Geras and Guest-Gifts in the Odyssey

Rick M. Newton (Kent State University)

Zeus’ pronouncement in Hom. Od. 5.36-42, that Odysseus will receive more guest-gifts from the Phaeacians than all the plunder he could have carried from Troy, establishes a correlation (guest-gifts as geras) which informs our understanding of the complex relationship between Odysseus and his men. While both the Odyssey-poet and Odysseus himself consistently attribute the loss of the comrades to their own reckless folly, Zeus’ analogy suggests that Odysseus may not be fully invested in their survival. Indeed, just as Achilles in the Iliad allows the deaths of countless Achaeans over geras, so does Odysseus in the Odyssey allow the loss of some 600 companions over xeineia.

As far as the hero’s comrades are concerned, the Iliadic currency of heroism does not successfully translate into the post-war world of the Odyssey. In the Iliad, the distribution of geras is public, ceremoniously performed outdoors before the assembled army (Il. 1.161-171). Recognition by the grateful community extends to special treatment at banquets (Il. 12.310-328). In the Odyssey, by contrast, gifts are awarded privately, within the host’s house, to a guest who has parted from his comrades. While the Iliadic warrior relies on the admiring laos for the evaluation of his prizes, the Odyssean guest abandons his peers and is recognized with heirlooms from the inner recesses of the host’s domain (Od. 9.201-207; 15.111-129). The social value of these items is realized only when the hero returns home to impress his deme with his domestic holdings (Od. 11.355-361) or when he hands them down to a subsequent house-guest of his own (Od. 4.611-619). In the Iliad, therefore, the laos is central to heroic recognition at the moment of distribution. But in the Odyssey, the comrades remain peripheral and expendable, potentially even detrimental, to the quest. A large retinue poses risks. Few hosts are willing or able to provide meals, beds, and presents for an entire fleet (Od. 3. 337-370). Companions who misbehave, furthermore, jeopardize their leader’s chances for a generous reception.

A test case for this reading is provided by the Laestrygonian episode, in which Odysseus loses 11 of his 12 ships. After the Aeolian debacle, Odysseus abruptly ceases trying to keep his fleet intact. While he sleeps on the deck, the men voice jealousy over his Trojan plunder and guest-gifts, reinforcing Zeus’ analogy (Od. 10.37-45; cf. 5.36-42). The folly of the comrades results in Aeolus’ refusal to offer Odysseus a second round of hospitality. Upon entering the Laestrygonian harbor, therefore, Odysseus allows all ships but his own to enter the ominous bottleneck cove while he himself ties up at a spot that allows a quick getaway. Odysseus takes advantage of the site to secure his own survival and to enhance his heroic status at the expense of comrades who have proven themselves deleterious to his homecoming mission. In the end, his purposes are well served. In his homeward journey, he is able to sail ahead with reduced obstacles. In his narrative to the Phaeacians, furthermore, he is able to continue cultivating the sympathy of his wealthy hosts by presenting himself as a victim of unruly companions.