Xenia

The Hellenic concept of hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. Xenia meaning “the way you treat strangers or foreigners”.
The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest and host expressed in both material benefits (such as the giving of gifts to each party) as well as non-material ones (such as protection, shelter, favors, or certain normative rights).

Theoxeny Ideal

Theoxeny or theoxenia is a theme in Hellenic mythology in which human beings demonstrate their virtue or piety by extending hospitality to a humble stranger (xenos), who turns out to be a disguised deity (theos) with the capacity to bestow rewards. These stories caution mortals that any guest should be treated as if potentially a disguised divinity and help establish the idea of xenia as a fundamental Hellenic custom. If one had poorly played host to a stranger, there was the risk of incurring the wrath of a god disguised as the stranger.

Rules

Xenia consists of two basic rules:

1. The respect from host to guest. The host must be hospitable to the guest and provide him/her with food, drink, bath and gifts when they leave. It is not polite to ask questions until the guest has finished the meal provided to them.
2. The respect from guest to host. The guest must be courteous to the host and not be a burden. The guest should also provide a gift if they have one.

Zeus and his Role

The Hellenic god Zeus is sometimes called Zeus Xenios in his role as a protector of guests. He thus embodied the religious obligation to be hospitable to travelers and carry the wrath to those who break it.