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Odysseus Journey: The Phaeacians

By Manuel Damico, Maria Scolaro, Khady-Diatou Sall and Samuel Herrer.

MYTH: ●

When did it take place, during the voyage?: This part of the Odyssey takes place just after the and before the arrival of Odysseus to Ithaca.

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Who are the main characters?: The main characters of this part of the myth are: Odysseus, Nausicaa and the phaeacian King Alcinous.

What is the plot?: Odysseus reach the phaeacian coast after a shipwreck where he lost the rest of his partners.

Nausicaa, the king's daughter, finds Odysseus on the beach and take him to the King Alcinous palace.

There, they offered him hospitality without asking anything about him, but after see Odysseus crying while hearing the songs of the troy's war, they asked him who he was.

Once he finished telling his adventures, Alcinous offer Odysseus help to his way back home and finally odysseus arrives to Ithaca after so many years.

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PLACES: ● Where did the story take place ?

Many ancient and modern interpreters favour identification of Scheria (the home of the Phaeacians) with the island of Corfu( Kerkyra).

The map of Odysseus’voyage and land of the Phaeacians: Scheria

The story through the images: the arrival Odysseus meets Nausicaa Odysseus is helped by Nausicaa, who was very hospitable, provides him with clothes, food and drink and directs him to the palace of King Alcinous.

Phaeacians’hospitality: The palace of King Alcinous Odysseus once received in the palace was helped and was brought back to his land.

The Phaeacian ships: the return The Phaeacians owned extraordinary ships. King Alcinous says that Phaeacians carried Rhadamanthus to Euboea, and came back on the same day. So the king will help Odysseus to return back home.

ICONOGRAPHIC SOURCES:

The dance of Phaeacians- A.Canova

oOdysseus and Nausicaa (Greek pottery)

Alcinous (marble portrait)

LITERARY SOURCES: ● Homer, Odyssey, VI-VIII ● Strabo, Geography, 1.2.18 ● Thucydides, History,1.25.4

The literary tradition came mostly from the Odyssey written by Homer. The other sources are related to the identification of the site of Scheria,which is the land of Phaeacians.