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'Scheria' (ancient Greek or ), also 'Scherie' or 'Phaiacia', was an island in Greek mythology, first mentioned in Homer's ''Odyssey'' as the home of the Phaiakians and the last destination of Odysseus before returning home to Ithaca.
In the ''Odyssey'', after Odysseus sails from Ogygia, his raft is wrecked by a storm and he is washed up on Scheria. Meanwhile, the goddess Athena instructs princess Nausikaa, the daughter of King Alkinoös in her sleep to go to the seashore to wash her clothes. The next morning Nausikaa and her maids go to the seashore, and after washing the clothes, they start to play a ball game[1] on the beach with laughs, giggles and shouts. Odysseus, who was exhausted from his adventure and was sleeping nearby, is awaken by the shouts, he covers his nakedness with thick leaves and goes to ask for help from the playing team. On seeing the unkempt Odysseus in this state, the maids run away, but Nausikaa, encouraged by Athena, stays to meet him and talk to him. To excuse the maids she admits that the Phaiakians are ''"the farthermost of men, and no other mortals are conversant with them"''[2], so they run away since they have never seen a stranger before. Nausikaa being hospitable provides clothes, food and drink to Odysseus, then she directs him to the palace of King Alkinoös, since she doesn't want to be seen with a stranger.
On his way to the palace, Odysseus meets Athena disguised as a local little girl. Athena advises him on how to enter the palace, which is guarded by mechanical dogs made of silver and gold, constructed by Hephestus. The palace is surrounded by bronze walls that ''"shine like the sun"'', secured with gates made of gold. Within the walls there is a magnificent garden[3] with trees that grow all kinds of fruit, pears, pomegranates, and apples, all the year round. The palace is even equipped with a lighting system consisting of golden statues of young men with lighted torches in their hands to give light during the night. Odysseus, covered with a cloaking cloud provided by Athena, passes through all the protection systems of the palace and enters the chamber of King Alkinoös. Naturally, Alkinoös and his court were surprised to see a stranger walking in to their secured palace.
After Odysseus tells Alkinoös and his court the story of his adventures after the Trojan War, the Phaiakians bring him to Ithaca on one of their sophisticated ships.
The Phaiakians possessed remarkable ships. They were quite different from the Ancient galleys, the ships used during the Trojan War and they were steered by thought. King Alkinoös says that Phaiakians carried Rhadamanthus to Euboea, ''"which is the furthest of any place"'' and came back on the same day[4]. He also explains to Odysseus what sort of information the Phaiakian ships require in order to take him home to Ithaca.
Homer describes the Phaiakian ships as fast as a falcon and gives a vivid description of the ship's departure.
Main articles: Geography of the Odyssey
Many ancient and modern interpreters favour identification of Scheria with the island of Corfu, which is within 80 miles of Ithaca. Locals on Corfu had long claimed this, based on the rock outside Corfu harbour, which is supposedly the ship that carried Odysseus back to Ithaca, but was turned to stone by Poseidon, to punish the Phaiakians for helping his enemy:
The Phaiakians did not participate in the Trojan War. The Greek word ''Phaiakians'' (Φαίακες) is derived from ''phaios'' (φαιός)[5] meaning ''grey'', hence Phaiakians means "dark-skinned". The Phaiakians in the ''Odyssey'' did not know who Odysseus was, so they called him a "stranger". Odysseus however was the king of the majority of the Ionian Islands,[6], not only of Ithaca, but also ''"of Cephallenia, Neritum, Crocylea, Aegilips, Same and Zacynthus"''[7] so if Schería was Corfu, it would be surprising that the citizens of one of the Ionian Islands did not know Odysseus. Furthermore, when Odysseus introduced himself to Nausikaa he added: ''"if I outlive this time of sorrow, may become my there guests though I live so far away from all of you"''[8] indicating that Schería was far away from Ithaca. From the ancient times, some scholars having examined the work and the geography of Homer have suggested that Scheria was located in the Atlantic Ocean. Among them were Strabo and Plutarch.
Approximately eight centuries after Homer, Strabo, the geographer criticized Polybius on the Geography of the Odyssey. Strabo proposed that Schería and Ogygia were located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
