EP 62: When Zeus Came Knocking

 When Zeus Came Knocking

A visit by Zeus and Hermes to an old couple’s home in ancient Greece sparked a tradition that goes on even today. All ancient Greeks knew that hospitality to strangers could bring fortune. Inhospitality could lead to divine punishment.

Violation of this tradition led to the Trojan war. Its unusual name — philoxenia — was one known to all Greeks. 

Listen as we encounter Hermes, Athene, Zeus, Demeter, Dionysus, Poseidon and the great hero Odysseus.

If you love this podcast, you'll also enjoy Garner's audible novel about the gods, Homo Divinitas, available on Amazon.com and Audible.com.

Transcript

PODCAST #62: The Night Zeus Came Knocking

Imagine hearing a knock on your front door. Opening it you see two strangers.

The men look anxious. One says, “Friend, do you have room for two hungry travelers?”

You close the door slightly and respond, “What?”

The shorter of the two says, “We’ve traveled far.” He looks up into the night sky, saying, “It’s cold tonight—”

Now there’s no more than a crack in the door between you and the men, and you say, “Get out of here or I’ll call the police —”

The two exchange a look, nod at each other,  and leave.

You watch them as they slowly walk into the street. Relieved that they’ve gone, you double-lock the door and pull down the shades.

What could they have been thinking? You shake your head in amazement. 

They might be killers, thieves or who knows what. Did they really think you’d feed them and offer them a bed? 

You remain incredulous. It’s ridiculous!

Yet … twenty-five hundred years ago, most Greeks would not have turned away these men. Greeks, particularly those living in the countryside, knew better. 

What do I mean by, “knew better”? 

The answer is simple: Ancient Greeks never knew when a tired, random stranger might really be Hermes, Apollo or even Zeus himself in disguise. Even gods look for refuge from time to time.

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Welcome to episode 62 of GARNER'S GREEK MYTHOLOGY. We have listeners from over 190 countries ... So welcome to everyone, wherever you are.

I'm your host, mythologist PATRICK GARNER. Remember to visit AMAZON to check out my four books about the GREEK GODS in the contemporary world. 

They’re part of THE NAXOS QUARTET, and include THE WINNOWING, CYCLADIC GIRLS, HOMO DIVINITAS and ALL THAT LASTS.

My novels have been best sellers and are a provocative read. Book sales also keep this podcast going.

So who are the characters in these books? Your favorite GREEK GODS, of course ... 

As an aside, HOMO DIVINITAS is available on Amazon as an audio book. I’m the narrator. It, too, has received great reviews. 

For more information, visit PATRICK GARNER BOOKS DOT COM. The website is packed with background about the Greek gods, my books and this podcast.

Then link over to AMAZON and treat yourself!

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The practice of offering hospitality to a stranger was deeply embedded in Greek culture. It was so common that they have a word for it. The word is philoxenia.

Philoxenia means being a friend to a stranger. Philo is Greek for kindness, and xenia refers to a foreigner or stranger. 

If philoxenia sounds familiar, it’s because the word includes xenia, as in xenophobia. You hear that word a lot today, but it has the exact opposite meaning.

Think about it: The admirable philoxenia was rejiggered in English to become an insult. If we wish to demean someone, we accuse them of what? Of being xenophobic. We accuse them of racism and intolerance and whatever else is the “insult du jour.”

The irony of this change in meaning is worth noting, but it pales in comparison to the change we’ve made to the Greek tradition of hospitality.

Let’s go back into those ancient times and look more deeply into the tradition itself.

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The act of showing kindness toward strangers — can be traced directly to an incident involving the Olympic gods. 

You see, in those ancient days one never knew who a tired old woman might really be, or whether the bearded man limping slowly down a twisting path might be a god disguised as a beggar.

There were many instances of just that. Examples were known to all Greeks.

Demeter — the goddess of agriculture and the mother of Persephone, the girl who was kidnapped by Hades — appeared as an impoverished crone in the small village of Eleusis while she grieved for her lost daughter.

She was treated kindly by several local women. Due to their unwavering hospitality, Demeter later gifted the town with secret rites called the Eleusinian Mysteries. As a consequence, the small town prospered.

