Scheria: The First Utopian City of Greek Mythology and the World
Scheria was a utopic town in ancient Greek mythology where Odysseus ended his 10-year-long journey before returning to Ithaca. This region is very famous in the literary world because of Odysseus and also because of its utopic description by Homer in his book, Odyssey. This place was also home to the mysterious and nearly perfect people who were called the Masters of the sea. Here we bring you all the information on this unusual city of Greek mythology, Odysseus, and the inhabitants of Scheria.
Town of Scheria
The town of Scherei was also called Phaeacia, and even Faiakia. This city is mentioned by Homer in his book The Odyssey in which he describes largely the journey of the Odyssey over the period of 10 years before he returned back to his home.
The city and its inhabitants played no role in the infamous Trojan war but in the return of Odysseus back to Ithaca in the Odyssey. All in all, this city may be regarded as one of the most famous cities of Greek mythology.
Another very important point about the city is that Homer describes it as a utopian fantasy. This description might be the first of its kind in the whole of the literary world. The city, its inhabitants, its culture, the geography, and almost every single thing was described with a single word: perfect. This is the definition of the utopian world and Homer credited it to the city, an ancient region in Greek mythology, covered with water from all four sides.
The mythology is wildly famous for its intense characters and storylines. The great ancient Greek poets such as Homer and Hesiod are credited for writing and disseminating Greek mythology to the generations that came after them. The mythology features some of the most world-famous gods and goddesses like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Perseus, Medusa, and Achilles.
Location
The location of played a vital role in its utopic description. Centuries after Homer had described the city in his poetry, geographical experts, Polybius and Strabo attempted to explain and locate the geography of Scheria and broadly The Odyssey on the world map.
In addition, Polybius wrote a book on the geography of The Odyssey, explaining every step of Odysseus. Strabo however explained the location of both the utopic city and Ogygia, which was an island in The Odyssey by Homer.
According to Strabo, this city was located in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. This explains why and how it was surrounded by water from all four sides and also why its inhabitants were called masters of the sea.
In some of the references, it is shown to be a common Mediterranean town, with simple living and blood mortals. This is interesting to know as itr serves as a basis for utopic land and characteristics. If the former is true, it would fit normally in the world and its inhabitants would be very mediocre. In the latter condition, the city is a utopic paradise and its people are human marvels, both of which are home to many different Olympian-associated entities.
Lineage of the City
The name of the city can be roughly translated to the word “gray” which points to the fact that the people of the town were dark-skinned people. They are known to be the descendants of Poseidon, the Olympian god of water and brother of Zeus. Because Poseidon was their ancestor, they had great control over the seas and therefore were called masters of the sea.
So the lineage of Scheria began with Poseidon which ensures that there were many demigods among the mortals of the city. In addition, the kingdom was also called the kingdom of Phaeacia so its inhabitants were called Phaeacians in the Odyssey.
The Town in Odysseus
The Odyssey is one of the most known works of the ancient Greek poet and writer, Homer. This is the only poem in Greek history that mentions and relates the people and this uptopic city to mythology. This is why the poem has much importance. The poem however is not only about the Scherians but about the story of Odysseus.
Odysseus was the King of Ithaca. He has various names and epithets given to him in both Greek and Roman mythology. The poem follows the trials and tribulations that Odysseus faced when he left home, Ithaca, and returned back after ten years. He was the son of Laertes and Anticlea, his wife was Penelope, with whom he fathered two children namely: Telemachus and Acusilaus.
If we look at the genealogy of Odysseus, he is known as the great-grandson of the Olympian god, Hermes. In his struggle to get back home, Odysseus stumbles upon the city of Scheria and asks the people for help. Even though Odysseus is the King of Ithaca and a lot of islands and towns come under his kingdom, the people had no idea who he was. Other than in The Odyssey, Odysseus is also mentioned in the Illiad, also by Homer.
On the other hand, the reason why this town is famous in the book of Homer is because the book is the key reference to these detailed places and the mythology, in general. In addition, this town, in particular, was a spectacular place to be mentioned where people would relate it to their daily lives, since the plac seemed so magical, and would strive to make their lives the same.
The City in The Trojan War
The people of the utopic city did not participate in the Trojan war. This goes on to show how separated the inhabitants were from the other parts of the Greek kingdom. These people were only concerned with their own work and life. They did not think of interfering in world matters and maybe that is why Homer calls this place a utopic paradise.
The inhabitants were known there perfectly built boats and ships that as Homer describes them: were as fast as a falcon. These ships would have been on the winning side in the Trojan war if they had taken any sides.
Conclusion
Scheria was a magnificent town in Greek mythology that was named in the Odyssey by Homer. This is the only poem in Greek history that mentions and relates the people and its city to mythology. Here are all the important points from the article as a conclusion:
- Scheria was described as a utopic city with fantasized life, living, and more than normal inhabitants. The inhabitants were known as masters of the sea because they were the descendants of Poseidon.
- According to Strabo, city was located in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
- The townspeople did not participate in the Trojan war but they helped Odysseus get back to Ithaca after his ten-year-long journey. He was the great-grandson of the Olympian god, Hermes.
- Their signature ships and boast were described as the best of that time. Homer described their ships as fast as falcons.
The city was therefore one of the most interesting cities described in all of Greek mythology. This city would always be remembered as the city from which Odysseus returned back to Ithaca and its people sheltered him. Here we come to the end of the article.
