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For other uses, see Circe (disambiguation).
Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus, by John William Waterhouse.
Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus, by John William Waterhouse. John William Waterhouse ( April 6, 1849 &ndash February 10, 1917) was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter most

In Greek mythology, Circe or sərsē (Greek Κίρκη Kírkē, falcon), was a Queen goddess (or sometimes nymph or sorceress) living on the island of Aeaea. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant Aeaea (sometimes Aiaia) was a possibly mythological island said to be the home of the sorceress Circe.

Circe's father was Helios (or Helius), the god of the sun and the owner of the land where Odysseus' men ate cattle, and her mother was Perse, an Oceanid; she was sister of Aeetes, the king of Colchis and of Pasiphaë and Aga. In Greek mythology the Sun was personified as Helios (ˈhiliˌɑs ( Ἥλιος Latinized as Helius) In Greek mythology the Sun was personified as Helios (ˈhiliˌɑs ( Ἥλιος Latinized as Helius) grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs In Greek and Roman mythology, the Oceanids ( Greek: Ὠκεανίδαι pl In Greek mythology, Aeëtes ( Greek: Αἰήτης was a son of the king-god Helios and the Nymph Perseis (a daughter of Oceanus In ancient Geography, Colchis or Kolchis ( Georgian and Laz: კოლხეთი k'olxeti; Greek:, Kolchís In Greek mythology, Pasiphaë (English pəˈsɪfeɪiː Greek: Πασιφάη Pasipháē "wide-shining" was the daughter of Helios Aegea is a back-formation from " Aegean " the sea that was named for an Eponymous Aegeus in early levels of Greek mythology. Circe transformed her enemies, or those who offended her, into animals through the use of magical potions. Shapeshifting is a common theme in Mythology and Folklore, as well as in Science fiction and Fantasy. She was renowned for her knowledge of drugs and herbs.

Contents

In Ancient Literature

Circe, a painting by John William Waterhouse.
Circe, a painting by John William Waterhouse. John William Waterhouse ( April 6, 1849 &ndash February 10, 1917) was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter most

In Homer's Odyssey

In Homer's Odyssey, her home Aeaea is described as a water mansion standing in the middle of a clearing in a dense wood. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. Around the house prowled lions and wolves, the drugged victims of her magic; they were not dangerous, and fawned on all newcomers. The lion ( Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four Big cats in the Genus Panthera. The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora Circe worked at a huge loom. A loom is a Machine or device for Weaving thread or Yarn into Textiles Looms can range from very small hand-held frames to large free-standing [1] She invited Odysseus' crew to a feast, the food laced with one of her magical potions, and she turned them all into pigs with a wand after they gorged themselves on it. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times Only Eurylochus, suspecting treachery from the outset, escaped to warn Odysseus and the others who had stayed behind at the ships. In Greek mythology, Eurylochus, or Eurýlokhos appears in Homer 's Odyssey as second-in-command of Odysseus ' ship during the return Odysseus set out to rescue his men, but was intercepted by Hermes, who told him to use the holy herb moly to protect himself from Circe's potion and, having resisted it, to draw his sword and act as if he were to attack Circe. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs Hermes ( Greek,, ˈhɝmiːz in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them of Shepherds and From there, Circe would ask him to bed, but Hermes advised caution, for even there the goddess would be treacherous. She would take his manhood unless he had her swear by the names of the gods that she would not.

Odysseus heeded Hermes's advice, thus securing the transfigured freedom of his fellows. For one year, he and Circe were lovers. She later assisted him in his quest to reach his home.

According to Homer, she suggested to Odysseus two alternative routes to return to Ithaca: either toward the "Wandering Rocks" (possibly the pumiceous Lipari Islands; in the 13th-century Chinese travel notes of Chou Ju-kua they are called similarly), where King Aeolus reigned. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs The Aeolian Islands ( Italian Isole Eolie) are a Volcanic Archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Zhao Rugua ( alternatively Chau Ju-Kua or Chou Ju-kua 1170 - 1228) was a customs inspector at the city of Quanzhou during the late Song dynasty who wrote a two-volume Or, to pass between the dangerous Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis, conventionally identified with the Strait of Messina. Scylla (ˈsɪlə Σκύλλα Skulla) also known as Scylle (ˈsɪli Σκύλλη Skullē) was one In Greek mythology, Kharybdis or Charybdis (kəˈrɪbdɨs in Greek, Χάρυβδις) was a Sea monster, the daughter of Poseidon The Strait of Messina ( Strittu di Missina in Sicilian) is the narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern

