Legal Definitions - hospiticide

Definition: Hospiticide is a word used to describe two different things. Firstly, it can refer to the act of a guest murdering their host. Secondly, it can refer to a host who murders their guest.

Example 1: In Greek mythology, the god Zeus was known for his hospitality. However, there is a story where he punished the Lydian king Tantalus for his hospiticide. Tantalus killed his own son and served him to Zeus as a meal. Zeus was so disgusted by this act that he banished Tantalus to the underworld.

Example 2: In the Bible, there is a story of a man named Lot who offered hospitality to two strangers. However, the men of the city came to Lot's house and demanded that he hand over the strangers so that they could rape them. Lot refused and offered his own daughters instead. This act of hospiticide (offering his own daughters to be raped) was seen as a grave sin.

These examples illustrate the two different meanings of hospiticide. In the first example, Tantalus committed hospiticide by killing his own son and serving him to Zeus. In the second example, the men of the city committed hospiticide by demanding that Lot hand over his guests to be raped.