Scheria
placeScheria was the island of the Phaeacians, a seafaring people beloved by the gods, where the shipwrecked Odysseus was welcomed by King Alcinous and Princess Nausicaa.
The Myth
After leaving Ogygia on his raft, Odysseus was wrecked by Poseidon's storm and washed ashore on Scheria, naked and exhausted. Princess Nausicaa, guided by Athena in a dream, found him by the river where she was washing clothes. She brought him to the palace of her father Alcinous, who received him with extraordinary hospitality. At a great feast, Odysseus revealed his identity and told the story of his wanderings — the core narrative of the Odyssey. The Phaeacians, whose ships sailed by thought alone without need of helmsmen, carried Odysseus home to Ithaca in a single night. Poseidon, furious, turned their returning ship to stone.
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Fun Fact
The gardens of Alcinous, where fruit grew year-round in all seasons, influenced the concept of paradise gardens throughout Western literature.