In
Greek mythology, Circe or Kírkē (Greek Κίρκη, falcon), was a Queen
goddess (or sometimes
nymph or
sorceress) living on the
island of
Aeaea.Circe's father was
Helios, 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. Circe
transformed her enemies, or those who offended her, into animals through the use of magical potions. She was renowned for her knowledge of drugs and herbs. In
Homer's
Odyssey, her home Aeaea is described as a water mansion standing in the middle of a clearing in a dense wood. Around the house prowled
lions and
wolves, the drugged victims of her magic; they were not dangerous, and fawned on all newcomers. Circe worked at a huge
loom. 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. Only
Eurylochus, suspecting treachery from the outset, escaped to warn Odysseus and the others who had stayed behind at the ships.
Odysseus set out to rescue his men, but was intercepted by
Hermes and told to procure some of the herb
moly to protect him from the same fate, and that, when he had resisted the potion, to draw his sword and act as if he was to attack Circe. From there, Hermes told Odysseus that Circe would ask him to bed, but to be wary, because even there, the goddess would be treacherous, and would take his manhood, so he should have Circe swear by the names of them gods that she would not. For one year
Odysseus and Circe were lovers. She later assisted him in his quest to reach his home.
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