Hospitality

One of my book clubs is reading a history about Philip and Alexander. One of our keen members offered an insight that might be something for us to think about:

“There were philoxenia-imposed specific hosting duties owed to the stranger at the gate. These were enforced by the gods. It was said the Zeus, in disguise, visited various households to investigate adherence.

 There were also duties of the stranger – to respect the host’s hospitality, property and household. Not to overstay one’s visit, not to (attempt to) seduce or kidnap his wife. The Trojan War was provoked by a hospitality violation. Odysseus killed offenders when he finally returned home.”

 

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.