Throughout the Odyssey, there have been many instances in which strangers are invited into somebody else's home, including when Athena visits Telemachus and Telemachus visiting Nestor and Menelaus. Nowadays, when some stranger knocks on our doors, asking for food or anything else, we turn them away, for fear that they are thieves, abusive, or are otherwise committing illicit acts. Why, in this day and age, are we so xenophobic, and the Greeks were so open and welcoming?
The answer starts with Greek Mythology. The Greek Gods can change their shape and form to look human. If an all-pwerful entity were to show up at your door, would you want to tell them, "I'm sorry, but you aren't welcome here," risking your own death? In the Odyssey, when Athena comes down to Telemachus' house, he welcomes her in, feeds her, gives her wine, and then asks her of her story, all while Athena is disguised as an elderly stranger. Only when Athena leaves does Telemachus realize she is a god. "With that promise,/ off and away Athena the bright-eyed goddess flew/...He felt his senses quicken, overwhelmed with wonder--/ this was a god" (Book 1, line 367).
The answer continues with royalty and powerful people. When Telemachus and Athena (disguised as Mentor) arrived at Nestor's palace, he, like Telemachus, welcomed them in, gave them wine and food, and only "once they'd put aside desire for food and drink" (Book 3, line 75), do they get down to business and tell their story. Since Telemachus is a prince, and Athena is a god (although they do not know that yet), It was fortunate for everybody's sake that they were welcomed. Later, when Telemachus and Pisistratus go to Menelaus, Menelaus is having a wedding party and still invites them in. The idea behind welcoming everybody is not only just in case they are very important people or are gods, but also to create more of an equality for all the Greeks.
Interesting theory, but I doubt it. It seems that the unusually polite behavior of the characters is sincere and not based on ulterior motives. If you were right, the people that would be most likely to be welcoming to guests are the greediest and most immoral ones. However, as seen from Athena's visit to Telemachus, that is not the case. Telemachus at one point is "concerned his guest, offended by their [the suitors'] uproar, / might shrink from food in the midst of such a mob" (Book 1, 157-158). Only the good character Telemachus is trying to make the guest happy; the suitors do not seem to care about the possibility that the guest is divine or wealthy, even though they would be the ones who would care about that. The beginning of the quote also blatantly states Telemachus' sincere concern, which a person thinking of oneself would not have any reason to have. Another problem is that Menelaus specifically states the reason he invites the guests into his home. He explains to Eteoneus, "Just think of all the hospitality we enjoyed / at the hands of other men before we made it home" (Book 4, 38-39). His motive is not money or safety but rather to do what he is thankful others have done for him. It sounds like he is following the Golden Rule, albeit before it became famous in the Bible. Anyways, it therefore seems that the ancient lack of xenophobia is based on the morals and customs of the society. Today in America, there is little respect for ancient rules and wisdom, which is not suprising considering all of our technology. For example, I would be afraid to let someone into my home simply because the person might have a gun and try to murder me. Of course, murders existed back then as well. Perhaps they were just less paranoid than us.
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