InGreek mythology,Alcinous (alsoAlcinoüs;/ælˈsɪnəʊəs/;[1]Ancient Greek:ἈλκίνοοςAlkínooslit. 'mighty mind') was a son ofNausithous and brother ofRhexenor.[2] After the latter's death,[3] he married his brother's daughterArete who bore himNausicaa,Halius,Clytoneus andLaodamas.[4] In some accounts, Alcinous' father wasPhaeax, son ofPoseidon andCorcyra, and brother ofLocrus.[5]
In the myth ofJason and theArgonauts, Alcinous is represented as living with his wifeArete on Drépané island. The Argonauts, on their return fromColchis, came to his island, and were hospitably received. When the Colchians, in their pursuit of the Argonauts, likewise arrived in Drépané, and demanded thatJason's loverMedea should be delivered up to them, Alcinous declared that if she was still a virgin she should be restored to them, but if she was already the wife of Jason, he would protect her and her husband against the Colchians. The Colchians were obliged, by the contrivance of Arete, to depart without their princess, and the Argonauts continued their voyage homeward, after they had received expensive presents from Alcinous.[6][7][8] He was also the King of the Phaeacians.
According toHomer, Alcinous is the happy ruler of thePhaiacians in the island ofScheria, who has by Arete five sons and one daughter, Nausicaa.[9] The description of his palace and his dominions, the mode in whichOdysseus is received, the entertainments given to him, and the stories he related to the king about his own wanderings, occupy a considerable portion ofHomer'sOdyssey (from book vi. to xiii.), and form one of its most charming parts.[10] Alcinous has a squire, Pontonous, who serves wine during this feast.
InConon'sNarrations, when Phaiax who reigned on the island of Corcyra died, Alkinous and his brother Lokros, after quarreling agreed upon on the basis that Alcinous would be the king of the Phaeacians and Locrus would take the heirlooms and part of the ethnos to make a colony. The latter sailed to Italy where he married the Laurine, daughter of KingLatinus of the Italians and for this reason, the Phaiakians claim the Lokrians in Italy as relatives.[5]
