# Ξένιος



## anastasia0000

Hello,

I am not sure what «ξένιος» means, in article «Μεγάλη επιχείρηση της ΕΛ.ΑΣ «Ξένιος Ζευς» στην Πάτρα». Would it be the same as «ξένος»?

Important operation of ELAS "...Zeus" in Patra.

Thanks in advance!

Anna


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## ireney

Ironically enough, "ξένιος" means "hospitable". Ξένιος Ζευς was one of Zeus' roles. He was the patron/protector of guests and strangers one had in his house and would protect them (and punish those hosts who mistreated them).


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## Andrious

A synonym in greek is "φιλόξενος". If Zeus was mortal, θα τρίζουν τα κόκκαλά του (if you know what I mean...)


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## sotos

Ξένιος means "of the stragners/guests". You see, xenos is one of those ambivalent words indicating that _some things _have two faces. A foreigner can be a guest if he comes in good faith, otherwise he is an enemy. To put it more appropriately for this case: A guest stays for short time and asks for nothing more, an invader wants to stay forever and to bring all his relatives. The same ambivalence is found in the eng. word "host".


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## anastasia0000

Thank you, very interesting! 

So, if I have understood, «ξένιος» is also ambivalent and has two meanings?

Anna


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## ireney

No, ξένιος has only one meaning.  Ξένος has as much (or as little) ambivalence as the word "stranger". If you ascribe to the word "stranger" the meanings sotos' does to ξένος by all means, ascribe them to "ξένος" too.


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## sotos

The equivalent to the Gr. ξένος is "host", with obvious double meanings (hostel, hostile etc). The ambivalence of the w. ξένος is clear in the ancient word *ξενηλασία* (driving away the xenoi).  The original meaning of Ξένιος Ζευς was "hospitable Zeus", I suppose. However, the government choose this name for the immigrations measures to show exactly that hospitality is one thing and invasion is another.


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## ireney

OK, let's see.
Ancient Greek: ξένος may have begun by meaning "host" too but very soon it came to mean mainly (almost exclusively) "stranger", "guest" (see here)
"Ξένιος" meant "hospitable" (see here )

Modern Greek: ξένος means stranger, alien (the non UFO kind  )
Ξένιος survives only in 
a) hotels named "Ξενία"
b) the epithet of "Ξένιος Ζευς". Ξένιος Ζευς was, without a doubt the protector of the rights of guests.

There were no illegal immigrants in ancient Greece and, in case you are wondering, we are not usually calling their actions "invasion". I suppose sotos wants to explain the logic they used when choosing the name of the operation. Still ironic though if you ask me. Perhaps we should continue this conversation somewhere else though or I'll have to put my mod hat and chop up our posts


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## velisarius

I quote from"Greek Religion" by Walter Burkert: "Zeus has a special concern for the relations which bind strangers to one another: guests, suppliants, and those bound by oaths - Zeus _Xenios, Hikesios, _and _Horkios_. ...Zeus resolved to destroy the city (Troy) because Paris violated the laws of hospitality". So Zeus was not simply the protector of rights of guests, but protector of the rights and duties of guests.


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## sotos

ireney said:


> There were no illegal immigrants in ancient Greece



There were. I mentioned before the custom of ΞΕΝΗΛΑΣΙΑ in Sparta.

Remaining strictly in the linguistics of this subject, the definition of ξενία is "the custom of hospitality between Greeks", as "barbarians" were not normally treated as _xenoi_. This doesn't mean that non-Greeks were  unwelcome, but they were not covered by the religious rules and rituals of the xenia and *were not protected  by Xenios Zeus*. 
Another meaning of _xenos_ is "passer-by" as it is concluded from various examples, like "ΞΕΙΝ ΑΓΓΕΛΕΙΝ ΛΑΚΕΔΑΙΜΟΝΙΟΙΣ ...". The temporarity of the xenia is also concluded from the special taxation of long-staying "strangers" (even Greeks), the so called "φόρος μετοικεσίας". Even Aristoteles and Aspasia, the Perikles' wife, had to pay this tax while staying in Athens. I suppose they would be "illegal immigrants" if they wouldn't pay the tax. These metoikoi did not have the rights of the local citizen and for any legal act they had to be represented by a proxenos. 

I hope the above elucidate the title of the Operation "Xenios Zeus", which is the subject of this thread.


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