Blog post 11

For this week I chose to write about the contrasting differences and similarities between the hospitality during Odysseus’ journey and in Telemachus’. During Telemachus’ subplot story he first travels to Pylos, with the assistance of Athena, to ask the king Nester about his missing father. Whilst he is visiting he witnesses a ritual where bulls are sacrificed to the God Poseidon. Later, Nestor unfortunately informs Telemachus that he has no information as to the location of Odysseus, and tells the story of how they split up during the battle for Troy. He talks about how the two brothers leading the expedition Menelaus, and Agamemnon one of them sailed back to Greece and the other stayed to continue fighting, Nester chose to go back, while Odysseus stayed, and that was the last he had heard from him. Nester then tells Telemachus to go to Sparta and sends his own son Pisistratus along with him.
In Sparta the king and queen quickly recognize Telemachus as the son of Odysseus due to similar resemblance, and make a feast for him. They tell stories of Odysseus during the feast but quickly send Telemachus back to Ithaca to defend his mother against the suitors. During Odysseus’ journey he is treated with incredible hospitality by the phaeacian King Alcinous, and his daughter Nausicaa. He is first found by Nausicaa in the forest with no clothes incredibly dirty, she then generously tells him to wash up in the lake and offers him some of her own clothes. Once he reaches the palace, the king Alcinous is so impressed he offers him a ship to sail back as well as his daughter's hand in marriage. After the assembly announcing that he will give the new visitor a ship, he throws a festival with a feast and games all in honor of Odysseus. In conclusion, both of Odysseus and Telemachus had a similar sort of journey, in that they were both treated very well and their arrivals were celebrated which I was personally shocked about. Especially in Odysseus’ case, I was surprised that the Phaeacians were not more suspicious of this strange man visiting them considering he did not even tell them his name. And yes Athena did help out alot with getting him in, but still.