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“I do not like to see a host either too fond of his guest or too rude to him. Moderation is best in all things, and not letting a man go when he wants to do so is as bad as telling him to go if would like to stay. One should treat a guest well as long as he is in the house and speed him when he wants to leave it.”
Odyssey, Book 15; Samuel Butler translation
Book 15 Summary
Athena visits Telemachus, who is in Sparta, and instructs him to go back home right away. She tells him how to avoid the suitors who are waiting to ambush him and to go visit the swineherd Eumaeus as soon as he lands in Ithaca.
In the morning, Telemachus tells Menelaus he needs to go back home and that it’s urgent. Menelaus gives him gifts and a meal and sends him and Pisistratus off in their chariot. When they reach Pylos, Telemachus asks Pisistratus if he could drop him off at his ship rather than go to Nestor’s house. He needs to get home quickly and knows Nestor, because of how kind he is, will refuse to let Telemachus leave until he has provided further hospitality. Pisistratus agrees to help and drops him off at his ship. Just as Telemachus is about to sail out, a suppliant asks to sail on the ship in order to go into exile and Telemachus agrees to take him to Ithaca.
Back on Ithaca, Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, tests Eumaeus’ hospitality further by wondering if he should go into town and beg and see if the suitors would hire him as a servant. Eumaeus quickly stops the beggar and tells him to wait for Telemachus to get home who will help the beggar out.
While Eumaeus and the beggar are exchanging stories, Telemachus returns to Ithaca. He has the suppliant stay with one of his friends, since he can’t provide proper hospitality due to the suitors, and then goes to visit Eumaeus as Athena instructed him to.
The Theme is Hospitality
In Book 14, and now in Book 15, hospitality has been a major theme. In fact, you could argue that hospitality has been a major theme throughout the Odyssey. You have:
Nestor and Menelaus, who showed Telemachus proper hospitality and how to operate a household when hospitality needs to be given.
The Lotus Eaters, whose hospitality ensnared Odysseus’ crew, made them forget about home and just want to eat lotus all day. Even unwise associations can be kind and hospitable.
The Cyclopes, who radically do not follow the conventions of hospitality. They are individualistic and do not revere the gods, and therefore are not obligated to follow the social and moral conventions of (human) civilization.
Aeolus, who was extremely hospitable. In fact, all he did was hold feasts everyday and just wanted to be entertained by Odysseus’ stories. His was, in some sense, a selfish kind of hospitality.
Circe, who was the polar opposite of the Cyclopes. She was radically hospitable—even to the point of turning some of Odysseus’ crew into swine to prevent them from leaving and continue taking care of them. Her hospitality was tempered after her encounter with Odysseus and became the ideal of (feminine) hospitality.
Calypso, who was welcoming but refused to let Odysseus leave her island because she wanted him for herself. She violated an important convention of hospitality.
The Phaeacians, who were very hospitable and gracious to Odysseus, and even took him back home even though it cost them dearly.
In Book 14 and 15, we see the generous hospitality of Eumaeus toward the disguised Odysseus. He gives Odysseus shelter and a proper meal, even at the risk of earning the wrath of the suitors. He also gives Odysseus a thick cloak to sleep under and advises him to wait for Telemachus to get home before receiving hospitality from the main home.
This is thanks mostly to the fact that Eumaeus was shown a great deal of kindness when he was a child. He was abducted from his parents, only to be bought by Odysseus’ father to be a household servant and has been treated very well since. And now, without realizing it, Eumaeus is paying back all the kindness he received by taking in the disguised Odysseus. Eumaeus will continue to be a big help to Odysseus as he comes face-to-face with the suitors.
In Book 15, we see a continuation of the hospitality Nestor and Menelaus showed Telemachus back in Books 3 and 4. First, we get some good advice from Menelaus:
“I do not like to see a host either too fond of his guest or too rude to him. Moderation is best in all things, and not letting a man go when he wants to do so is as bad as telling him to go if would like to stay. One should treat a guest well as long as he is in the house and speed him when he wants to leave it.”
Odyssey, Book 15; Samuel Butler translation
This was something Circe failed until she was subdued by Odysseus, and something Calypso failed until she was forced by the gods to let Odysseus go.
This was also something Nestor would not have let Telemachus do, which is why Telemachus wanted to go straight to his ship to go home. I suppose this is because Nestor is a very old man, stubborn and stuck in his ways. He may not have listened to the younger Telemachus if he told Nestor that he really had to get home right away.
Lastly, Telemachus shows hospitality to a suppliant who requests his help getting away from Pylos. When they land in Ithaca, rather than telling the suppliant, “Well, I wish I could do more for you, but my house is overrun with unsavory people at the moment. Best of luck.” he has the suppliant stay with a trusted friend until he can show him proper hospitality later.
There’s a lot to be learned about hospitality in the Odyssey. What to do, what not to do, a philosophy to stick by (Menelaus’ words), and even the dangers that may come if you seek hospitality from the wrong people. The more desperate you are in need of hospitality, the more likely you are to choose hosts too hastily. The more desperate a person seeking hospitality seems to be, the more tempting it is to want to take advantage of them.
This theme of hospitality will continue when the disguised Odysseus finally returns home and meets the suitors. Even if you don’t know the story, you can probably guess how that encounter will go.
That’s all for Book 15 of the Odyssey.
May your days be filled with grace.
-Andronikos
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Thumbnail: Eumaeus the Swineherd by N. C. Wyeth. 1929.