Summary

Athene disguises herself as a young Phaeacian girl and guides Odysseus to Alcinous’ palace. At the palace Odysseus goes to Nausicaa’s mother Queen Arete and supplicates her, asking for the Phaeacians’ help in getting him home again. They offer him food and hospitality, and they promise to return him to his home on one of their ships.

Arete then asks Odysseus more about himself, and he tells her about being held captive by Calypso and then being shipwrecked on their island. He has still not told them who he is, but already Alcinous is impressed by him enough to offer him his daughter in marriage. Odysseus just wants to return home, however, and Alcinous says he would never stand in the way of that. They prepare a bed for Odysseus in the...