What Is Zeus’ Law in The Odyssey? Xenia Explained

Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of The Odyssey has finally arrived in cinemas, wowing audiences around the globe and sweeping in a cool $264m (£196m) at the box office on its opening weekend.

Homer’s nearly 3000-year-old tale has inspired many adaptations, each with its unique spin, and Nolan’s is no exception. His Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer focused heavily on the eponymous scientist’s reckoning with his own creation — and The Odyssey dives into the same murky ethical waters, especially through the concept of Zeus’ law.

The law is named several times throughout the film, not as an explicit, written legal measure, but rather as a golden rule for social behavior — and an extremely important one at that. But what exactly is Zeus’ law, and why is it a key concept in understanding Nolan’s film?

What is Zeus’ Law (AKA ‘Xenia’)?

Throughout The Odyssey, we hear characters like Telemachus and Penelope cite Zeus’ law when discussing whether or not they can kick out the suitors, or when Telemachus is hosted by Menelaus, or when Odysseus and his men seek food on Circe’s island. While the term “Zeus’ law” was invented for the film, it is based on the real Ancient Greek concept of hospitality known as xenia.

In the film, Zeus’s law is essentially the Golden Rule from The Bible: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". In other words, treat the stranger with respect by offering them hospitality (food and shelter) and kindness, and expect them to behave in turn as gracious guests.

Here’s how Christopher Nolan himself discussed Zeus’ law with the LA Times:

“It is the golden rule, the idea that you treat people the way you want to be treated. Partly it’s because a humble person may be a god in disguise, but it also allows society to function. People need to travel, to trade, and everyone is at the mercy of strangers”.

He goes on to add...

“its abuse has terrible consequences. There is a price to be paid for vengeance, and violence is the most straightforward expression of that”.

How Does Odysseus Break Zeus’ Law in The Odyssey?

There are several moments in Nolan’s The Odyssey where Odysseus himself breaks Zeus’ law. The least egregious time is when he and his men are trapped in the Cyclops’ cave. Instead of bringing something to trade, as they do in Homer’s poem, Odysseus allows his men to eat the cheese the Cyclops has hanging around. However, since the Cyclops proceeds to eat several of the men, I’d say his disregard of Zeus’ law is far worse than Odysseus’.

However, another moment in which Odysseus breaks Zeus’ law becomes the key ethical dilemma he wrestles with throughout the film. With his Trojan Horse plan, Odysseus believes he broke Zeus’ law by making a fake peace offering and tricking the Trojans into bringing the horse into their city. Furthermore, he believed that his actions ushered in an era of normalised lawlessness that ultimately collapsed the Bronze Age in Greece — talk about a heavy conscience!

How Do Other Characters Break Zeus’ Law in The Odyssey?

One of the most severe breaches of Zeus’ law takes place on the island of Ithaca during Odysseus’ long absence. The suitors trying to woo Penelope hang around the palace for years — far overstaying their welcome as they feast on Odysseus’ food and wine while abusing their hosts and servants.

Both Penelope and Telemachus feel bound by Zeus’ law to keep the supplies coming; and they don’t try to kill the suitors or kick them out because breaking Zeus’ law would result in exile, which would force them to forfeit their kingdom entirely.

But as per Zeus’ law, guests who behave badly also pay the price — and the suitors later receive their comeuppance when Odysseus finally returns.

What is the Message Behind Zeus’ Law in The Odyssey?

Throughout Nolan’s The Odyssey, Zeus’ law is brought up often in regard to questions of hospitality and respect to strangers. Towards the end of the film, Odysseus (still disguised as a beggar) tells Penelope that he regrets the horrors that resulted from the Trojan War. He believes that, although his plan won them the war, more and more people throughout the Greek isles ceased to care about Zeus’ law, ushering in a dangerous new era of disrespect and violence across the Aegean.

Throughout Nolan’s The Odyssey, there are whispers of the ‘Sea Peoples’ who sail around the Aegean pillaging and ransacking towns, breaking Zeus’ law without thought of consequence. Historically, the mysterious Sea Peoples are thought to have played a key role in the collapse of Bronze Age civilisation in the Mediterranean between about 1500 to 1180 BCE, resulting in a Dark Age in which the ability to read and write was lost. In his conversation with Penelope, Odysseus reveals that these ‘Sea Peoples’ are in fact his own men who lost their sense of morality on the battlefield — and Odysseus blames himself for it.

Clearly, Nolan is bringing this history into the world of The Odyssey in order to make a broader point about the current  state of our civilisation. We are only as civil as we treat each other, and if we continue to go down the path of inhumanity — violating Zeus’ law — we may find ourselves sliding once again into a new Dark Age.