Odysseus waits, then follows Nausikaa to the palace. Athene appears and escorts him there, shrouding him in fog from the people. Upon arrival, she withdraws to Athens. Description of the palace. Odysseus throws himself at the feet of Arete the queen. Alkinoos the king feeds him, gives him his son's seat. They plan to set him off on his voyage in the morning (much as Menelaos did for Telemachus). But first, Arete notices his clothing (from Nausikaa) and asks frome where he comes. Odysseus explains his loss of his companions at sea, his capture by Kalypso on the island of Ogygia for eight years, and finally his release and the details of his voyage from there to the island of the Phaiakians, all the action of Book 5. Alkinoos wishes that Odysseus could be a husband to Nausikaa, but instead he must finish his voyage home. They send him to bed.
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Another really short book. Where's all the action?
The vivid description of the palace reminded me of the description of the shield that Hephaistos forged for Achilleus in
The Iliad. Once again, it has been turned into artwork. A sample:
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