In another example — this one is a case study in how not to treat a stranger — the god Dionysus appeared in ancient Thebes, calling himself The Stranger. In the old Greek tongue, he would have been known as Dionysus Xenios.

Rather than providing him food and board, as Zeus had declared was the proper behavior for all, even those with even meager resources, King Pentheus had him locked up in an old stable. Unsurprisingly, Dionysus was not impressed.

The king rather quickly met an unfavorable end for his blasphemous conduct. As the Greeks well knew, hospitality was rewarded, whereas inhospitality could lead to death.

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Recently, Tasos Kokkinidis, the editor of Greek Reporter Dot Com--an online periodical that covers both current and ancient news- published an article titled Philoxenia: The Ancient Roots of Greek Hospitality.  He explains the concept brilliantly.

Kokkinidis begins his article by explaining that philoxenia is, quote, “an unspoken cultural law that expresses generosity and courtesy to strangers.”

He writes, “Greeks are enormously generous when inviting others to their home or being invited themselves. In villages, it is not uncommon for villagers to show up at the door of a resident foreigner (or even a temporary visitor renting a room) with a sack full of fresh tomatoes, or even a bottle of local olive oil.”

He explains that, quote, “Philoxenia today can be as simple as a smile, helping a stranded motorist, or buying a meal for someone.”

He notes, quote, “This cultural law has its origins in ancient Greece. The Greek god Zeus is sometimes called Zeus Xenios, as he was also a protector of travelers. 

Kokkinidis writes that “Zeus thus embodied the religious obligation to be hospitable to travelers.

“The beautiful story written by the Roman poet Ovid in 8 A.D of Zeus and the messenger god Hermes disguised as poor travelers narrates the sacred relation between host and guest, embodying the ancient Greek tradition.

“The two ancient Greek Gods,” the story goes, “visited many villages in search of refuge for the night. Finally, a poor elderly couple, Baucis and Philemon, welcomed them as guests in their home and generously served them food and wine.

“After refilling her guests’ cups many times over, the wife Baucis noticed that the wine jug was still full. Philemon then realized the visitors were actually gods, and offered to kill their only goose to feed them.

“Touched by this gesture, Zeus rewarded their generosity by transforming the humble cottage into a beautiful stone temple.

“Zeus also granted the couple their ultimate wish, namely to be the guardians of the temple, to die at the same time, and to stay together for eternity. They were turned into trees guarding each side of the temple’s door.”

Kokkinidis then points out that philoxenia was a two-way street. Both the host and the guest were expected to respect each other. That didn’t always happen.

He writes, quote, “According to legend, even an event as momentous as the Trojan War began because of a guest’s violation of xenia.” 

He elaborates, writing that, “The Trojan prince Paris was a guest of King Menelaus of Sparta when he abducted Menelaus’ wife, Helen.

“Both the Odyssey and the Iliad are filled with episodes of xenia, either honored or ignored and the subsequent consequences are notable. 

“For instance, when Odysseus sails to the island of the cyclops, the monster’s treatment of Odysseus and his sailors is a violation of the custom of xenia. 

Kokkinidis explains that, quote, “The cyclops is punished for the transgression. Odysseus blinds his “host” and escapes. The cyclops episode depicts an abuse of xenia.”

“In another story, Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, is forced by custom to entertain an entire household of suitors.”

You may remember that Odysseus spent 10 years trying to get home from the Trojan War, & his wife was beset by men who wanted to marry her and control her fortune. 

Kokkinidis writes, quote,“The guests not only make unreasonable, burdensome requests that were impolite for guests, but they do so with the assumption the host himself is no longer alive.”

He emphasizes that, quote,“The conclusion of the poem involves Odysseus’s slaughter of the suitors. 

“This violent ending can be seen as retribution for an egregious abuse of xenia …”

As Kokkinidis notes, in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, there are numerous instances of philoxenia. Repeatedly, Odysseus relies on the hospitality of possible adversaries in order to survive. 

We can conclude that even in 1200 to 1400 B.C., the probable period of the Trojan war, welcoming strangers was a time-honored practice.

Kokkinidis continues “There are many possible reasons why hospitality was more prevalent in those times. Traveling then was much more extensive and lengthier than in modern times. 

