Name ONE of the most important customs in Greek culture that plays a central role in the Odyssey. Name ONE person who is an excellent example of the violation of this custom. Name ONE person who is an excellent example of the observance of this custom.

Xenia or the custom of showing hospitality to guests is one important custom in Greek culture that plays an important role in "The Odyssey".

One violator of this custom is Polyphemus or even the suitors and an example of the observance of this custom is Nestor.

Explanation:

One of the most important customs in Greek culture is the concept of showing hospitality to everyone, regardless of who the person may be or may come from. This concept which is termed "xenia" is extended even to strangers. In this, guests are welcomed in any place, given safe lodging and food and even let go laden with gifts from the host. This concepts played an important role in the culture of the Greeks in Homer's "The Odyssey".

One person who violated this custom are the suitors in the palace of Odysseus' home. They ate and drank to their fill for so many days, yet do nothing in return. Rather, they oppressed and made life for their host and even tormented them.

An excellent example of the observance of this custom is Nestor, "knight of Gerene". He had provided food, transportation and gifts for Telemachus' trip, along with sending his own son Pisistratus to accompany him in his search for Odysseus. (Book III)

Another violator can be Polyphemus who ate his guests when Odysseus and his men came upon his cave. But then again, we can also say Odysseus and his men are also violators for stealing things from their host.

as university of miami psychologists debra lieberman and adam smith pointed out in a recent article in the journal current directions in psychological science, humans have social and psychological mechanisms to deter incest. with very few exceptions, marriages between brothers and sisters and between parents and their children are verboten in every human culture. the primary psychological anti-incest mechanism is the yuck response. even the idea of sex with their mom or dad, bro or sis is upsetting to most people. the psychologist jonathan haidt has found that nearly everyone is repelled by the prospect of brother-sister sex, even in hypothetical situations in which there is no chance of pregnancy).

the biological cost of incest

this raises an interesting question: just what’s so bad about incest? sure, having sex with your dad or your sister seems gross — but why? some anthropologists have argued that incest taboos are learned social conventions. this explanation, however, doesn’t make sense to me as it does not explain the widespread existence of anti-incest mechanisms in creatures ranging from cockroaches to chimpanzees. second, the incest taboo is about as close to a universal law as human moral rules get.

why should mechanisms to avoid incest be so widespread both in nature and across human societies? the answer is simple. the problem with having sex close with relatives is that there is an astonishingly high chance that your offspring will be born with a serious birth defect.