Nausicaa’s ‘Song’ in Odyssey 6.99-109

Andromache Karanika (University of California, Irvine)

In Odyssey 6, Nausicaa following the disguised Athena’s admonition asks her father to allow her to go with her maids to wash the clothes.  A prenuptial setting is created in the epic with this scene.  Nausicaa leads the maidens’ dance and as a choregos (leader of choruses) is compared to the goddess Artemis.  The scene has an erotic overtone, and the simile could be read in the tradition of ancient wedding poetry.  The comparison of a bride to a goddess is technically referred to as an eikasia, a typical motif in epithalamia. The simile comparing Nausicaa to Artemis presents some structural anomalies: first of all the unusual length, secondly, the prior reference to Nausicaa’s song (Od. 6.101), thirdly, the peculiar introduction of the simile.  I propose, that the simile is in fact related to the content of Nausicaa’s ‘song.’  The narrative of the simile presents striking similarities with the Homeric Hymn to Artemis.  There is also another detail in the narrative that supports a parallel reading with the Homeric Hymns.  A simile is found in Odysseus’ speech to Nausicaa, when he first sees her.  He parallels her beauty and youth to a young palm tree that he once saw beside the altar of Apollo at Delos (Od. 6.160-164).  This is the sole reference to the palm tree in Homer.  With parallel readings of the Homeric Hymns, I suggest that Odysseus’ speech comes as an answer to Nausicaa’s ‘song’ captured as a simile in the Homeric narrative.  The reference to the palm tree alludes to poetic competition. It can also allude to Delos, and Delos in turn remind the audience of a variety of performances.  In the perspective of the entire Phaeacian episode, this adds to the festive atmosphere that is created throughout.  It would be striking, then, if a choral performance were completely absent from the palette of such a multi-generic epic poetry.  Nausicaa’s performance is in fact an attestation that a choral performance adds to the ensemble of genres presented in the entire Phaeacian episode.