Circe, by Charles Gumery
Circe, by Charles Gumery

In Hesiod's Theogony

Towards the end of Hesiod's Theogony (1011f) we find that Circe bore of Odysseus three sons: Agrius (otherwise unknown), Latinus, and Telegonus who ruled over the Tyrsenoi, that is the Etruscans. Hesiod ( Greek: Hesiodos) was an early Greek Poet and Rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BCE Theogony ( Greek: Θεογονία theogonia = the birth of God(s is a Poem by Hesiod describing the origins and genealogies Latinus or Latinos was a figure in both Greek and Roman Mythology. In Greek mythology, Telegonus ( Greek: Τηλέγονος English translation: born afar was the youngest son of Circe and Odysseus Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy

Other

Later poets generally only speak of Telegonus as Odysseus' son by Circe. When grown to manhood, later poets reported, she sent him to find Odysseus, who had long since returned to his home on Ithaca, but on arrival Telegonus accidentally killed his father. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs Ithaca or Ithaka (in Greek, Ιθάκη, Ithaki) is an island in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of 118 km² He brought the body back to Aeaea and took Odysseus' widow Penelope and son Telemachus with him. In Homer 's Odyssey, Penelópē ( Πηνελόπεια/Πηνελόπη) is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors This article is about the figure in greek mythology For the Christian saint see Saint Telemachus, and for the South African cricketer, see Roger Circe made them immortal and married Telemachus, while Telegonus made Penelope his wife.

Dionysius of Halicarnassus (1. Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Halicarnassus c 60 BC–after 7 BC was a Greek historian and teacher of Rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of 72. 5) cites Xenagoras the historian as claiming that Odysseus and Circe had three sons: Romus, Anteias, and Ardeias who respectively founded three cities called by their names: Rome, Antium, and Ardea. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Ardea, an ancient town and Comune in the Province of Rome, 35 km south of Rome and about 4 km from today's Mediterranean coast

That Circe also purified the Argonauts for the death of Apsyrtus may be early tradition. For other uses of this term see Argonaut. In Greek mythology, the Argonauts ( Ancient Greek:) were a band of heroes Absyrtus, or Apsyrtus ( Greek:) was in Greek mythology the son of Aeëtes and a brother of Medea and Chalciope.

In later tales Circe turned Picus into a woodpecker for refusing her love, and Scylla into a monstrous creature with six dogs' heads when Glaucus (another object of Circe's affection) declared his undying love for her. In Greek and Roman mythology Picus was a man turned into a Woodpecker by Circe for scorning her love The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of Near-passerine Birds. Scylla (ˈsɪlə Σκύλλα Skulla) also known as Scylle (ˈsɪli Σκύλλη Skullē) was one In Greek mythology, Glaucus ("shiny" "bright" or "bluish-green" (Γλαῦκος was the name of several different figures including She had one daughter: Aega, who was born from the ocean in a shield of ice.

Modern interpretations

Snowdrop, perhaps the herb moly
Snowdrop, perhaps the herb moly

Medical historians have speculated that the transformation to pigs was not intended literally but refers to anticholinergic intoxication. An anticholinergic agent is a substance that blocks the Neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and the Peripheral nervous system. [1] Symptoms include amnesia, hallucinations, and delusions. Amnesia (from Greek) is a condition in which Memory is disturbed A hallucination, in the broadest sense is a Perception in the absence of a stimulus. A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed False Belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false fanciful or derived from Deception The description of "moly" fits the snowdrop, a flower of the region that produces secondary metabolites that can counteract anticholinergics. The common snowdrop ( Galanthus nivalis) is the best-known representative of a small Genus of about 20 species in the family Amaryllidaceae that A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also Secondary metabolites are Organic compounds that are not directly involved in the normal growth, development or Reproduction of Organisms

Eponyms

The phrase "Circean poison" has been used to refer to intoxicating things, such as applause. [2]

Derivatives

Footnotes

  1. ^ Refer Weaving (mythology). The theme of Weaving in mythology is ancient and its lost mythic lore probably accompanied the early spread of this art
  2. ^ 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopaedia.

Ancient source references

Characters in the Odyssey

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