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Regina Torchia

Honors English 10

Mrs. Melanie Dietrich

6 March, 2017

The Greek Goddess Circe

Some call her Kirke, the enchantress, The Femme Fatale, or the goddess of sorcery.

But, she is more commonly known as the goddess Circe. Circe is a goddess who was respected

for her use of herbs and potions which controlled anyone who consumed them. Her witchcraft is

most commonly featured in Homers The Odyssey, but is also found in many other ancient

texts. The greek goddess Circe not only impacted society during her time but has continued to

prove her relevance in many novels, narratives, and sciences through her sorcerous background.

The greek goddess Circe is the daughter of Titans Helios, god of the sun, and Perse, a sea

nymph. She also had two brothers and a sister who were Aeetes, the guardian of the Golden

Fleece,Perses, and Palsphae who was the wife of the King of Crete, Minos. Circe was important

to many people during the ancient greek time period because of her witchcraft abilities through

using potions and herbs (Klimczak 1). She was also skilled in the magic of transmutation,

illusion, and necromancy according to Theoi Greek Mythology. Transmutation is defined by

Dictrionary.com as the change into another nature, substance, form, or condition. One example

of Circe performing transmutation is how she tempts the visitors to her island and spikes the food

and drink she supplies them. The herbs and potions that she puts in the food and drink change the

consumer into an animal. Kirke, one of Circes nicknames, is actually translated as to secure

with rings or hoop around(Kirke 1). This refers to the binding powers of her magic because
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once the visitors on her island consume her potions and herbs, the are binded as animals to the

island until she releases them. Circe is also said to have changed a beautiful young women into

Scylla, a monster of the sea(Famous Witches-Witchcraft 1). Another one of her sorcerous

powers is the power of illusion. Through illusions, she is able to tempt the visitors to her island

to do as she wants. Next, her ability to communicate with the dead, or otherwise known as

necromancy amazined many ancient Greeks(Kirke 1). In Homers The Odyssey, Circe

presents the instructions to Odysseus on how to communicate with the dead as part of

Odysseuss journey. Odysseus had encountered her on her island, Aeaea, and was said to be

surrounded by her nymph companions. Michael Karas says that around Circes island roamed

mountain-bred wolves and lions, whom Circe herself had bewitched by the evil drugs that she

gave them. Unfortunately, no one is exactly sure where Circes island truly is, but the

Encyclopedia Britannica placed it near Italy. Many of Circes attributes will play key roles in the

pieces of literature in which she is placed.

Circe is best known to people from her role in Homers The Odyssey. In The Odyssey,

Circe is described as, ... a goddess with braided hair, with human speech and with strange

powers(Homer.10.135). During Odysseuss journey home to Ithaca, Odysseus and his crew

arrived at the residence of Circe on the island of Aeaea. Once they arrived, Circe graciously

invited Odysseus and his men to share a feast with her that evening. All of Odysseuss men

attended the dinner, but Odysseus did not. At the feast, one of the dishes that Circe had prepared

was laced with one of Circes magical potions, although Odysseus men did not know what they

were eating. As they consumed her meal, she waved her wand and turned the men into swine.

Thankfully, one of the men at the feast did not consume the laced dish and reported the conflict
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to Odysseus. Using an herb provided by the god Hermes, Odysseus protected himself from the

tempting powers of Circe and saved his men by befriending her. Circe keeps Odysseus and his

men on the island for over a year until Odysseus pleads to let him and his men return home to

Ithaca in which she grants him permission according to Homers The Odyssey. But she says,

...that they must first visit the land of the dead and hear a prophecy from the ghost of

Tiresias(Homer.10). One significance of Odysseuss encounter with Circe is to show that the

hero Odysseus defied even the tests of the gods to achieve his goal of returning home. Natalia

Klimczak, a historian, writer, and journalist, wrote that Circes role in the Odyssey, ... shows

many things about morality and understanding the power of magic and the fear of deities in

ancient Greece. In addition to this, without the direction of Circe, Odysseus would have never

known to talk to Tiresias about how to return to Ithaca. Moreover, Circe played a key role in

Homers The Odyssey.

Not only has Circe played a role in the Odyssey, but has also made appearances in other

ancient texts and myths specifically Hesiods The Theogony. In The Theogony, Hesiod

writes about the relationship between Odysseus and Circe years after he returns home to Ithaca.

Hesiod says that, Circe loved steadfast Odysseus and bore Agrius and Latinus who was

faultless and strong; also she brought forth Telegonus by the will of golden Aphrodite, And they

ruled over the famous Cyrenians, very far off in a recess of the holy islands(Hesiod.1010-1017).

Hesiod further describes in The Theogony how the son of Circe and Odysseus, Telegonus, was

sent by Circe to find Odysseus. When Telegonus found him, it is said that he accidentally killed

his father. Upon hearing the news, Circe was mortified, but felt responsible for the actions of her

son. Because of her guilt, Circe granted Odysseuss wife, Penelope, and their son, Telemachus,
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immortality. Eventually, Circe went on to marry Telemachus and Penelope married Telegonus.

In addition to The Theogony, Circe also appeared in the myth of Jason and The Golden

Fleece. In this particular myth, Jason and the Argonauts arrived on Circes island in retreat of

the Colchian fleet. It is said that the niece of Circe, Medea, sent Jason and his fleet to Circe in

order to cleanse him and his men so that they could kill Medeas brother, Apsyrtus(Circe 1).

All in all, Circe has played significant roles in many other ancient myths and texts.

In addition to Circe making appearances in other ancient texts and myths, Circe also

appears in many novels and sciences present day. For example, the novel Percy Jackson and

The Olympians: Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan. In this novel, Annabeth Chase and Percy

Jackson arrive on Circes island after their ship was wrecked. While Annabeth is given superb

treatment, Percy is not treated as well. Oddly enough, Circe offers to give Percy a makeover.

Little does Percy know that this is another one of Circes tricks. Circe uses her powers of

manipulation and temptation to make Percy drink one of her potions. This potion then turns

Percy into a guinea pig. Stressed, confused, and unsure of how to turn her Percy back to normal.

Annabeth turns to Hermes for help. Hermes then gives Annabeth multivitamins to revert Circes

spell on Percy. As one may notice, the scene of Circe in the Percy Jackson novel and Circes role

in The Odyssey are very similar. Some similarities consist of: the main characters being on a

journey, some of the characters/character falling under the spell of Circe, Circe turning them/him

into animals, and the use of an anticdote given by Hermes to revert Circes spell. Therefore, the

role of Circe in Percy Jackson and The Olympians: Sea of Monsters parallels the role that she

took in Homers The Odyssey. On a separate note, Circe also shows relevance to many

sciences today. According to Natalia Klimczak, the plant that Circe used to tempt Odysseus was
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given the real-life name Circaea in the late sixteenth century(The Spellbinding Story of Circe

1). Another example of Circe in science is shown in the study of William Jencks in which he

named an enzymatic reaction The Circe Effect(Klimczak 1). Lastly, astronomers have named a

genus of Venus clams and asteroids found in the dark main-belt (34 Circe) after her.

Furthermore, Circe arises in many present-day sciences and literature pieces.

In conclusion, Circe has shown relevance in many ancient texts and present-day sciences

and novels through her mysterious magical background. Although she is most known for her

appearance in The Odyssey, Circe also plays a role in The Theology, the myth of Jason and

The Golden Fleece, and the more current novel Percy Jackson and The Olympians: Sea of

Monsters. Her background of impeccable witchcraft abilities not only earned her the respect of

the ancient Greeks, but also awarded her a long list of nicknames.