Alcinous
Wise king of the Phaeacians who hosted Odysseus and arranged his passage home
The Legend of Alcinous
Alcinous ruled the Phaeacians on the island of Scheria, a prosperous and seafaring people beloved by the gods. His palace was surrounded by magnificent gardens that bore fruit year-round, tended by divine favour. When Odysseus washed ashore after his raft was destroyed by Poseidon, Alcinous' daughter Nausicaa directed him to the palace. The king welcomed the stranger with generous hospitality, hosting feasts, athletic games, and performances by the bard Demodocus. When Odysseus wept at the songs of Troy and finally revealed his identity, Alcinous provided a magical ship that carried him home to Ithaca in a single night while he slept.
Parents
Nausithous
Symbols
Fun Fact
His gardens bore fruit in every season, making them a kind of earthly paradise unmatched in Greek myth
Explore Further
Nausithous
🗡 heroNone recorded
Founder and first king of the Phaeacians on the island of Scheria
Agapenor
🗡 heroNone recorded
Arcadian king who led sixty ships to Troy and later founded Paphos in Cyprus
Idomeneus
🗡 heroKing of Crete at Troy
Idomeneus was the king of Crete who led eighty ships to Troy and was among the fiercest fighters — his story continued in a vow that cost him his son.
Theseus
🗡 heroSlayer of the Minotaur, king of Athens
The hero who navigated the Labyrinth, slew the Minotaur, and became the legendary king of Athens. Theseus was considered Athens's national hero.
Cocalus
🗡 heroNone recorded
A king of Sicily who sheltered the craftsman Daedalus after his escape from Crete and whose daughters killed King Minos with boiling water
Antiphates
🗡 heroCannibalism, kingship
King of the Laestrygonians, a race of man-eating giants encountered by Odysseus on his voyage home
Phineus
🗡 heroNone recorded
Blind Thracian king tormented by Harpies until rescued by the Argonauts
Busiris
🗡 heroNone recorded
Egyptian king who sacrificed strangers to Zeus until Heracles broke free and killed him
Scyrius
🗡 heroEponymous Heroes, Island Foundation
Legendary king who gave his name to the island of Scyros, where Achilles was hidden and where he later died.
Icarius
🗡 heroNone recorded
A legendary king of Sparta and father of Penelope who tried to prevent his daughter from leaving with Odysseus after her marriage
Jason
🗡 heroLeader of the Argonauts
The hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece, aided by Medea's sorcery.
Nisus
🗡 heroNone recorded
A king of Megara whose city was invulnerable as long as a magical purple lock of hair remained on his head, betrayed when his daughter Scylla cut it for love of Minos