The Odyssey and History

In Greek society history is extraordinarily important as it show where you come from, and if you and/or your family are highly esteemed, a value that is shown in "The Odyssey." In this epic by Homer, Odysseus comes into contact many times with the past by talking to the spirits of the dead and also talking about his past and all the struggles he had to face. Because of his glorious past he earned hospitality from many people, and gained information from the dead spirits to get home. King Alkinoös answered to Odysseus' woeful tale, "When you came here to my strong home, Odysseus, under my tall roof, headwinds were left behind you. Clear sailing shall you have now, homeward now, however painful all the past" (Book 13 lines 4-9). Granted it is part of Greek culture to be hospitable to people, however, once people have found out that they have a war hero in their midst they become more than happy to do anything for the said hero. Ergo your past can change how people treat you, but learning from the past can also make you a stronger person. When I say "learning from the past" I don't just mean learn from the experience of ghosts, but also learning from the mistakes of the past. Had Odysseus not gone through the mistakes such as allowing to make camp on the island of Helios when he was strictly warned not to, his personality would not have changed as drastically. As they say "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."