The Myth of Nausicaa | Odysseus and the Phaeacian Princess Who Helped Him Return Home

A naked man lies asleep in the bushes by a river. It is Odysseus, who barely made it ashore after suffering days of torment from the waves. Meanwhile, the laughter of young women by the riverside was drawing closer and closer.

One of the handmaidens playing ball screamed as her thrown ball was swept away by the current, and that scream woke Odysseus. This chance noise becomes the opening scene of the long story that completes Odysseus's homecoming.

The Night Athena Appeared in Nausicaa's Dream

The night before the ball game took place, the goddess Athena, disguised as Nausicaa's friend, came to her in a dream. She advised her to prepare for marriage, now that she was of age, by washing clothes—telling her to ask her father for a wagon and mules.

Nausicaa was the daughter of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians. Her mother Arete was spinning purple wool by the hearth, and among her brothers were two already married and three who had not yet found their match.

The next morning, Nausicaa asked her father for a wagon, offering the excuse that she needed to wash her father's clothes for the assembly and clean clothes for her brothers to wear while dancing. She never mentioned that it was preparation for her own marriage. Without much suspicion, her father handed over the wagon, and her mother packed oil to apply to the body and food for her daughter setting out.

The Naked Stranger They Met by the River

After finishing the washing, Nausicaa and her handmaidens ate by the river and began playing ball. Then one ball fell into the current, and the startled handmaidens all cried out at once—and that sound woke Odysseus, who had been sleeping in the nearby bushes.

Odysseus, emerging with only an olive branch to cover his body, was as rough and unfamiliar as a lion driven by hunger down to the outskirts of a village. The handmaidens scattered in all directions with screams.

But Nausicaa alone stood her ground. The epic tells us this boldness was thanks to the courage Athena had instilled in her heart. It was a moment when judgment came before fear.

"For That Is How Zeus Divides His Gifts"

Odysseus approached cautiously, addressing her as "your majesty" and speaking to her. Beginning with words that she was as beautiful as the palm tree he had seen on Delos, he told her how long he had suffered at sea.

Nausicaa answered calmly, unmoved by his plea. Zeus bestows blessings as he wills, on the rich and the poor alike—so what had happened to him was simply his will. She then told him that the Phaeacians were people under the protection of the gods, and promised him clothes to wear, water to wash, and help.

Only after seeing Nausicaa's decision did the handmaidens, who had fled in terror, return and help Odysseus. The judgment to help a stranger came first, and the others' actions followed.

Why They Agreed Not to Walk Together After Washing and Clothing Him

The handmaidens gave Odysseus oil and clothes, and he washed in the river, removing the salt and grime accumulated over days. Athena, watching him, made him taller and more commanding, his hair curling beautifully like hyacinth blossoms. Nausicaa, seeing his transformed appearance, marveled inwardly.

Here, Nausicaa decided not to take him straight to the palace. She calculated that if she, still unmarried, entered the town with a stranger, people would talk, and the rumors could tarnish her own marriage prospects.

So she told Odysseus to walk apart from her, to wait a while in the sacred grove of Minerva (Athena), and then enter the city alone after some time. And she advised him that upon entering the palace, he should approach her mother Arete first, not her father, and clasp her knees. She already knew that real decision-making power in the household lay with the queen.

The Hospitality Won at the Palace and Alcinous's Unexpected Offer

Just as Nausicaa had said, Odysseus walked alone toward the city gates. Athena wrapped him in mist so the townspeople would not see him, and transformed into a young girl to personally guide his way to the palace.

Before the palace, adorned with bronze walls and golden doors and statues of immortal guard dogs standing like living hounds, Odysseus was momentarily overwhelmed. He went straight inside, clasped the knees of Queen Arete, and removed the mist that had concealed him. The palace stirred for a moment at the sudden appearance of a stranger.

When the elder Echeneus stepped forward and advised that the traveler should be received with courtesy, King Alcinous immediately offered him a seat, food, and wine. After the meal, Arete recognized that the clothes he wore were woven by her own hands and pressed him for his story, and Odysseus recounted everything—leaving the island of Calypso and how he came to meet Nausicaa.

Having heard the story, Alcinous made an unexpected offer: if he stayed and married Nausicaa, he would give him a house and property. But he also promised that if Odysseus did not wish it, he would provide a ship to return home, regardless of this offer.

Nausicaa's Final Words Before He Boarded the Ship

During his stay at the palace, Odysseus recounted the adventures he had experienced since the Trojan War before the people, and the Phaeacians held a feast for him and prepared gifts. Despite the king's offer, he ultimately chose homecoming over marriage.

Just before his departure, Nausicaa faced him one last time. She asked him not to forget her, saying that for saving his life, he must repay her before anyone else.

Odysseus answered that if he returned safely to his homeland, he would honor her as his benefactor, as one would a god, and bless her for as long as he lived. Thus this encounter, which began by the river, ended with each of the two giving their own farewell.

The Price of Sending Him Off: The Ship Turned to Stone

The Phaeacians loaded the ship with gifts for Odysseus and set out across the night sea. He remained fast asleep throughout the voyage, and the ship swiftly cut through the water overnight, reaching the coast of Ithaca around dawn. The sailors carefully laid the sleeping Odysseus, along with his gifts, on the sand beside an olive tree, and returned.

This news soon led to Poseidon's wrath. That the Phaeacians, of his own bloodline, had safely delivered Odysseus—whom he so despised—to his home made Poseidon complain to Zeus that if this were left unpunished, he would receive no respect among the gods.

Zeus advised turning the returning ship to stone, in the shape of a ship, close to land, and Poseidon, following his word, struck the ship with the palm of his hand, turning it to rock and embedding it in the sea. He went further, threatening to bury the Phaeacians' city under a great mountain. Seeing the ship turn to stone, Alcinous recalled the prophecy his father had long ago passed down, and the Phaeacians sacrificed twelve bulls to Poseidon and resolved to stop escorting travelers by ship thereafter.

After Nausicaa: Stories to Read Next

You can learn more about the island where Odysseus stayed for so long before meeting Nausicaa in the myth of Calypso. The background of how he came to suffer so greatly at sea in the first place—his long feud with Poseidon—can be explored further in the myth of Poseidon.

Nausicaa was able to act without fear thanks to Athena's intervention; the role this goddess plays throughout Odysseus's journey is covered in the myth of Athena. You can find where this encounter falls within Odysseus's overall journey home in the Odyssey plot in order.