As her description implies, Circe, also spelled Kirke, is known as the minor goddess of sorcery and witchcraft. Known as "the daughter of Perse and Helios", the sun god, she is one of the evilest god throughout greek mythology (Magnum, Marc). Circe, for the most part, sat alone on an island named Aiaia in the Mediterranean sea waiting for travelers to stop. During this time, travelors would be "treated as a special guest but with Kirke, travelers are drugged and then served as dinner" (Stewart, Michael). Circe possessed "the powers for spiritual purification that purified the Argonauts" on there journey (Magnum, Marc). She had been known to help the Jason and Medea by "burning offerings of sweethearts and cakes," as well as "consented to sacrifice to Zeus and ask him to forgive Medea and Jason for their crime" (D'aulaires' 172). Since she is the goddess of sorcery, Circe conjured magic potions to turn travelers into animals.
The most known time is in the Odyssey with Odysseus's crew.
The story of Circe in the Odyssey starts when Odysseus and his crew stopped on the island of Aiaia to get food and water before visiting Tiresias. All twenty-three men sent out met Circe, and "drank the potions she offered as refreshment" which "fully transformed them into swine"(Stewart, Michael). Odysseus received a herb for Hermes, which protected him from all spells Circe could cast on him. As Odysseus confronted Circe, she gave him the potion the crew drank, but it had no effect. When she struck Odysseus with her wand, he drew his sword causing the frightened Circe to surrender. She let the swine go and gave them another potion that reversed the effects. "The men were restored to their original forms except they were taller and more handsome than before, they had been enswined" (Stewart, Michael). He visited Circe on his way back from seeing Tiresias, and she helped him by saying how to "safely sail past the island of the Sirens, the six headed Skylla and the monster Kharybdis" (Stweart, Michael), concluding the story of Circe.
Works Cited
D'Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar Parin."The Golden Fleece." Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire's Book
of Greek Myths. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962.N. pag. Print
Dosso Dossi."The Sorceress Circe".1530.Borghese Gallery, Rome.http://www.britannica.com
/EBchecked/media/10118/The-Sorcress-Circe-oil-painting-by-Dosso-Dossi-
1530-in?topicId=118248.
Magnum, Marc. "Circe." Circe. Encyclopedia Mythica, 02 May 1997. Web. 28 Mar. 2014
Stewart, Micheal. "Kirke (Circe) kir KEE." Circe *The Immortals* Greek Mythology: From the
Illiad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. Messagenet Comm Research, 14 Nov. 2005. Web. 28
March 2014
The most known time is in the Odyssey with Odysseus's crew.
The story of Circe in the Odyssey starts when Odysseus and his crew stopped on the island of Aiaia to get food and water before visiting Tiresias. All twenty-three men sent out met Circe, and "drank the potions she offered as refreshment" which "fully transformed them into swine"(Stewart, Michael). Odysseus received a herb for Hermes, which protected him from all spells Circe could cast on him. As Odysseus confronted Circe, she gave him the potion the crew drank, but it had no effect. When she struck Odysseus with her wand, he drew his sword causing the frightened Circe to surrender. She let the swine go and gave them another potion that reversed the effects. "The men were restored to their original forms except they were taller and more handsome than before, they had been enswined" (Stewart, Michael). He visited Circe on his way back from seeing Tiresias, and she helped him by saying how to "safely sail past the island of the Sirens, the six headed Skylla and the monster Kharybdis" (Stweart, Michael), concluding the story of Circe.
Works Cited
D'Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar Parin."The Golden Fleece." Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire's Book
of Greek Myths. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962.N. pag. Print
Dosso Dossi."The Sorceress Circe".1530.Borghese Gallery, Rome.http://www.britannica.com
/EBchecked/media/10118/The-Sorcress-Circe-oil-painting-by-Dosso-Dossi-
1530-in?topicId=118248.
Magnum, Marc. "Circe." Circe. Encyclopedia Mythica, 02 May 1997. Web. 28 Mar. 2014
Stewart, Micheal. "Kirke (Circe) kir KEE." Circe *The Immortals* Greek Mythology: From the
Illiad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. Messagenet Comm Research, 14 Nov. 2005. Web. 28
March 2014
Circe sitting with her guard dog