Open home to guest and traveler, friend or foe in need.
Fyrna
Turn none away
For all may stay,
By this Law welcome guaranteed.
With due respect
Both host and guest
Are honor-bound to friendship's creed.
But to the guest
Always the best
Of food and shelter, cloth and shield.
Laws of hospitality declare that certain behaviors, though, are universally in bad form. A guest could violate the law of hospitality by:
- insulting the host by any show of hostility or rivalry;
- usurping the role of the host by taking precedence over the host;
- refusing the food and drink offered by the host
A host, on the other hand, could infringe the law of hospitality by:
- insulting the guest or by showing any hostility or rivalry;
- failing to protect the honor of a guest;
- failing to show concern for his guests' needs or wishes.
As Pitt-Rivers noted, "Failure to offer the best is to denigrate the guest" (27-28). Any infringement upon the law of hospitality eliminates the reciprocal relationship of giving honor to each other.
http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~dgowler/Semeia.htm