What is the name of the Phaeacian princess who helps Odysseus?

Nausicaa is the Phaeacian princess who helps Odysseus. She finds the shipwrecked hero on the shore of Scheria, the island kingdom of the Phaeacians, and gives him clothing and directions to her family’s palace.

Nausicaa is the daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete. She goes to the beach with her attendants to wash clothes, following a dream sent by Athena. Odysseus, exhausted and newly washed ashore, emerges from the forest and asks her for assistance. Her calm judgment and hospitality allow him to approach the Phaeacian royal household safely.

At the palace, Nausicaa tells Odysseus how to reach Queen Arete, whose approval is essential. Alcinous then welcomes the stranger, hears the story of his adventures, and provides a ship that carries him to Ithaca.

Nausicaa is sometimes portrayed as Odysseus’s love interest, but Homer never gives them a romantic relationship. Later traditions connect her with Telemachus. She is also easily confused with Arete, the queen who helps secure Odysseus’s passage home.