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The island of the Phaeacians, which is in the
Ionian Sea off the coast of Epirus, was originally
called Drepane (Sickle-island), but later was
called called Scheria, and Corcyra.
To this island emigrated Macris, a nurse of
Dionysus 2, when
Hera drove her from Euboea.
This is the reason why Corcyra was also called
Macris Isle, to be distinguished from Abantian
Macris, which was Macris' first residence in the
island of Euboea.
It has also been told that when
Heracles 1 arrived to
the island in order to cleanse himself for the
murder of his children by Megara, he there made
love to the naiad Melite 2, daughter of the river
god Aegaeus, and that their child Hyllus 1 was born
in the isle of the Phaeacians.
The name Phaeacians, some say, derives from
Phaeax 1, son of
Poseidon and Corcyra
and father of King Alcinous. That could be so, but
others assert that King Alcinous was the son of
Nausithous 1, who once ruled the Phaeacians and was
the man who settled them in the island of Scheria,
after having fled from the
CYCLOPES (or from those
Cyclopes who resemble them), because they plundered
them. Nausithous 1 himself was son of
Poseidon and Periboea
1, the youngest among the daughters of Eurymedon 2,
who is said to have once been king of the
GIANTS, and the one
responsible of bringing destruction on his people
and on himself.
King Nausithous 1 had two sons, Rhexenor 2 and
Alcinous. Rhexenor 2, who was killed by
Apollo, was the father of
Arete, who married her uncle Alcinous. While
Alcinous was king of the Phaeacians, he received
the ARGONAUTS, who had
stolen from Colchis the Golden Fleece, and he also
protected the Colchian princess
Medea, who being in love
with Jason, captain of the
ARGONAUTS, accompanied
them. The Colchians who pursued them demanded of
Alcinous that he should give
Medea up; for she was also
accused of having murdered her brother Apsyrtus.
The king answered their demand declaring that if
she were still a maid, he would send her back to
her father, King Aeetes
of Colchis, but that if she already had slept with
Jason, he would give her
to him. It was then that Queen Arete, anticipating
matters, married Medea to
Jason.
Years later, the shipwrecked
Odysseus, on his
homeward way from Troy,
landed on a Phaeacian beach, where he was
discovered by Alcinous' daughter
Nausicaa, who had gone
there to wash clothes. At this time, the city was
surrounded by high battlements, and had two
harbours, the Phaeacians being excellent
navigators. The king's palace was a splendid
building with doors of gold and walls of bronze
topped with enamel tiles. The entrance was
protected by gold and silver dogs that served as
sentries, and outside the courtyard there was a
large orchard where there grew pear, pomegranate,
apple, fig, and olive trees that gave fruit of the
best quality at all seasons of the year. The same
was in their vineyard; for while some grapes dried
in the sun, others were gathered or being trodden,
and still others were unripe. The Phaeacian chiefs
enjoyed their great food and
wine in a large hall, where
youths of gold held flaming torches to light them
by night.
This blessed realm, where the gods used to show
themselves without disguise when attending the
Phaeacian banquets, was the last foreign land
Odysseus visited before
returning to Ithaca. It was here that he found
assistance, and King Alcinous, after bestowing
gifts on him, sent him home in a Phaeacian ship,
constructed with superior knowledge; for the vessel
had neither steersmen nor steering-oars, and knew
by itself what the crew was thinking and proposed
to do.
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