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Odysseus meets Nausicaa. 7426: Michele Desubleo 1602-1676: Ulisse e Nausica. Capodimonte Palace and National Gallery, Naples.
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"Father dear, will you not
make ready for me a wagon, with strong wheels, that
I may take to the river for washing the fine
clothes that I have lying dirty here?" (Nausicaa to Alcinous. Homer, Odyssey 6.57).
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Nausicaa is the Phaeacian princess who met the
shipwrecked Odysseus when she was washing clothes on the shore. This
young princess was looked after by Eurymedusa, a
woman from Aperaea.
Poseidon's wrath
Of all gods only Poseidon was angry
against Odysseus when
he returned from Troy, and
the reason was that, at the beginning of his
homeward way, Odysseus blinded the wild Cyclops Polyphemus 2, who
was son of the god. So, on account of Poseidon's wrath
against him, Odysseus went through countless troubles, and having lost
all his comrades (for there was nothing left of his
army when he later came back to Ithaca), he landed
in the island of Ogygia, where he become the lover
and prisoner of the goddess Calypso 3.
The Golden Cage
Some may think that such a prison is not such a
great trouble, and would not refuse the love of a
goddess. However, Odysseus not only
refused the love and company of Calypso 3: he also
renounced immortality, which could have been the
goddess' gift, had he been nice and stayed with
her. But instead he passed his days in longing, not
being able to forget Penelope and Ithaca. Now Athena, who
cherishes civilized, intelligent and self-possessed
mortals such as Odysseus, never
deserted this favorite of hers, and when Poseidon was distracted
visiting the Ethiopians, she managed to get Odysseus out of his
golden prison, and he could leave Ogygia in a boat,
which Calypso 3 filled
with wine, water, corn and
meats, after seven years.
Poseidon wrecks him
once more
But when Odysseus was sailing near the island of the Phaeacians, which is
Corcyra off the coast of Epirus, Poseidon wrecked his
boat, and Odysseus found himself in the midst of mountainous waves
with nothing in store for him except sudden death.
And some would say that had it not been for Cadmus' daughter Ino, who
at her death was turned into the sea-goddess
Leucothea, he had perished at sea; yet Ino
appeared, and what otherwise could have been if
things had been different falls into the realm of
endless speculation. The goddess said:
"Swim for your
life to the Phaeacian coast ... Take this veil and
wind it round your waist. With its divine
protection you need not be afraid of injury or
death." (Leucothea to Odysseus. Homer, Odyssey 5.345).
In the land of the Phaeacians
That is why, in spite of the tremendous waves,
which threatened to crush him against the rugged
shore, he finally was able to land at a river's
mouth on the Phaeacian beach. And as soon as he got
his breath back, Odysseus unwound
Leucothea's veil from his waist and let it go down
the river's current into the sea, as the goddess
had told him to do. Finding himself completely exhausted, with his
flesh swollen and brine gushing from mouth and
nostrils, Odysseus used
his remaining strength to evaluate his plight and
make a plan. For a man in such a condition may die
of sheer exhaustion, or may be finished during the
night, if he stays awake in the river-bed, by
frost, dew, or the chilly wind that blows up from a
river in the early morning. But on the other hand, Odysseus reasoned,
sleeping off his fatigue in the dense undergrowth
of the woods near by, could turn him into a meal
for beasts of prey. This was, however, the course
he chose, creeping under a pair of olive bushes
which grew, not so far from the river, from the
same stem and whose closely intertwined branches
offered an excellent shelter. There he covered his
naked body with dead leaves and fell asleep.
The Phaeacian princess
In that place he was found by Nausicaa the day
after, which was devised by Athena; for this goddess
who never deserts her favorites, came into the
dreams of the beautiful Phaeacian princess
disguised as one of her friends and told her that
she might soon be married and for that reason she
should wash her clothes first thing in the morning.
This is how heaven arranges what mortals call
coincidences, and when Nausicaa woke up she asked
her father King Alcinous for a wagon with a couple
of mules to be filled with waistbands, robes and
wraps, not mentioning her marriage, for she was too
shy for that, but saying instead that she would
take care of all the beautiful clothes and linen
that her father wore when discussing state affairs
with important people.
The beach
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Nausicaa playing ball with her maids | od123flax: "Then when they had had their joy of food, she and her handmaids, they threw off their head-gear and fell to playing at ball, and white-armed Nausicaa was leader in the song." (Hom.Od.6.100). John Flaxman (1755 – 1826).
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This kind of pretence does not delude those who
are observant, and if they also are experienced
they do not take that as a pretext to begrudge the
young their wishes. And that is why Nausicaa could
soon climb into the cart, carrying a flask of
olive-oil so that she and her maids could, once the
washing was done, anoint themselves after bathing;
for work and enjoyment are not enemies to be kept
apart, but instead, when they are combined, a
gentler and richer life comes about. It was by the pools of the river near the place
where Odysseus had
landed that the girls had planned to clean their
clothes. And after rinsing them all and having
spread them out in a row along the sea-shore, they
bathed and rubbed themselves with olive-oil, and
took a meal by the riverside while the sunshine
dried the clothes. And after enjoying their food
they began playing with a ball.
