Source-groundedThe Odyssey
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Item · Collective

Phaeacian ships

Published entity metadata

Read-only identity and editorial metadata.

Canonical name
Phaeacian ships
Disambiguator
None
Kind
Item
Scope
Collective
Editorial note
No editorial note published.

Aliases

1

ships that glide along like thought

Descriptive reference · Disguised

Location presence

Phase 6 currently covers 24 processed books.

1
roadside ship berths of the Phaeacians1 observation
·Hypothetical

Nausicaa said the Phaeacian ships would be drawn up at the roadside berths.

See evidence text
“‘Stranger,’ said she, ‘rise and let us be going back to the town; I will introduce you at the house of my excellent father, where I can tell you that you will meet all the best people among the Phaeacians. But be sure and do as I bid you, for you seem to be a sensible person. As long as we are going past the fields and farm lands, follow briskly behind the waggon along with the maids and I will lead the way myself. Presently, however, we shall come to the town, where you will find a high wall running all round it, and a good harbour on either side with a narrow entrance into the city, and the ships will be drawn up by the road side, for every one has a place where his own ship can lie. You will see the market place with a temple of Neptune in the middle of it, and paved with large stones bedded in the earth. Here people deal in ship’s gear of all kinds, such as cables and sails, and here, too, are the places where oars are made, for the Phaeacians are not a nation of archers; they know nothing about bows and arrows, but are a sea-faring folk, and pride themselves on their masts, oars, and ships, with which they travel far over the sea.”

Claims

5
·Reported

Phaeacian ships are drawn up beside the road in their own berths.

See evidence text
“the ships will be drawn up by the road side, for every one has a place where his own ship can lie”
·Simile

Phaeacian ships glide like thought or a bird in the air.

See evidence text
“ships that glide along like thought, or as a bird in the air”
·Direct

Ulysses admires the Phaeacian ships as he passes through the city.

See evidence text
“He admired their harbours, ships, places of assembly”
·Reported

Alcinous claims his Phaeacian ships excel all others.

See evidence text
“You will thus see how much my ships excel all others”
·Reported

Alcinous says Phaeacian ships need no pilots or rudders: they understand intent, know every city and country, cross misty seas, and avoid wreck or harm.

See evidence text
“For the Phaeacians have no pilots; their vessels have no rudders as those of other nations have, but the ships themselves understand what it is that we are thinking about and want; they know all the cities and countries in the whole world, and can traverse the sea just as well even when it is covered with mist and cloud, so that there is no danger of being wrecked or coming to any harm.”

Additional evidence

Evidence records not already represented by a claim.

4
·Reported
“the ships will be drawn up by the road side”
·Reported
“pride themselves on their masts, oars, and ships”
·Disguised
“ships that glide along like thought, or as a bird in the air”
·Reported
“the ships themselves understand what it is that we are thinking about and want”

Passage preview

Book 6 · Passage 21

‘Stranger,’ said she, ‘rise and let us be going back to the town; I will introduce you at the house of my excellent father, where I can tell you that you will meet all the best people among the Phaeacians. But be sure and do as I bid you, for you seem to be a sensible person. As long as we are going past the fields and farm lands, follow briskly behind the waggon along with the maids and I will lead the way myself. Presently, however, we shall come to the town, where you will find a high wall running all round it, and a good harbour on either side with a narrow entrance into the city, and the ships will be drawn up by the road side, for every one has a place where his own ship can lie. You will see the market place with a temple of Neptune in the middle of it, and paved with large stones bedded in the earth. Here people deal in ship’s gear of all kinds, such as cables and sails, and here, too, are the places where oars are made, for the Phaeacians are not a nation of archers; they know nothing about bows and arrows, but are a sea-faring folk, and pride themselves on their masts, oars, and ships, with which they travel far over the sea.