Nausithous

Nausithous, the son of Poseidon and Periboea, was the founding king of the Phaeacians, a seafaring people who under his leadership migrated from their original home in Hypereia to the island of Scheria. Though he dies before the main action of the Odyssey, his foundational acts—building the city wall, constructing temples, dividing the land, and establishing the royal line—create the prosperous, hospitable society that ultimately provides Odysseus with safe passage home. His descendants, especially his son Alcinous and granddaughter Nausicaa, carry forward his legacy of civilization and generosity, making Nausithous a crucial offstage figure whose work enables the poem's resolution.

Origins and Migration

Nausithous was born to Poseidon and Periboea, the youngest daughter of the giant-king Eurymedon. Eurymedon had once ruled over the giants but brought ruin upon his people and lost his own life. After Poseidon lay with Periboea, she bore Nausithous, who became the first king of the Phaeacians. The Phaeacians originally lived in the town of Hypereia, near the lawless Cyclopes, who were stronger than they and plundered them. To escape this oppression, Nausithous led his people in a migration to Scheria, an island far from all other peoples, where he founded a new settlement.

Founding of Scheria

Upon arriving in Scheria, Nausithous undertook the comprehensive construction of a civilized city. He surrounded it with a wall, built houses and temples for the gods, and divided the agricultural lands among his people. These acts established the physical and social infrastructure of Phaeacian society. The city he founded later becomes renowned for its magnificent harbor, its ships that sail as fast as thought, and its palace of breathtaking splendor—all built upon the foundations Nausithous laid. The Phaeacians under his rule became a people dear to the gods, living apart from other nations in peace and prosperity.

Legacy and Succession

Nausithous had two sons, Rhexenor and Alcinous. Apollo killed Rhexenor while he was still a bridegroom and without male issue, but Rhexenor left a daughter, Arete, whom Alcinous married. Alcinous thus succeeded his father as king, and under his rule the Phaeacians reached the height of their wealth and nautical skill. Nausithous's grandson Laodamas and granddaughters Nausicaa continue the royal line. The old prophecy that Nausithous had reportedly made—that Poseidon would one day punish the Phaeacians for escorting strangers too freely—hangs over the family, and it is fulfilled after Odysseus's departure when Poseidon turns a returning Phaeacian ship to stone and threatens to bury their city under a mountain. Nausithous's founding vision of a hospitable, seafaring civilization thus contains the seeds of both its greatest glory and its eventual limitation by divine will.

Narrative Significance

Though Nausithous never appears as a living character in the Odyssey, his foundational acts are recounted by Athena to Odysseus as she instructs him on how to approach Queen Arete and King Alcinous. The story of the Phaeacians' migration under Nausithous explains their isolation and their unique relationship with the gods—they are "near of kin to the gods" and the gods appear openly among them at their feasts. This divine favor, earned through Nausithous's piety and wise rule, makes the Phaeacians the ideal agents to return Odysseus to Ithaca. Nausithous's legacy thus bridges the poem's two worlds: the fantastic realm of Odysseus's wanderings and the mortal world of Ithaca to which he must return.