Circe

Blood, Sweat, Love, and Pigs By: Marissa

 Would you turn every man you see into your breakfast or some kind of hideous beast? Circe is the one woman who turns men into pigs and them eats them as meat for her supper. From Helios and Perse comes this beautiful woman who can either make or break your future. Within minutes she can make you think she is horrible or the best thing you have ever laid eyes on. Circe is the woman with loads of power.

 Inhabiting the island of Aeaea, Circe is known as the enchantress. Circe is known to trap wandering sailors that comes to her island and changes them into animals. Hero to women and menace to men, she is the daughter of Helios and Perse. They say that when people look at Circe they can tell that it is the daughter of Helios because she glows with rays of the sun. This enchantress is beautiful and has potions to morph people into animals or create substantial images of all sorts of beasts. Able to darken the heavens by covering the sun and moon with the clouds, Circe was truly powerful. Using potions, poisonous juices, or calling to her aid Nyx (night); she can destroy her enemies. She had two main lovers Glaucus who is the brother of Nereids and Picus who is the son of Cronos. Scylla got turned into the monster she is because Glaucus loved Scylla and not Circe. (Circe poisoned the water with her magic so that when Scylla the beautiful young woman went to bathe in the sea) She turned Picus into a woodpecker because he refused Circe. Picus was in love with the singer Canens, who was the son of Janus. Apparently she had a lot of lovers in her life time but don't we all? (Pontikis, Homer, Stewart, Theoi)

 With her spells, tricks, and unconditional love for Glaucus and Picus; Circe is both good and bad. In the Odyssey she took all of Odysseus's men into her house and turned them into swine. The only person she did not take was Eurylochus because he suspected a trap; he was correct to follow his instincts. After he found out that all of his men have been captured he ran back to the beach where Odysseus was and told him of the news that the enchantress Circe has all of their men. Refusing to go back Odysseus went to the house of Circe alone. On the way he met Hermes who gave Odysseus the antidote which would rob Circe's drug of its power. That antidote was called Moley. It has black roots and white flowers and is able to stop Circe’s potions and trick. After beating Circe at her own game, Odysseus made a deal with her saying that she would not try any more tricks and to let his men go. All of Odysseus's men were back to human state and they were stronger and more handsome than they were before. Odysseus and Circe had slept together which resulted in children. Since Circe was so generous and kind to Odysseus and his crew they stayed with her for a year. "... So with love and sleep we may learn to trust one another" said by Circe to Odysseus. She agreed to compromise with Odysseus showing she is good. When Picus went missing, many of his friends questioned Circe for his whereabouts. In rage she turned all of them into different sorts of animals. Circe is shown as good and bad, but neither is truer than the other. (Pontikis, Homer, Stewart, Theoi)

 When you hear about Circe you may think she was a bit of a nut case; she often had uncontrolled visions that may have scared her for eternity. All of her nights were wasted in fear because of the visions and dreams that overcame her conscience. When she had these hallucinations she often saw her whole house bathing in blood and corpses, and fire eating away at her magic herbs and potions. Circe was always in a relieved state when morning came; she would forget about her nightmare and bathe in peace without worrying about all of her possessions drenched in blood or devoured by fire and turned into ash. She may have had come off to many people as strange  and schizophrenic but Circe was very helpful as to the assassination of Medea's brother Apsyrtus. She got visited by the Argonauts when they escaped the Colchian fleet; they went to her to be purified for the murder. Some say that Zeus himself was really furious when he heard about the killing of Apsyrtus and soon ordered the Argonauts to be purified by Circe. Maybe she was crazy but she was useful and helpful to many people and creatures. (Pontikis, Homer, Stewart, Theoi)

 While Odysseus stayed with Circe for that year she had intercourse with him and had his child. Odysseus already had a son at home named Telemachus, Circe gave birth to a son named Telegonus. Once Telegonus learned that Odysseus was his father he sailed and searched for him. When Odysseus defended his cattle Telegonus wounded him with a spear and he died from the spear. "Telegonus bitterly lamented what he had done, but it is said that he was made immortal by Circe and sent to the Islands of the Blest together with Penelope." It is said that Agrios was also a son of Odysseus and Circe but was mentioned only in Hesiod's Theogony. Faunus was the half goad God who apparently was the king of Latium who was the son of Circe. Some say that he was the son of Canens and Picus. He was often identified with a satyr or pan. Someone might want a new hobby instead of weaving fabrics and having babies. (Pontikis, Homer, Stewart, Theoi)  If you ever face Circe she is very beautiful very intimidating and full of threat. Most people classify Circe as dangerous and they are right. Circe is a woman with the power to make you turn into an animal, hallucinate, or she perform the dark art of necromancy on you. So in other words, do not upset or anger the goddess pharmakeia. (This means witch or sorceress) Even if wandering sailors do not do anything to make her upset she still will turn them into animals and serve them up for dinner. She defiantly had the power to do anything she wants except for making people fall in love with her. Unless she has a potion for that somewhere in her herb room which she actually might. This enchantress has a way with magic! (Pontikis, Homer, Stewart, Theoi)

 This woman is truly interesting! Morphing people into creatures of various shapes and sizes and then possibly ate them for a meal. Circe is the enchantress with all the power she needs, and even though she does have hallucinations her self... she can easily pummel you to the ground with her potions. Possibly she will turn you into a woodpecker like she did with Picus, or maybe into a 6 headed sea monster like Scylla. Whatever you do stay clear of Aeaea, for she will turn you into swine and put you in the pig sty with Odysseus and his men. 

Works Cited

"Circe : Greek Goddess, Witch of Aeaea ; Mythology ; Pictures : KIRKE." THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. <** @http://www.theoi.com/Titan/Kirke.html **>.

Homer, and Stanley Lombardo. Odyssey. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2000. Print.

Pontikis, Nick. "Circe." Thanasi's Greek Restaurant. Thanasis, 1996-2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. <** @http://www.thanasis.com/circe.htm **>.

Rhodius, Apollonius. "Classical E-Text: APOLLONIUS RHODIUS, ARGONAUTICA 1." THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. <** @http://www.theoi.com/Text/ApolloniusRhodius1.html **>.

<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Stewart, Michael. "Circe * The Immortals * Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant." Messagenet Communications Research. 2005. Web. 10 Dec. 2010.