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Odysseus As Slave: The Ritual Of Domination And Social Death In Homeric Society, Patrice Rankine
Odysseus As Slave: The Ritual Of Domination And Social Death In Homeric Society, Patrice Rankine
Classical Studies Faculty Publications
Eumaeus, in his first protracted exchange with Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, goes a long way towards conveying what it means to be a slave in Homeric society. Disguised, Odysseus is a guest to Eumaeus, but he is also a beggar who could become a dependent in the same way that Eumaeus had. Emphasising that guests and beggars are sacred to Zeus (14.56-8), Eumaeus talks about his role in Odysseus' household. His labour (14.66) increased his master's holdings, yet Eumaeus' focal point, the way in which he frames his speech is not labour, per se, but honour and power. …