“Because of this, many more nights were spent away from home in many different locations. Also, there were no hotels or inns where travelers could pay and stay the night.

“Travelers had to rely on the hospitality of others for shelter, food, and protection. There was, however, some payment for this hospitality in the form of a gift exchange.”

Kokkinidis speculates that, quote, “Another possible reason for this hospitality was the fact that there were no nations that would allow travelers to enter their territory safely. 

“Without such hospitality, strangers could be captured or even killed for entering a foreign land. Furthermore, Greek hospitality may have been vital because Greeks believed the gods wanted them to show hospitality to anyone who showed up at their homes. 

“It was believed that turning away someone and not providing them this hospitality would result in some form of punishment from the gods.”

Kokkinidis concludes by saying, “Finally, Greek hospitality could have been key in spreading one’s name and bringing fame if a high standard of hospitality was provided to strangers. It might have even been a portrayal of wealth.”

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But the underlying reason for opening one’s home to strangers was that anyone arriving unannounced could be divine. 

The possibility of turning away Dionysus, for instance, was unimaginable. Or similarly refusing someone like the hero Odysseus. Any such error was simply inconceivable.

As I noted earlier, Odysseus in his decade of wandering the edges of the Greek world at the end of the Trojan war, counted over and over on philoxenia.

He and his men were constantly being thrown onto the beaches of exotic islands. They were often starving, lost and always without shelter.

Wherever they landed, they were forced to throw themselves at the mercy of whoever inhabited those lands. 

Sometimes they would be greeted and given help. Upon washing up on their shores, both the goddess Circes and the beautiful nymph Calypso offered Odysseus food and shelter.

Yet even these two divinities were less than selfless. Both wanted Odysseus to remain forever on their islands. Each seduced him, promising him eternal life and youth.

Because he resisted their inducements, constantly pining for his wife Penelope, both goddesses eventually released him to continue his journeys ...

Circes and Calypso were selfishly beneficent. Yet, in his travels Odysseus frequently encountered far worse. 

There were times when a new host would turn on him, usually ambushing his warriors for a sudden meal.

The cyclops Polyphemus, the mighty one-eyed son of Poseidon, took the latter path, trapping Odysseus’s companions in his cave. 

He expressed his hospitality by first insulting the men as mere barbarians, and then eating two of them. 

Odysseus’s suffering went on. On yet another distant land, his men were double-crossed when the local king, a giant, welcomed them with warm words, then promptly killed as many as he could scoop up into his hands.

Poseidon and Zeus allowed these terrible events to occur because they was punishing Odysseus for an imagined slight that had occurred at the end of the Trojan war. 

Their punishment lasted a decade. As bad as it was for the hero, Odysseus eventually got revenge for the endless affronts and betrayals. 

When he finally returned to his kingdom in Ithaca, he found his wife, Penelope, surrounded by an entire household of suitors.

More than 100 young men competed for her favors, all the while eating what they wished from Odysseus’s dwindling store of foods. 

They constantly taunted her that Odysseus would never return, and that she was fair game for their proposals of marriage.

The tradition of philoxenia required that Penelope welcome them. But the guests took advantage of her hospitality, making burdensome and increasingly rude requests.

Daily they proclaimed that Odysseus was dead. Eaten by fish. Old bones on some distant shore. Little did they know. 

On the tenth year of his absence, he returned, disguised by Athene as a broken old man.

Wearing rags, he hardly appeared dangerous. No one recognized him except an old slave and his dog, now in its last days. Wagging its tail in excitement, the old hound leaped into his arms and died immediately.

The slave who recognized him swore to silence. Knowing he would never be recognized and stealthy as always, Odysseus limped up to his palace and sat in the vast dining hall, quietly evaluating his enemies.

The suitors dined at his expense, courting his wife with lewd suggestions, even sleeping with a dozen of the many slave-girls who maintained his home.

Odysseus seethed in silence, biding his time. To his joy, his son, Telemachus, now a handsome young man, returned from a trip overseas where he had been seeking word of his father. 

With the help of the goddess Athene, Odysseus appeared before Telemachus in all his former glory, his rags gone and his armor shining.

