Evolution of guest-host relationships
Abstract
This thesis examines the different proceedings around the rituals of bringing in a guest through the literature of cultures and their progression from early civilizations to the onset of Christianity. Using the literature of these cultures, (Ancient Sumerian, Greek, Roman, Pagan, and Christian) this thesis was able to trace the evolution of these rituals and proceedings as they evolved with their respective cultures. It began with Gilgamesh, then shifted to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, followed by Virgil's Aeneid, and culminated with Beowulf and Gawain and the Green Knight. Each of these works exposed new facets in these rituals but built upon the ones that preceded it.