ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Stranger King

Ok kiddo, let me explain what a stranger king is. Picture this, you have a big playground and there are different groups of kids playing there. Sometimes, a new kid comes to play and none of the other kids know who they are. This new kid is a stranger.

In some places, there used to be something called a stranger king. This means that if a stranger came to a group of people, they would make him or her their king for a little while. The stranger king would be treated really well and given lots of yummy food and cool things to do.

Why would they do that? Well, sometimes people believed that strangers might be sent by the gods or have special powers, so they wanted to make sure they were friendly with them. Plus, it was just a nice thing to do for someone who might feel out of place or lonely.

Nowadays, we might not have stranger kings anymore, but we can still be welcoming to new people we meet. It's always nice to make someone feel included and happy!