bronze and hoards of gold and robes." (XIII, 155) and transported him to Ithaca in one of their magic ships. If you are unable to host the strangers, it is your duty to "send them to someone who could host them well". (IV, 34) Lastly, Eumaios shows good hospitality, even though he is poor and doesn't have much to give to Odysseus. When Odysseus is almost attacked by the watch dogs Eumaios welcomes Odysseus by saying, " rudeness to a stranger is not decency, / All wanderers/ and beggars come from Zeus. What we can give is slight but well meant- all we dare," (249). Eumaios saying this shows that he is a good man and will give as much as he possibly can to any stranger including Odysseus. Also, Eumaios knows what it is like to be a beggar because when he was a boy, he was stranded on Ithaca and Odyssey's family took him in as one of their own children and raised him. Without hospitality, Eumaios would still be a beggar, so that is why he shows hospitality to other people. In these contrasting ways, Odysseus was shown both good and bad hospitality through a variety of characters. It is easy to see that the rules of hospitality in the universe of The Odyssey are set at a high bar, and that it is expected that a man take in guests at his door. .
Numerous themes in The Odyssey are conveyed through the character of Telemachus, however, Odysseus" son especially represents the cultural importance of hospitality. In Odysseus" absence, Telemachos courageously travels on a journey of his own, hoping to inquire any news of is father's location. In the fourth book of Homer"s Odyssey, Telemachos and Athena, disguised as Mentor, visit Menelaos in Sparta to hoping to attain information about Odysseus as well as bring news of the suitors" aggressive and dishonorable actions in Ithaca. King Menelaos graciously welcomes them before he even knows why they have traveled to his kingdom: "Welcome; and fall to; in time/ when you have supped, we hope to hear your names, forebears and families - (Odyssey 55).