Odyssey Auxiliary: The Ultimate Guide to Homer's The Odyssey

Summary
The beginning of book VI opens on the island on Scheria when Athena appears in the princess Nausicaa’s dream, disguised as her friend. Athena tells the young Phaeacian princess that she will appear more fetching to the numerous men courting her if she goes to the river and washes her clothes. The following morning, Nausicaa asks her parents to go to the river. The king can not say no to his daughter, so Nausicaa heads to the river. Nausicaa and her handmaids wash the clothing naked and let them dry on the ground. While the playful girls let the clothes dry they play ball. Then, the king’s daughter threw the ball in the whirling stream, and all the girls screamed. The naked Odysseus heard the screams, woke up in the forest, and encountered them. Most of the maidens flee, but Nausicaa (who is made more beautiful and brave by Athena) stands firm. During Odysseus’s encounter with Nausicaa he is very cunning and deliberative. Odysseus is introduced in a very unheroic way be humbly asking for their assistance, naked! Odysseus is sure to never reveal his identity, as he has already learned (Cyclops story). Nausicaa shows Odysseus great hospitality by allowing him to bathe and anointing him with oil. Athena makes Odysseus look especially handsome (taller, younger, and more masculine). He is so handsome that when he meets with Nausicaa again, she begins to fall in love with him (what an age difference)! Nausicaa is afraid she may cause a scene if she walks into the city with a strange man. Therefore, the cautious girl gives Odysseus detailed instructions, (directions to the palace and advice on how to approach Arete, queen of Phaeacians) and heads back to her family’s palace. Just after Nausicaa left, Odysseus sent a prayer to Athena to find love and mercy among the Phaeacians.

Characters & Their Lessons
Character: Odysseus
Description: Odysseus is the protagonist of the Odyssey. Although he was a strong and courageous warrior he is mostly know for his cunning. He is always thinking clever ways around situations. His cunning helps him to be a convincing speaker who can entertain and manipulate his audience. When the hero first meets with Nausicaa he easily wins her trust after thinking over the situation. “In his swift reckoning, he thought it best to trust in words to please her- and keep away; he might anger the girl, touching her knees. So he began, and let the soft words fall:” (Lines 154-160) His suave approach proves his skill in interacting with people
Lesson: Odysseus learns from this positive experience that his mentality of thinking over situations definitely paid off. Also, Odysseus’s experience with the Cyclops and revealing his identity leads him to avoid saying who he is. Odysseus is never very attracted to Nausicaa. He acknowledges her charms and beauty but has a strong intention on returning to Penelope, his wife.

Character: Athena
Description: Athena is the goddess of wisdom and battle. She naturally has an attraction to the brave and cunning Odysseus. Athena helps Odysseus to meet up with Nausicaa in the first place by appearing in her dream. Athena is the master of disguise and appears as Nausicaa’s friend in her dream. She also gives Odysseus disguise by helping him with a makeover to appear more masculine to the princess! Since Odysseus knows he has Athena by his side he often prays to her for help (lines 343-347, book 6).

Character: Nausicaa
Description: Nausicaa is the beautiful Phaeacian princess who discovers Odysseus on the beach. She is very attracted to Odysseus especially after he gets bathed. Throughout the book there is mention to how Nausicaa is marriageable and is attracted to Odysseus. She is very hospitable towards Odysseus. She gives him directions and assures him that he is welcomed. She is respectful of Odysseus and lets him bathe by himself. Also, Nausicaa is analytical, thinking over the situation and avoids entering the city with a stranger.

Motifs
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Disguise
Disguise is often a conflict between appearance and the reality. The Gods in Greek literature often take on alternate forms in order to communicate with humans. Athena appears as Nausicaa’s friend in her dream in order to communicate with her. Also, Odysseus disguises himself by not revealing his identity, because of the lesson he learned at the land of the Cyclops. Athena, master of disguise, changes the main character from a disgusting, old man into a younger, more masculine and taller man!

Hospitality
Hospitality is a very big issue throughout the epic. Nausicaa is very hospitable towards Odysseus giving him a bath, clothes and directions. At the end of book VI Odysseus says a prayer to Athena for hospitality from the Phaeacians. The Phaeacians are known to take people in and lead them back to their homelands.

Cunning/Greetings/Choices
Odysseus relies more on his mind than his muscle. We find him constantly weighing every decision: whether to embrace Nausicaa’s knees (the customary gesture of supplication) or address her from far away. He decides on addressing her from afar (partly because he is naked) and wins her trust. This shows Odysseus using his clever brain while deciding on how to greet Nausicaa.

Seductresses
Women are very important throughout the Odyssey. Several women are attracted to Odysseus, the protagonist, which becomes a problem for him while he is trying to get home. Although Nausicaa’s attraction for Odysseus is not as strong as Circe’s or Calypso’s, it is still mentioned. Odysseus still has a wife at home and these women create man vs. man conflict throughout his journey.

Sleeping
Odysseus wakes up from a deep sleep who he hears the girls scream.

Symbolism
Oil
Oil symbolizes Athena’s olive tree, rebirth, and is a moisturizer.

Water
Water symbolizes life refreshment, purification of soul, change or passage of time, and it could be destructive.

White (clothes)
White symbolizes innocence, purification, the heavens, love, and friendship.

Ball
A ball symbolizes a celestial body, perfection, chance, voting, and fate

Island
An island symbolizes refuge, loneliness, and isolation.

Journey
A journey symbolizes the call of fate, treasure, a forest, an island, and fear.

Forest
A forest symbolizes a mysterious place, danger, and testing

Leaf
A leaf symbolizes growth, nakedness, and a new beginning.

Nudity
Nudity symbolizes innocence, truth, sin, humiliation, and poverty.

Prayer
Prayer symbolizes humility and request.

Princess
A princess symbolizes royalty and marriage.

River
A river symbolizes a passage, flow, or door.

Connections
Bathing
In Roman Mythology, the Romans would often bathe in Roman baths. While bathing them would have the dirt and oil scraped off their bodies and, they would massage themselves with perfumed oils just before the bath ended. Odysseus wiped the dirt and brine off his body and then was anointed with oils. Both mythologies have a very similar way of bathing.

Wahsing Up On Shore
In the Bible story of Moses, Moses' mother could no longer keep him safe so she set in a basket and let him float down the Nile River. Then the daughter of Pharaoh (who was bathing by the Nile River) spotted the basket and sent her maidens to fetch it. They took the baby Moses and kept his safe. This is similar to Odysseus washing up on shore naked and the maids and the princess finding him and keeping him safe.

Age Difference
Many couples currently have large age differences such as Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher who have a fifteen year gap. This is similar to Nausicaa who was attracted to Odysseus even though there is such a huge age difference between them.

Greetings
Many George Bush supporters were upset when they got a generic Christmas card from him that simply said “Happy Holidays.” Many Christians were upset that Bush did not recognize Christmas. In Book VI, Odysseus made sure that his greeting to Nausicaa would not scare her away, unlike Bush who scared away many of his strong believing Christian supporters.

Links & References
For a few Book VI questions, click here.
Need some help with symbolism? Click here.

This Section By: Emily D., Catrina H.