended Helios by eating the Cattle of the Sun, this made the sun god irate and he asked Zeus to chastise Odysseus and his men. Zeus then sent a storm at sea that killed every one of Odysseus’ men except for Odysseus himself (pg. 476). These are just a few of the many examples of the Gods getting involved with the lives of the mortals.
The gods play a major role in the actions of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. The gods are very much a part of peoples’ lives as well as civilization in this time. Specifically, the goddess Athena quite often intervenes in Odysseus’ life, and therefore, many situations that also affect Telemachus. When Telemachus is preparing to set out on his journey to collect information about Odysseus and his possible whereabouts, Athena disguises herself many times. This is a common theme in the Odyssey, the gods disguising themselves as friends of a person in order to get close to a situation. Athena first disguises herself as a few old friends of Odysseus, in order to encourage Telemachus for his journey and reassure him.
Soon after, Athena actually disguises herself as Telemachus himself. She does this and sets out in the town to recruit a loyal crew to accompany Telemachus on his journey. Perhaps she did not believe Telemachus was up for this job himself, and so she intervened.
Another example of god or goddess intervention on the actions in the Odyssey, is that of Calypso. Odysseus washes up on her island after his ship and whole crew are destroyed by the whirlpool and monster. Calypso ends up falling in love with Odysseus and keeps him on her island for some time.
Poseidon also becomes involved in the actions of mortals in Homer’s Odyssey as Odysseus greatly harms his son. Odysseus stabs out the eye of Polithemus us the cyclops in order for he and crew to escape the captivity of Polithemus’ cave. Odysseus becomes Poseidon’s nemesis, and the god is determined to get revenge. Poseidon becomes extremely upset with the Phaeacians for aiding Odysseus and taking him back to Ithaca. The angry god turns the Phaeacian ship to stone, killing all that were aboard.
These last two examples are also negative examples of Xenia. Xenia is the Greek guest and host relationship. Xenia was expected of people, to accept and help a traveler, because the unknown person may be a god attempting to test. When Odysseus arrived in the land of the Phaeacians, the king and queen accepted him without asking his identity. It was not customary to ask the identity of a traveler, as it may have been a god in disguise. They then would put on a feast in the traveler’s honor, as well as games.
The negative Xenia that occurred with Calypso and Polyphemus was in that it was a hinderance in Odysseus’ journey home. While Calypso was welcoming, and provided a place for Odysseus, she kept him there for many years and caused him to be disloyal to his wife, Penelope. The guest host relationship with Polyphemus is quite negative in that Odysseus and his crew were taken captive and had to would the cyclops in order to escape, ultimately angering Poseidon.
-Karli
The gods are instrumental characters within the story of the Odyssey. They have a lot of indirect methods for intervening with the humans but a few times they directly intervened. One example of a god directly intervening would be when Poseidon turned the ship to sold rock and caused it to sink to the bottom of the ocean. He acted on his anger and with Zeus’ permission, directly intervenes to remind the people that he does not want anyone aiding Odysseus. (481). In addition to this scenario, when Odysseus lands in Circe’s island, he receives direct aid from Hermes. Hermes gives Odysseus the drug that will counteract Circe’s spell. He gives this directly to Odysseus so that he can save his men successfully. Without the aid given by Hermes it would have been otherwise impossible. (446). Another example of this is the gods directly intervening when Odysseus remained trapped at Calypso’s island. They gave her a direct command and she was visited by one of them who delivered this message. She was angry at first that she had to give up Odysseus for the sake of the other gods, but in the end she relented. One of the longest interventions directly made by a god was when Athena transformed into Mentor and traveled with both Odysseus and Telemachus. This was a direct intervention for the sake of both men’s safety and security. (385). In addition to the circumstances of direct intervention, xenia also played a major role in the progression of the plot. A primary example of xenia would be when King Alkinous dealt directly with Odysseus. He treated Odysseus to the best in his house. In addition he did everything in his power aid in getting Odysseus back to his home. Odysseus sat at the right of the king. This symbolized a great deal of respect toward the guest in King Alkinous’ house. (472). Another example of extraordinary xenia was when Telemachus and Penelope were treating the stranger to the best in the house even though they thought him to be somewhat of a peasant. The amount of respect here shows incredible significance in the idea xenia was in place to protect them from disrespecting a god in disguise. Although Telemachus eventually discovers the stranger’s identity, it does not change the fact that Penelope treated him with the utmost respect for not knowing anything about the man before her. The connection between both xenia and direct intervention by the gods ultimately evolves into the larger issue of the relationships between human and gods. Even further, it develops into the issue of the character of the gods.