1. This is one of the earliest mentions of some sort of ball game in world literature
2. Odyssey, VI.204
3. This is one of the earliest description of a garden in world literature
4. Odyssey, Book VII, 320
5. Entry: '' at Liddell & Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon''.
6. Map of Ionian Islands
7. Iliad, Book II
8. Odyssey, Book IX, 17
★ Odyssey by Homer
★ Homer's Odyssey resources on the Web
★ Strabo: The Geography
| Contents |
| Odysseus meets Nausikaa |
| The palace of King Alkinoös |
| The Phaiakian ships |
| Geographical location of Scheria |
| Geographical account by Strabo |
| Notes |
| External links |
Odysseus meets Nausikaa
Odysseus before Nausikaa. A 1619 painting by Pieter Lastman
In the ''Odyssey'', after Odysseus sails from Ogygia, his raft is wrecked by a storm and he is washed up on Scheria. Meanwhile, the goddess Athena instructs princess Nausikaa, the daughter of King Alkinoös in her sleep to go to the seashore to wash her clothes. The next morning Nausikaa and her maids go to the seashore, and after washing the clothes, they start to play a ball game[1] on the beach with laughs, giggles and shouts. Odysseus, who was exhausted from his adventure and was sleeping nearby, is awaken by the shouts, he covers his nakedness with thick leaves and goes to ask for help from the playing team. On seeing the unkempt Odysseus in this state, the maids run away, but Nausikaa, encouraged by Athena, stays to meet him and talk to him. To excuse the maids she admits that the Phaiakians are ''"the farthermost of men, and no other mortals are conversant with them"''[2], so they run away since they have never seen a stranger before. Nausikaa being hospitable provides clothes, food and drink to Odysseus, then she directs him to the palace of King Alkinoös, since she doesn't want to be seen with a stranger.
The palace of King Alkinoös
Odysseus at the palace of Alkinoös. Painting by Francesco Hayez
On his way to the palace, Odysseus meets Athena disguised as a local little girl. Athena advises him on how to enter the palace, which is guarded by mechanical dogs made of silver and gold, constructed by Hephestus. The palace is surrounded by bronze walls that ''"shine like the sun"'', secured with gates made of gold. Within the walls there is a magnificent garden[3] with trees that grow all kinds of fruit, pears, pomegranates, and apples, all the year round. The palace is even equipped with a lighting system consisting of golden statues of young men with lighted torches in their hands to give light during the night. Odysseus, covered with a cloaking cloud provided by Athena, passes through all the protection systems of the palace and enters the chamber of King Alkinoös. Naturally, Alkinoös and his court were surprised to see a stranger walking in to their secured palace.
After Odysseus tells Alkinoös and his court the story of his adventures after the Trojan War, the Phaiakians bring him to Ithaca on one of their sophisticated ships.
The Phaiakian ships
The Phaiakians possessed remarkable ships. They were quite different from the Ancient galleys, the ships used during the Trojan War and they were steered by thought. King Alkinoös says that Phaiakians carried Rhadamanthus to Euboea, ''"which is the furthest of any place"'' and came back on the same day[4]. He also explains to Odysseus what sort of information the Phaiakian ships require in order to take him home to Ithaca.
Homer describes the Phaiakian ships as fast as a falcon and gives a vivid description of the ship's departure.
Geographical location of Scheria
Main articles: Geography of the Odyssey
Many ancient and modern interpreters favour identification of Scheria with the island of Corfu, which is within 80 miles of Ithaca. Locals on Corfu had long claimed this, based on the rock outside Corfu harbour, which is supposedly the ship that carried Odysseus back to Ithaca, but was turned to stone by Poseidon, to punish the Phaiakians for helping his enemy:
The Phaiakians did not participate in the Trojan War. The Greek word ''Phaiakians'' (Φαίακες) is derived from ''phaios'' (φαιός)[5] meaning ''grey'', hence Phaiakians means "dark-skinned". The Phaiakians in the ''Odyssey'' did not know who Odysseus was, so they called him a "stranger". Odysseus however was the king of the majority of the Ionian Islands,[6], not only of Ithaca, but also ''"of Cephallenia, Neritum, Crocylea, Aegilips, Same and Zacynthus"''[7] so if Schería was Corfu, it would be surprising that the citizens of one of the Ionian Islands did not know Odysseus. Furthermore, when Odysseus introduced himself to Nausikaa he added: ''"if I outlive this time of sorrow, may become my there guests though I live so far away from all of you"''[8] indicating that Schería was far away from Ithaca. From the ancient times, some scholars having examined the work and the geography of Homer have suggested that Scheria was located in the Atlantic Ocean. Among them were Strabo and Plutarch.
Geographical account by Strabo
Approximately eight centuries after Homer, Strabo, the geographer criticized Polybius on the Geography of the Odyssey. Strabo proposed that Schería and Ogygia were located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Notes
1. This is one of the earliest mentions of some sort of ball game in world literature
2. Odyssey, VI.204
3. This is one of the earliest description of a garden in world literature
4. Odyssey, Book VII, 320
5. Entry: '' at Liddell & Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon''.
6. Map of Ionian Islands
7. Iliad, Book II
8. Odyssey, Book IX, 17
External links
★ Odyssey by Homer
★ Homer's Odyssey resources on the Web
★ Strabo: The Geography
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