King Alcinous and Queen Arete rule the seafaring Phaeacians on the island of Scheria. The morning after Odysseus’ rugged landing, Athena (disguised as a friend) sends their daughter, Nausicaa, and some of her handmaidens to wash clothes near the spot where the beleaguered hero has collapsed.
Nausicaa is a classic nubile beauty and seems attracted to the wayfaring stranger. She tells him how to find the palace and endear himself to the queen, thus insuring his safe passage home. Odysseus follows her instructions and is received hospitably at the royal household. It is important to note that Odysseus refrains from assuming the position of a suppliant with Nausicaa, perhaps because she lacks any real power to help him, perhaps because dropping to his knees and hugging her legs might be embarrassingly intimate for the young maiden and cause her to take offense. He has no such reservations with Queen Arete and is granted mercy.
Odysseus eventually reveals his identity and welcomes the Phaeacians’ offer to return him to Ithaca. First, however, he tells them of his wanderings. These stories take up the next four books (Books 9–12), the best known part of the epic.
