History Main / SacredHospitality

* In the older version of ''{{Beauty}}'', the Beast's offense was still breaking sacred hospitality by not offering shelter. However, he has learned his lesson and treat's the eponymous beauty's father as a good host should. What takes him into the prisoner bit is when the father steals a rose. He had promised to try and get one for Beauty, y'see...

* Why Talon Karrde wouldn't turn in Han Solo and Lando Calrissian when the Empire came by in ''[[TheThrawnTrilogy Heir to the Empire]]''.
* In JimButcher's ''TheDresdenFiles'', even vampires can be taken seriously with hospitality. Of course, they tend to aim for PlausibleDeniability instead of just not harming their guests. It's all down to the most powerful members of the supernatural community being a few hundred years behind the times and having an Old World mentality. The various supernatural groups also have a treaty detailing diplomacy and hospitality and various other aspects of supernaturals dealing with each other. Also, hospitality ''means'' something. Any being's home has a magical barrier at the door referred to as the threshold. Crossing the threshold without being invited in means leaving a chunk of your power at the door, if they can enter at all. How much power they lose is determined by how much the dwelling is a home. Dresden's basement bachelor apartment, inhabited for not much more than ten years, doesn't have much stopping power, but a friend's home, inhabited by the same family for about a hundred years, has a hell of a kick.
** Upon fleeing from two [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Red Court Vampire assassins]] and their pet EldritchAbomination; Harry runs through an unexplored region of the [[EldritchLocation NeverNever]] and they all drop into the freaking throne room of the [[TheFairFolk Lord]] of TheWildHunt. Right as said near-godly being is about to execute them all, the Erl-King ironically refers to them as guests. Harry immediately grabs at that, and thanks the Fey-Lord for allowing them to be called guests. The Erl-King is amused at the LoopholeAbuse, but allows it; saying that he can hunt them another day. (Of course, being a guest of TheFairFolk has its own dangers.)
* In the {{Dragaera}} series, the Dragonlord traditions of hospitality are like this. It's a significant plot point in ''Jhereg'', where an absconding crimelord gets himself invited to stay at the home of a powerful Dragonlord, knowing that nobody will be able to get at him there without bringing down a massive retaliation from his host.

* In the Bible in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah we see Lot offer his daughters and wife to the rapist mob as long as they promise to let his guests free of their intended rape, he doesn't know his guests are angels he is willing to let his wife and daughters be sacrificed for them just because sacred hospitality... it's so ridiculous to put guests before one's own daughters that it is also a case of BlueAndOrangeMorality.

* In the bible in the story of Sodoma and Gomorra we see Lot offer his daughters and wife to the rapist mob as long as they promise to let his guests free of their intended rape, he doesn't know his guests are angels he is willing to let his wife and daughters be sacrificed for them just because sacred hospitality... its so ridicolous to put guests before one's own daughters that it is also a case of BlueAndOrangeMorality

* This troper read an anecdote by a female soldier in Israel's war for independence: the soldier was captured by Arabs, who gave her a piece of bread to eat. When she ate it, they told her she was under their protection, and they meant it.

* Averted on ''ComeDineWithMe'', in which people are invited to each others houses, waited on hand and foot, and then encouraged to bitch and moan about the slightest flaws in the food or entertainment. FridgeBrilliance sets in when you realise that like most {{Reality Show}}s, you're ''meant'' to hate the contestants, and there's nothing better for [[KickTheDog making someone look unpleasant]] than seeing them complain about someone else's hospitality.

* In one novel by Alan Furst an {{OSS}} agent in the Balkans is sheltered by a fishing village. Sometime later the villagers discover that left on the shore for them is a feast(smuggled in by the {{OSS}} of course) with a note left to them thanking them. The villagers thereupon wonder what [[NobleFugitive fabulously rich refugee]] they had obtained the gratitude of.

* In CSLewis's ''PrinceCaspian'', Trufflehunter, Trumpkin and Nikabrik take in Capsian when they find him unconscious outside their home. When he wakes up and they find out he's King Miraz's nephew, Nikabrik wants to kill him, but the others say that if they were going to do that they should have done it first thing; now, it would be murdering a guest.

** Upon fleeing from two [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Red Court Vampire assassins]] and their pet EldritchAbomination; Harry runs through an unexplored region of the [[EldritchLocation NeverNever]] and they all drop into the freaking throne room of the [[TheFairFolk Lord]] of TheWildHunt. Right as said near-godly being is about to execute them all, the Erl-King ironically refers to them as guests. Harry immediately grabs at that, and thanks the Fey-Lord for allowing them to be called guests. The Erl-King is amused at the LoopholeAbuse, but allows it; saying that he can hunt them another day. (Of course, being a guest of TheFairFolk has it's own dangers.)

* In ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', hospitality is such a central part of Westerosi morality that people will trust even their most deadly enemies to hold by it. This makes it all the more shocking when[[spoiler: the Freys betray and murder King Robb, then [[DueToTheDead desecrate his corpse]], at the Red Wedding. Even their new allies regard them as debased for this. 'I'd sooner drink a pint of piss than take the word of any Frey!']] More generally, kinslayers and betrayers of hospitality are placed at the bottom of the local Sorting Algorithm of Evil.

* Repeatedly in ''TheOdyssey''. Besides the page quote, Telemachos greets in Athena, in disguise as Mentes, because it is shocking that a stranger should be left at the gate, and promises her a food and to ask her story; Polyphemus shows his evil by pledging as his "hospitable gift" to [[KillYouLast eat Odysseus last]]; and Penelope's suitors are grossly abusing their status as guests.

** Upon fleeing from two [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Red Court Vampire assassins]] and their pet EldritchAbomination; Harry runs through an unexplored region of the [[EldritchLocation NeverNever]] and they all drop into the freaking throne room of the [[TheFairFolk Lord]] of TheWildHunt. Right as said near-godly being is about to execute them all, the Erl-King ironically refers to them as guests. Harry immediately grabs at that, and thanks the Fey-Lord for allowing them to be called guests. The Erl-King is amused at the LoopholeAbuse, but allows it.

!!Examples:

Common in SweetHomeAlabama. Frequently results in AngelUnaware. Often a result of BedouinRescueService.

Often explicitly invoked in NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine.

*The Church of Satan does not believe this, it specifically says in the Satanic Bible that if your guests disrespect you, then you should destroy them.
** On the contrary, they take it very seriously; the concept of Domain is mentioned as extremely important - if you are in someone else's Domain, you will show them proper respect or leave, and expect that they will return the favour in your Domain.

* When {{Lucifer}} in his own comic visits the pantheon of the Japanese Underworld, its gods plot extensively to make him break the code of SacredHospitality, giving them an excuse to kill him. He smoothly dodges every attempt.
* Not even TheSandman can break this rule. He cannot harm any guest, unless they break it first.