The king of the Phaeacians who helps Odysseus return to Ithaca is Alcinous. He rules the Phaeacians on the island of Scheria and offers hospitality to the shipwrecked hero after Odysseus leaves Calypso's island.
Odysseus is first discovered by Nausicaa, Alcinous's daughter, who brings him toward the royal household. Alcinous and Queen Arete listen as their mysterious guest recounts his adventures, including the Cyclops, Circe, the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. The king then arranges games, feasts, and a safe voyage home.
The Phaeacians are renowned sailors. Alcinous orders a ship and a crew to carry Odysseus to Ithaca while he sleeps. They leave him, along with gifts, on the shore of his homeland. Poseidon later punishes the Phaeacians by turning the returning ship to stone, according to the poem's prophecy and aftermath.
Alcinous is sometimes confused with Aeolus, who gives Odysseus the bag of winds, or with Menelaus and Nestor, kings associated with the Trojan War. His defining role is host and rescuer at the end of Odysseus's wandering.