Page 114 - the-odyssey

Periboea was the youngest daughter of Eurymedon, who at
one time reigned over the giants, but he ruined his ill-fated
people and lost his own life to boot.
‘Neptune, however, lay with his daughter, and she had
a son by him, the great Nausithous, who reigned over the
Phaeacians. Nausithous had two sons Rhexenor and Alci-
nous; {58} Apollo killed the first of them while he was still
a bridegroom and without male issue; but he left a daughter
Arete, whom Alcinous married, and honours as no other
woman is honoured of all those that keep house along with
their husbands.
‘Thus she both was, and still is, respected beyond mea-
sure by her children, by Alcinous himself, and by the whole
people, who look upon her as a goddess, and greet her
whenever she goes about the city, for she is a thoroughly
good woman both in head and heart, and when any women
are friends of hers, she will help their husbands also to settle
their disputes. If you can gain her good will, you may have
every hope of seeing your friends again, and getting safely
back to your home and country.’
Then Minerva left Scheria and went away over the sea.
She went to Marathon {59} and to the spacious streets of
Athens, where she entered the abode of Erechtheus; but
Ulysses went on to the house of Alcinous, and he pondered
much as he paused a while before reaching the threshold
of bronze, for the splendour of the palace was like that of
the sun or moon. The walls on either side were of bronze
from end to end, and the cornice was of blue enamel. The
doors were gold, and hung on pillars of silver that rose from

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