This 1880s illustration accompanied a book on Homer and his epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. It shows the scene in the Odyssey when Odysseus (also spelled Ulysses) prepares to fight the beggar Irus. Odysseus' fight with Irus, who also known as Arnaios, is meant, first, to exhibit Odysseus's fairness to an obnoxious challenger. Second, it is mean to show that the suitors have no regard for the concept of xenia—hospitality to strangers—no matter what their station in life may be.

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Size: 5700px × 3285px
Photo credit: © Ivy Close Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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