We are in Scheria, where the Phaiakians live. The book starts with a brief history of the Phaiakians, who seem to be peace-loving people. They used to live "near the Cyclopes" in a different place called Hypereia, but because of their "overbearing" neighbours, were forced to migrate to Scheria, "far away from men who eat bread" (l. 8). This last bit may be a device to introduce any kind of unbelievable element to the story, e.g. "it all happend in a far away place, where people have three ears". I'm not sure how much ink has been spilled over the next passage on settling down in a new land (ll.6-10), but I guess everybody who is anybody in Homeric studies has felt obliged to comment. As I have come to Homer with no or very little previous knowledge (mainly based on the Odyssey Study Guide in "Resources" in the blog sidebar), the only thing I can say is that everything seems to have been well-organised. The story continues in the bedchamber of the Phaiakian princess, Nausikaa, where Athene finds her asleep with her two handmaidens. All three of them have been endowed with beauty by the Graces (Kharites), with Nausikaa especially looking like an immortal goddess. She is the daughter of the Phaiakian king, Alkinoös (not to be confused with Antinoös) so it's no surprise that her surroundings are also very pretty ("ornate chamber", l. 15, thalamos polydaidalos in Greek, the adjective polydaidalos meaning high-skilled [workmanship], esp. connected to metal working; Homer is obsessed with metal!). Now Athene's idea this time is to persuade Nausikaa, posing as her best friend, to go on a washing trip. Her argument is that as Nausikaa is soon to be married (although the lucky man hasn't been picked yet), she should make a point of wearing clean clothes (!). She hastens to add it's not because there is any shortage of suitors, though. It turns out there is quite a bit of washing to be done - to be carried by mules and wagon to the washing place, which is some distance away. Nausikaa, being a princess, has to think of the attire of her attendants as well. Nausikaa believes it was a dream but goes and asks her parents for permission. It is interesting that high-born women are engaged in manual labour - even goddesses are imagined as weaving. The god Hephaistos is a smith, but the other immortals don't seem to do human work. Artemis is supposed to hunt, but as far as I know the gods don't eat meat. Anyway, she has elaborated Athene's idea and mentions her unmarried brothers who are also in need of clean clothes "to wear it when they go to dance" (l. 65). What sort of dance can it be? She catches her father at the door as he is going to the assembly and he promises her the mules and wagon, "the high one with the good wheels that has the carrying basket" (l. 70). Everyday objects are always described in details, mentioning the material they are made of and their condition. This ties in with the interest in everyday chores shown in the poem - probably this is what Homer's audience could relate to. But this is no ordinary work. Homer quickly gets the washing done and goes on to describe the delightful activities that follow. In this 1930s painting on the left by Paxton the white sheet looks like a picnic blanket, and the ladies seem to have their own little pond. From everyday reality we are back in the "golden age" when even work was fun. All through the Odyssey everybody is always eating, and Nausikaa & maids are no exception with the queen providing food and wine for the expedition. The picture captures the moment when they have done the washing (it took them a couple of minutes and it was a game really) and are waiting for the clothes to dry on the beach (exact method - washing line? - unknown). I presume here they've already had tea and "[thrown] off their veils for a game of ball" (l. 100). This is what nymphs do, we are told in ll. 102-109. An idyllic scene, but now it's time for action. Athene has already marked Nausicaa to be Odysseus' guide in this country. Nausikaa throws the ball and it falls into the water. The girls "all [cry] out aloud" and Odysseus, lying in the bush, wakes up. Odysseus, as before, addresses "his heart and his spirit" (is he the first in literature to speak to himself? No, I think Hektor did that too, but Odysseus is the first "private man", someone who keeps his own counsel), wondering if they are nymphs or humans. Odysseus is in shade, in the background, probably quite dirty and there is stuff stuck on his hair and skin, while the girls are out in the sun, having cleaned both the clothes and themselves. They are young and at the start of their adult life, whereas Odysseus has been through a lot. Innocence and experience. The lion-simile is somewhat ironical: Odysseus steps out of his hiding place to bravely face a group of young girls; I say "somewhat", because Odysseus is always wary of how his encounters with strangers are going to go (this time too: ll. 119-21). I still feel some remnants of initiation rites in this description too - facing the opposite sex, especially in bulk, can be a daunting experience for the young initiand. The groups of nymphs (virgins of the forest) are also associated with the virgin huntress, Artemis, who is known to have killed some unfortunate guy for chancing upon her while she was bathing. I'm sure elements of this myth are there. In this instance, Odysseus is naked, not the virgin. As the other girls run away screaming, Nausikaa stays where she was (Athene "took the fear from her body", l. 140). Now Odysseus has to proceed with caution: he wants to supplicate her, which involves physical contact: clasping her knees. In Homer's Mediterranean culture there is a lot more physical contact than in ours - in the present situation, however, this may be counterproductive. Odysseus is a man of many ways: he is flexible, he can put on different roles, identities, and as he has travelled around the Aegean, he may even have managed to pick up different accents. He has been in unusual situations before, where rules were bent. He supplicates her in words ("full of craft", l. 148), calls her queen, goddess, "the nearest likeness to Artemis" (l. 151). It's a bit embarrassing really - he rambles too, about a young palm he once saw, about his sufferings so far, gives unnecessary details ("on the twentieth day", l. 170), flatters her and showers her with good wishes. Nausikaa cuts it short by saying that Zeus gives people good or bad fortune, so you have to endure it if it is bad (and also implying, I think, that your wishing somebody well is also pointless). She would supply him with clothes and hospitality anyway and not for his sob story. Nausikaa goes on to introduce herself and enlighten Odysseus about the place where he landed. We learn something important (she is speaking now to the maids, who must have been quietly slipping back): the Phaiakians do not fight wars. They are able to keep out of it by some sort of special protection from the immortals (l. 203). I expected something like this as I'd remembered the Odyssey Study Guide (link on the right) calling it "hyper-civilization" (there is a little chart when you scroll down giving you the "thematic structure" of the Odyssey - it is in chronological order and not in the order the Odyssey narrates the individual adventures, which can be a bit confusing). Luckily the girls have lots of clothes to choose from and have some olive oil with them for bathing. They offer all this to Odysseus, who takes the opportunity to get washed in the river, but asks the girls to give him some privacy. They grant him his request, which actually becomes a dramaturgical device in Homer's hands - the girls can't see him bathing not only because of modesty, not only because of the bathing Artemis parallel, but also - and I think mainly - because this is Odysseus's big transformation. When he emerges, he is like a god. He has come out of the dark into the sunlight. His initiation is over. Nausikaa gives some advice to Odysseus while also asking him to arrive at the palace separately from her as it might cause a scandal (apart from the obvious, there also seems to be a problem with Nausikaa potentially marrying someone from outside of the community). She thinks it best for Odysseus to supplicate her mother (and not father), but does not go into details why. Odysseus is to spend some time in the sacred grove near the palace so that he can arrive a bit later than Nausikaa (who, by the way, is the only person travelling on the wagon, with the serving maids having to walk, ll. 319-20, although we are reassured that Nausikaa drives at a pace which they can keep up with). While Odysseus is killing time in the grove, he says a prayer to his benefactress, Athene. This is very typical. He doesn't even trust her - she didn't listen to her before, he says. This complaint is not totally unjustified, but Athene can't act in fear of her uncle, Poseidon, whose anger still hasn't subsided.
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AuthorHave studied A219 Exploring the Classical World and A275 Reading Classical Greek at the Open University. Currently studying for a Psychology degree. ImagesPlease click on any image to be taken to its source.
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