Periboea
nymphA Naiad or sea nymph who bore the giant Nausithous to Poseidon, becoming the ancestress of the Phaeacians.
The Myth
Periboea was the youngest and most beautiful daughter of the giant king Eurymedon, who ruled the Giants before their destruction. Poseidon came to her and fathered Nausithous, who grew up to become king of the Phaeacians — that magical seafaring people who lived on the island of Scheria and who eventually rescued Odysseus and sent him home.
The Phaeacians were extraordinary. Their ships needed no helmsmen, navigating by thought alone. Their orchards bore fruit year-round. They lived in a state of permanent abundance. Homer portrays them as existing on the boundary between the mortal and divine worlds, and Periboea's parentage explains this: through her, the Phaeacians inherited both Poseidon's mastery of the sea and the Giants' ancient power.
The name Periboea appears elsewhere in Greek myth — there are at least four women with this name — but the Phaeacian Periboea is the most consequential. Without her, there are no Phaeacians. Without the Phaeacians, Odysseus dies on Calypso's island or drowns in Poseidon's storms. She is a hinge point in the Odyssey, even though she never appears in it directly.
Parents
Eurymedon (king of the Giants)
Children
Nausithous (by Poseidon)
Symbols
Fun Fact
Without Periboea there are no Phaeacians, and without the Phaeacians Odysseus never gets home — making this nymph a silent prerequisite for the Odyssey's happy ending.
Explore Further
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