Homeric Greek Code of Honor

[Anders]

What do you think should go into a Code of Honor for the Homeric-era Greeks (i.e., the Greeks told of in the Iliad, the Odyssey and to a lesser extent in the Aeneid)?

So far I have two components:

• Xenia: The rule of hospitality. When you are a guest in someone else's house, you behave well, tell them any news you might have picked up and defend your host against attacks, verbal or physical. When you have a guest, you take care of them, shelter them, feed them, and give them a gift to remember you by. If someone who has hosted you comes to town*, you are expected to take them in as guests.
• Kleos: Strive for fame. Do great deeds that the poets will sing about for centuries to come. Search for 'the fame that does not decay'. Also: have sons. Your sons are an extension of you, and if you do not leave descendants your kleos dies with you.

This together is about -10 points, although you can build up a considerable Claim to Hospitality by hosting people.

* well, maybe not town but to the area.

[thrash]

There ought to be something about not suffering insults. It seems to be a recurring theme: "Sing, Goddess, the wrath of Peleus' son Achilles..."

[jason taylor]

Family Loyalty: I am not sure how much it is stressed, perhaps more in the Odyessy but you can't have a low-cohesion society without it. Basically each family is it's own kingdom godfather-style.

Loyalty of retainers: similarly that must be there and for the same reason even if the only people talked much of are the Heroes.

Most heroic codes are glamorized versions of ones that really existed and had a recognizable resemblance because the reality they were based on was a survival necessity.

[Anders]

The hostility towards insults is probably part of kleos. Is there a good Greek word for loyalty? Eusebeia?

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Anders

The hostility towards insults is probably part of kleos. Is there a good Greek word for loyalty? Eusebeia?

The only thing I can think of is Philia. However that doesn't get it exactly.

Hostility toward insults is related to Philia, in fact a lot of honor is. To understand honor you have to imagine what would happen if all the stuff we outsource to the state was instead done by our grandfather.

[Anders]

Right, the Greek version of pater potestas, the power of the oldest man over his family. I think I'll go with eusebeia.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Anders

Right, the Greek version of pater potestas, the power of the oldest man over his family. I think I'll go with eusebeia.

That might work as it covers all reverence including that toward the gods. Also Iliad as I understand, is about a conflict between that and Kleos.

[Anders]

Self-conflicting heroic codes are what great drama is made of.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Anders

Self-conflicting heroic codes are what great drama is made of.

Indeed they are.

[jason taylor]

Hector, Penelope and Aeneas were examples of Eusebeia. Achilles of Kleos. The whole war was the avenging of an insult which was the violation of Xenia.