After a tearful greeting, the two began plotting how to eliminate the suitors. At night with the goddess’s help, they hid all the weapons that had been stored in the open in the great hall.

The following morning, disguised once again as an old beggar, Odysseus warned several of the suitors that the king would return shortly and that they best leave. 

But they dismissed his warnings, saying he was fool, that Odysseus was dead. The old beggar shook his head, knowing that their fate was sealed.

For the suitors, the temptation to stay at the palace and dine at Odysseus’s table was too great. The freeloaders faced their imminent demise but went on as if the freeloading would never end. 

Yes, their doom was sealed. Odysseus was back. Their end was near and would come before they knew it.

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Athene had been busy. Under her pleading, Zeus had reversed his position. He agreed it was now time to lift his curse and reward poor Odysseus for his years of suffering.

Zeus allowed Athene to protect the mighty Odysseus. He would permit the hero his revenge and Athene rejoiced.

Yet oblivious, the suitors continued their plans. They plotted to kill Odysseus’s son,Telemachus. The boy was beginning to irritate them all. He had to go.

One morning as the suitors began to dine, a terrible portent appeared overhead. An eagle hovered in the sky, a dove caught in its claws.

One of the suitors cried out that it was a sign of impending doom. Their doom. The others laughed at his prophesy.

As the eagle swept up and away toward Olympus, the dove in its claws, Penelope appeared in the great hall. Athene had made her as beautiful as any goddess. 

Penelope’s eyes flashed. With a cry she raised her voice and said to the assembled suitors that she had an announcement.

Sounding resigned, she proclaimed that she had decided to marry the first man who could shoot an arrow through 12 axes using Odysseus’s bow.

The suitors watched as she hung the axes in a long row. When she finished she lifted up her king’s great bow, saying, “Who dares shoot my husband’s mighty bow?”

There was silence. All knew that Odysseus’s bow was impossible to pull.

Telemachus, hoping to stop any suitor from meeting the challenge, tried first. But he couldn’t draw the weapon.

One by one the suitors tried to string the bow and draw it to full length. One by one they failed. Each was in turn humiliated.

Then, in the long silence, Odysseus entered the great hall, still dressed like a beggar. With an inscrutable face, he requested the bow. The suitors mocked him, accusing him of being drunk.

They threw insults at him, shouting, “Go back to the alley you came from, withered old man! You haven’t the strength to wash your hands, let alone shoot a bow!”

Telemachus, knowing better, ignored the men and handed his father the weapon. Odysseus lifted it, assessing its weight and gripped the leather clasp in his left hand. 

Smiling, he strung it easily, notched an arrow, drew it to full length, and without hesitation sent the bright, bronze-tipped shaft in a perfect line through the row of axes.

Before the suitors could react, Telemachus grabbed a sword. He and his father began to swiftly slayed suitor after suitor.

A brief battle raged with Athene herself joining in. Odysseus, his son and the goddess easily prevailed. 

In short order, all the rash men who had dared to court Penelope were slain. In minutes the floor of the great hall was pooled with blood.

The freeloaders had lost their gamble. Like a loutish mob, they had taken advantage of Penelope’s hospitality, and made a caricature of the sacred philoxenia. 

By exploiting her generosity, they had not acted honorably.

Throughout it all, Penelope had been faultless. She had extended unwavering hospitality. Doing so had allowed the suitors to slowly draw down all of Odysseus’s great wealth, but Penelope believed she had had no choice.

Importantly, she had never agreed to their demands that she choose a new husband. Now her eternal love, Odysseus, had reappeared as she prayed he would 

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Today, thousands of years later, the custom of philoxenia is still alive and well in Greece. A visitor is often met with open arms, warm greetings, and heartfelt conversation. 

This tradition isn’t confined to a particular place; it’s found everywhere in the country – from picturesque islands to charming mountain villages. 

No matter where a traveler goes, he or she commonly encounters a heartwarming embrace. The welcome extends to traditional Greek tavernas and cozy cafes.

It is said that in Greece, everyone is a potential friend, and every interaction is an opportunity to form lasting human connections.

Although the belief in the Olympic gods has waned, philoxenia remains an important element of Greek life. 

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