Circe

“The gods rarely care who they hurt in their pursuit of vengeance.”

Natalie Haynes, Pandora’s Jar p. 203

For being one of the most knowledgeable and exciting characters in Greek mythology, Circe isn’t well known on her own. Now, if we were to say, “Circe, the chick Odysseus had an affair with on an isolated island,” or “Circe, the witch that turned all Odysseus’ men into pigs,” then maybe a few bells would begin to ring. However, Circe’s story starts long before Odysseus and continues past his departure. She is the daughter of the Titan sun god and an Ocean Nymph, as well as the sister to Aeëtes (the guardian of the golden fleece) and Pasiphae (the queen of Crete and the mother of the Minotaur).

Circe’s story truly begins when she falls in love with a mortal man and experiences jealousy. Her clouded judgment motivated her to poison his love interest, Scylla - turning her into the aquatic six-headed dog creature we refer to today. Her actions cause her to be banished to an isolated island, Aaea, to live out her immortal life. It is important to note that Circe’s action was a mere paper cut in the world of gods and titans. Even heroes have done much worse and got away scot-free. It can be argued that she was being used as a scapegoat to balance the power dynamic between the Olympians and the Titans.

Julia Margaret Cameron, Circe, 1865

On the island, Circe develops a wealth of knowledge in pharmacy. However, she is still spending much of eternity alone. That is, until a ship gets blown ashore. A sailor steps out and asks for help - food, water, and a place to rest for him and his men. Circe agrees and leads them to her home. She feeds them fish and pours them wine, and they express their gratitude. Slowly they realize they are alone on the island with this woman, and their character shifts. They become violent, taking from her what she did not want to give. What happens next, though, that's all that people seem to remember. She turned these men into pigs.

“I was alone and a woman, that was all that mattered.”

Madeline Miller, Circe, 193

Antonio Tempesta, Plate 135: Circe Changing Ulysses' Men into Swine (Ulyssis soci a Circe in porcos), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses', 1606

Attributed to the Persephone Painter, Terracotta calyx-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water), ca 440 BCE, The MET

Each time soldiers arrived on her shores, history seemed to repeat itself. So Circe created a defense. First, she infused her herbs into the wine and food; then, when the men acted, she broke them down to pigs with a flip of her wrist—an apt punishment for such cruelty.

Decades of predictable men go by before Odysseus lands on her shores. Odysseus was initially different. He asked about her belongings and talked about his wife -playing into the loving husband our world seems to remember him as. As time goes on, Odysseus grows in her favor. But when he leaves, she realizes she is pregnant with his child. After her baby is born, Circe goes to great lengths to defend the child from the wrath of the gods. While she raises her son, it begins to occur to her how manipulative and bloodthirsty Odysseus is. Circe is one of the few characters within Greek mythology that can look at a hero and see what is underneath.

“Sorry you were caught, I said. Sorry that you thought I was weak, but you were wrong.”

Madeline Miller, Circe, 195

William Waterhouse, Circe Offering the

Cup to Ulysses, c.1891