-Sterling
While the story of Odysseus focuses on a mortal mans journey back to his homeland and the trials that he faces, the gods play a vital role in the story. The story would not be the same with out the gods and the help that they proved for Odysseus and his men on his journey and when he returned home. One of the best examples is on page (444-445) Odysseus’s men were trapped by a god and Odysseus was on his way to go and get them. Hermes meets Odysseus and gives him a molly that makes him immune to Circe’s spell. Without Hermes help, the story would not have progressed anymore. A reoccurring theme in the Odysseus is Xenia. On page (476) Odysseus crew was on Helios Island and he had cattle and they were given orders not to eat the cows. The crew didn’t listen and for a punishment Zeus destroyed their boat and Odysseus. Xenia in the Odyssey is held to a high standard. If you don’t show good Xenia then you will face a punishment. An example of good Xenia page (438) the Phaniceans treat Odysseus so well while he is on their island. They feed him and give him gifts. They throw a giant party and let him participate in the game. When it is time to go they give Odysseus a boat and a bag of wind that helped them on the way home. Later in the story the crew opens that bag of wind and it brings them back to the Phaniceans (481) and the Phanicean king says that he will not take them back because Zeus was angry at them and he turned the ship to stone and it sunk. When Odysseus returns home he sees his house trashed and men trying to take his wife and kill his son. He is very outnumbered but, the gods favor good Xenia but the suitors have not shown good Xenia. So when Odysseus begins to start laying the suitor he completely destroys them because the gods favor Xenia. This Story would be Lacking throughout, and honestly the story would not be able to move on without them. Even with the suitors Athena comes down as mentor to help Odysseus and Telemachus. In the end of the story Apollo promotes peace so no more bloodshed will occur. The Odyssey while a story about a mortal mans journey, would not be the same without interactions from the gods.
Joseph Huett^
Treating a guest by being welcoming and accommodating is not someone that is of modern times but actually dates back to Ancient Greek epics. In Homers the Odyssey we read if many examples of Xenia, some good and other not. The epic excludes meetings of the cyclops, calypso, king Alcinous and finally when Odysseus returns home.
When Odysseus and his men land on the island of the cyclops they find themselves in the cyclops cave. (Homer 395) Odysseus and his men are not welcomed and not offered the typical welcoming of most guest but instead are forced to trick the cyclop, Polyphemus and try to return home. The welcoming of guest is crucial to the story of the odyssey and the the events that took place of the island of the cyclops make this particular meeting a negative one.
Another meeting where a negative Xenia took place was when Odysseus found himself living on an island with a goddess named Calypso. Although she was welcoming at first the goddess held Odysseus back from finishing his voyage back to Ithaca (385). Odysseus spend most of his twenty years away from his wife and son with Calypso. This instance shows the reader the exchange between goddesses and gods and heroes. Zeus send Hermes to Calypso express that she should let Odysseus leave the Island or Zeus wrath will be on her forever. This scares Calypso and she lets Odysseus return back home. This exchange between them all relates back to the host and guest nature in Ancient Greek epics and how the gods intertwine.
Another example of an Xenia relationship is that between Odysseus and King Alcinous. Apon arrival the king showed Odysseus a positive Xenia relationship. He welcomed him with a feast and a day of sports. This was normal protocol for a guest and host relationship but later the reader learns that it was a negative relationship. Before leaving Odysseus is given a ship to sail in back to Ithaca. When odysseus and his men see the shore of Ithaca a bag of wind blows and moves them farther away from there desire destination. (478) King Alcinous claims that the gods are against Odysseus after the ship turns to stone and vows never to help another traveler.
The last guest and host relationship we see is when Odysseus returns home. Athena the goddess of wisdom disguise Odysseus as a beggar. she does this so nobody in Ithaca will know it is Odysseus. (515) He goes to his old swineherds house and is greeted by his old dogs, the are not so welcoming but the swineherd is. He offer him a meal and a bath which is considered welcoming in Ancient Greek epics. From the goddess disguising Odysseus to the swineherds welcoming environment this is considered a good Xenia relationship.
The relationship between guest and host is crucial to the epics. The way the god intertwine through the relationships in the reading is vital to the importance of Xenia.