Odysseus wakes up
It was while playing that Nausicaa passed the
ball to one of her maids, who missed it, dropping
it into the current. When this happened they all
gave a loud shriek, which awoke Odysseus, who had been
sleeping under the olive-tree. And he, coming
suddenly to his senses, wondered whether he was
among lawless savages, or in some place haunted by NYMPHS, who are also to
be feared, for all know what happened to Hylas. So, wishing to see with his own eyes, Odysseus, still
begrimed with salt, crept out from under the
bushes, carrying just a leafy bough to conceal his
naked manhood. This was the gruesome sight that
appeared in front of these gentle girls, and when
they saw what must have looked like a savage ready
to act with his usual brutality, they all escaped
in every direction, except for Nausicaa, who stood
firm in front of the naked stranger. For looks may
or may not be in accordance with the person, and by
checking herself and confronting him, she gave the
stranger a chance to explain himself and thereby
reveal whether his shabby appearance came from his
nature or from other circumstances. For even kings
have a naked body under their clothing, but neither
clothing nor body tell everything that can be said
about a man. Now Odysseus,
rightly judging his own predicament, decided not to
embrace her knees as a suppliant, lest she might
take offence, but instead he deemed it better to
keep his distance and plead his case with polite
words. And knowing that words reach farther than
any physical contact, Odysseus praised her
beauty, grace and stature, saying that Nausicaa
looked as a goddess, but that if she was a mortal
then her parents and her brothers were most lucky,
and luckiest of all was the man who would marry
her. And declaring that
"... never
have my eyes looked upon a mortal such as you. I
worship as I look." (Odysseus to Nausicaa.
Homer, Odyssey 6.160).
he added that because of this same extraordinary
sight, he did not dare, despite the seriousness of
his troubles, to clasp her knees.
Ordeals sent by Zeus
It was then that Nausicaa learned the details of Odysseus' plight, and
having observed his manners, she understood that
the man was no fool. And he who thinks by himself
and understands beyond appearances does better, for
as Nausicaa herself said, this kind of ordeal is
often sent by Zeus,
"... who
follows his own will in dispensing happiness to
people whatever their merits." (Nausicaa to Odysseus. Homer, Odyssey 6.189).
Now, it is up to him who suffers to know how to
endure; but it is up to those who have the power to
soothe the pain to provide relief. That is why
Nausicaa did not care about who or what was behind Odysseus' afflictions,
but instead declared that he, having come to such a
country and city as hers, would not want for
clothing or whatever else an outcast naturally may
expect from whomever he meets.
Invulnerable land
For it is a greater shame for a state to have
outcasts roaming among the citizens than for the
outcasts themselves to be deprived of what all
mortals need. But such a land which is proud of
taking care of its citizens, protecting also the
weak and the outcasts, lives in safety and
strength, enjoying the reverence and respect of all
nations. And that is why Nausicaa, after having
this talk with Odysseus, called back
her frightened maids, saying:
"Where are you
flying to at the sight of a man? Don't tell me you
take him for an enemy, for there is no man on
earth, nor ever will be, who would dare to set
hostile feet on Phaeacian soil." (Nausicaa to her maids. Homer, Odyssey 6.199).
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Odysseus follows Nausicaa's wagon. oooo: Drawing by John Flaxman, 1755-1826.
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Fortune and misfortune
As it happens, unfortunate wanderers often put
to the test the halls of safety, bringing to light
by their mere presence the values that have been
cultivated in these, and revealing whether those
who are prosperous have learned that the outcasts'
misfortune commands their care. For he who is born
with a silver spoon in his mouth should be the
first to know its value, and say like Nausicaa:
"... all
strangers and beggars come under the protection of Zeus, and the help that is a trifle to
us can be precious to others." (Nausicaa to her maids. Homer, Odyssey 6.206).
Having said this she ordered her maids to
provide the guest with food and drink, and bathe
him in the river.
Nausicaa's confession
Odysseus, being
ashamed to stand naked in the girls' presence,
cleaned himself alone, but when he returned, rubbed
with oil and dressed, he was no longer the sorry
figure Nausicaa and her maids had met. And the
princess, having found him most handsome, commented
to her attendants:
"This is the
kind of man whom I could fancy for a husband, if he
would settle here. I only hope that he will choose
to stay." (Nausicaa to her maids. Homer, Odyssey 6.244).
Gossip
This is how Nausicaa received the stranger.When Odysseus had eaten and drunk, she directed him to his father's palace which was in a city surrounded by high battlements and two harbors, asking him to go by himself the last part of the way in order to avoid the vulgar talk of the sailors, who would no doubt start gossiping, saying things like these:
"Who is this
tall and handsome stranger Nausicaa has in tow?" (Homer, Odyssey 6.275ff.).
and
"Where did she
run across him? Her future husband no
doubt."
and
"She must have
rescued some shipwrecked foreigner."
and
"She obviously
despises her countrymen here, though so many of the
best would like to marry her."
Sent to the palace alone
Some could argue that these men talking in such
an unpleasant way are quite right; for it is not
likely that someone like Nausicaa would marry the
owner of such a malicious tongue. So, wishing to
avoid the prattle, the girls and Odysseus traveled
together through the farmers' lands, but parted
before they entered the city, and when Odysseus thought that
Nausicaa had reached her father's house he,
following her instructions, went by himself to
Alcinous' palace.
Remember Nausicaa
This is the meeting that the goddess Athena arranged between
Nausicaa and Odysseus,
so that he would be introduced in the Phaeacian
court and there receive assistance to return to
Ithaca. The Phaeacians did treat
their guest in the best way, and sent him home in a
miraculous ship with many gifts. And when Nausicaa
saw the King of Ithaca, preparing himself to sail
away with the gifts of the twelve Phaeacian princes
and that of King Alcinous himself on board she
greeted him:
"Good luck, my
friend ... and I hope that when you are in your own
country you will remember me at times, since it is
to me before all others that you owe your
life." (Nausicaa to Odysseus. Homer, Odyssey 8.461).
And Odysseus replied:
"I will never
fail to worship you all the rest of my days. For it
was you, lady, who gave me back my life." (Odysseus to
Nausicaa. Homer, Odyssey 8.466).
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