@Jeremy phil,
Jeremy;165034 wrote:Ok, first off all I use the bellows translation it can be found here
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe04.htm
One of the stanzas I dedicate some thought too is
135. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,--
Profit thou hast if thou hearest,
Great thy gain if thou learnest:
Curse not thy guest, | nor show him thy gate,
Deal well with a man in want
Knowing that this was transcribed long before worldwide travel and mass communication were around, I find myself wondering if this can also have applications not only for guests of your house but people you meet in everyday life, for instance, newcomers to your place of work, or internet forums you frequent.
In case anyone was wondering I do not imply this forum is not hospitable to newcomers, it has in fact been quite the opposite. But in my observations there allot of people you meet on the internet who are quite the elitist.
As human circles have grown vast and far reaching outside there personal homes, has the hospitality mentioned in old mythology outlived its purpose?
Sorry it took me so long to respond. The Old English or whatever that is intimidated me a bit. What does "and hear thou my rede" mean?
Zues was the god of travelers and sometimes it was said that he pretended to be a mortal seeking shelter and put the hospitality of a town or a household to the test. There is also the idea of entertaining angels unawares.
This is Odin's advice to Loddfafnir (right?). It's interesting that it is given as proverbs rather than commandments.
For most of us in today's world hospitality is bought and sold and thus it is no longer hospitality. The traveler doesn't pay for hospitality and the town or household doesn't offer it only at a price. There is customer service and there is the hospitality industry but there is no hospitality anymore or else it is very rare. The disappearance of hospitality happened long before the internet came into being.
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