Homer uses the gods as a means of moving the plot in the Odyssey. The gods often directly impact Odysseus on his journey by helping or hindering him. Athena is the most helpful of all the Olympians as she is consistently loyal to Odysseus. The first case of her direct intervention can be seen when she helps Telemachus round up a crew (Book ll). She helps him throughout the epic, but perhaps her most famous scene is the slaughter of the suitors. She lets Odysseus “prove himself” before stepping in herself (Book 22). Another example of a goddess directly impacting Odysseus is Calypso. She keeps Odysseus trapped on her island for seven years (Book 5). Hermes is sent by Zeus to tell her to finally let him go. Hermes is very helpful to Odysseus in this way. He also assists Odysseus by protecting him from Circe’s magic when Odysseus is trying to save his crew from the witch (Book 10). Circe initially tries to hinder Odysseus’s journey by turning half his crew into swine. When Odysseus confronts her, her magic fails to work on him because of Hermes. Awestruck by him, she lets he and his crew stay on her luxurious island for a year. In ancient Greece, when a stranger visited a household, the law of Xenia would be in place. The host would offer to bathe him, seat the traveler in a place of honor, feed him, give him wine, and not ask him any questions until he was properly contented. In return, the guest must be gracious and respectful and leave when the proper time comes, not linger around. Ancient Greeks believed this was a mandate from the gods and that at any time, the traveler could be a god in disguise. If the host and guest followed the guidelines, they should be looked on favorably by the gods. However, there are special cases of a host and guest obeying all the rules but still being punished. King Alcinous of the Phoenicians met all the requirements and even offered his own daughter in marriage to Odysseus. When the time came for Odysseus to leave, King Alcinous gave him a ship crew to return him to Ithica. Poseidon was angry with Alcinous for helping Odysseus and asked Zeus for permission to punish the Phoenicians. Zeus reluctantly agreed and Posiedon turned the Phoenician ship to stone (Book 13). This angers Alcinous and he vows he will never help a stranger again.
(Used an online book so no page numbers)
(This is late)
The gods, in the odyssey, obviously play a massive role in the lives of humans. After all, without the intervention of Athena, Zeus would have never made it off of Calypso's island (333)! One example of the god's direct intervention occurs when Odysseus and his men land on the island Circe. Odysseus orders his men to go and search the island, but there is a problem. Circe is going insane and turning all of Odysseus' men to swine! In this situation, the gods must intervene. Hermes comes down and fills Odysseus in and tells him how to get his men back. This is a prime example of the god's intervention in the lives of humans (443-447).
Another example of the god's direct intervention is Athena telling Telemachus to go and look for news of his father. Telemachus likely never would have left his mother and Ithaca if Athena had not come to him as an old man and tell him to leave. This decision was obviously made at the wishes of the gods, and ultimately allows Odysseus and Telemachus to be reunited outside of the estate and, therefore, scheme against the suitors (335-339).
Another example of the god's influencing the lives of humans occurs after Odysseus is returned safely to Ithaca by the Phoenicians. This action obviously brought anger upon Poseidon, and he began to beg Zeus to do something about it. Zeus ultimately acquiesces and allows Poseidon to turn the Phoenician ship to stone (481). This is obviously another example of the gods having direct intervention into the lives of humans in two ways. One, the god actually care about certain humans. If the gods did not care about certain humans, Poseidon would have absolutely no motivation for turning the Phoenician ship to stone. After all, he only did this out of anger against Odysseus for murdering his son Polythemis. Secondly, the gods are absolutely willing to intervene in human life as seen in this example and the other, cited examples.
One final example of the god's intervention occurs when Athena ends the fighting between the suitors' families and Odysseus at the end of the odyssey. Odysseus is fighting the families, and Athena, seeing no other outcome, yells at the Ithacans to lay down their weapons and go home. This allows us to see that the gods are willing to favor humans over other humans, as Poseidon did, and gives even more depth to the characterization of the gods by Homer (621).
The gods, specifically, also seem to demand a certain "Xenia" of humans in Homer's odyssey. This code is a little abstract as it is never explicitly state, but one can reasonably infer what the code is. To begin with, good xenia is not dependent upon who the stranger or guest is. The stranger does not need to be of wealth to be treated nicely. In fact, the proper host would not even ask a stranger who he is until after treating him to a good meal and bath. This code of Xenia only works because the humans knew the gods could have direct intervention and were fearful that the stranger could be sent by a god or even be a god himself. Through this theme of xenia, Homer is able to explore for himself and the reader what an elite society would look like.
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