The Odyssey Chapter Summary & Analysis - Book 7 Summary

Book 7 Summary

While heading to the palace to meet Alcinous, the king of the Phaeacians, Athena appears to Odysseus in the form of a young girl who offers to guide him to the palace. She surrounds Odysseus in a protective mist that keeps the Phaeacians from seeing him as a stranger. The Phaeacians are kind, but they do not look kindly on foreigners. She tells him to make his plea for assistance to Arete, the queen, for she will know how to assist him in getting back to Ithaca. Upon arriving at the palace, Athena leaves to return to Athens.

Upon entering the palace, Odysseus sees that they are holding a festival for Poseidon. It is an opulent palace that awes Odysseus. When he comes upon the queen, he bows down at her feet and the mist surrounding him is lifted. Alcinous wonders if the man is a god, but Odysseus reassures...
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