Guest-Friend Relationships

In ancient times, venturing into unknown lands frequently meant relying on the kindness of strangers.  Since the survival of travelers depended on the considerations of the people they encountered along the way, hospitality was a central concept within early travel narratives.  For example, Odysseus and his men were generously accommodated with feasts, wine, and women upon their arrival in new land. Similarly, Ibn Battuta was welcomed with “hospitality gifts” as he journeyed from town to town, and Kublai Khan lavishly accommodated Marco Polo and his men upon their arrival. 
 
There are many reasons why hospitality between traveler and host was significantly more prevalent in early travel narratives than it is today. Logistically, travelers were more dependent on the accommodations of hosts because the hotels and restaurants relied on by travelers today were not an option, and because travel was significantly more difficult and dangerous in these earlier times.  Cabeza de Vaca, for example, would not have been able to survive the cold winters without the food and shelter he was provided by natives. The hospitable relationship between guest and host evolved out of an understanding of these circumstances regarding ancient travel.
 
Another reason why hospitality was especially prevalent in early travel narratives was because of its cultural significance.  As demonstrated within “The Odyssey”, hospitality was a meaningful aspect of Greek culture; a generous ‘guest-friend’ relationship between traveler and host was a Greek convention. In “The Odyssey”, hospitality was believed to be both pleasing to the gods and beneficial to the spreading of one’s reputation in addition to being pleasing to guests. 
 
This notion of hospitality as a cultural standard was similarly evident in the narrative of Ibn Battuta, in which hospitality was described as an expected measure of good character. The ‘hospitality gifts’ Ibn Battuta received throughout his travels seemed to capture a naturally understood obligation between traveler and host.   
 
Despite an understanding of why hospitality was so prevalent in ancient times, at times, the tremendous hospitality extended from traveler to host seemed unusual and excessive. For example, I found the degree of honor and respect with which Marco Polo was received by Kublai Khan and other local hosts to be bizarre: "The host bids his wife do everything that the guest wishes. Then he leaves the house and goes about his own business and stays away two or three days. Meanwhile the guest stays with his wife in the house and does what he will with her, lying with her in one bed as if she were his own wife; and they lead a gay life together."
 
The relationship between host and traveler is not black and white, however.  While there are examples of hospitality provided by the natives for Christopher Columbus, Columbus’s cruel exploitation of the natives does not suggest a friendly relationship between stranger and guest.  Likewise, Prospero’s hospitality to his guests in the Tempest was often laced with deception and cruelty.