Alcinous

Alcinous (/ælˈsɪnoʊəs/; Greek: Ἀλκίνους or Ἀλκίνοος, Alkínoös) was, in Greek mythology, a son of Nausithous, or of Phaeax (the son of Poseidon and Corcyra), and father of Nausicaa, Halius, Clytoneus and Laodamas with Arete. His name literally means "mighty mind". He married his brother Rhexenor's daughter after Rhexenor was killed.

Mythography

In the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, Alcinous is represented as living with his wife Arete in Drepane. The Argonauts, on their return from Colchis, came to his island, and were hospitably received. When the Colchians, in their pursuit of the Argonauts, likewise arrived in Drepane, and demanded that Jason's lover Medea 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. He was also the King of the Phaeacians.

Alcinous (philosopher)

Alcinous (Greek Ἀλκίνους), or Alcinoos, or Alkinoos, was a Middle Platonist philosopher. He probably lived in the 2nd century AD, although nothing is known about his life. He is the author of The Handbook of Platonism, an epitome of Middle Platonism intended as a manual for teachers. He has, at times, been identified by some scholars with the 2nd century Middle Platonist Albinus.

Writings

Alcinous is the author of work called The Handbook of Platonism (Ἐπιτομὴ τῶν Πλάτωνος δογμάτων), one of the few surviving works from the Middle Platonist period (ca. 90 BC – 250 AD). The book contains 36 chapters which cover topics ranging from logic to physics to ethics. It is thought to have been intended as a manual, not for students of Platonism, but for its teachers. The treatise is written in the esoteric manner typical of the Corpus Aristotelicum, and it often appropriates popular concepts from other philosophical schools - in particular the Peripatetic and Stoic schools - which could be seen as having been prefigured in the works of Plato.

Alcinous (disambiguation)

Alcinous may refer to several people from classical myth and history: