Circe
Part sorceress, part host, Circe turns Odysseus' companions into swine and later becomes one of the voyage's most important guides.
Circe in the Odyssey
Circe, daughter of the Sun god Helios, lives on the island of Aeaea in a stone house surrounded by tamed wolves and lions. With a potion and a touch of her wand she turns Odysseus' scouts into pigs.
Odysseus resists her thanks to moly, a herb given to him by Hermes, and forces her to swear not to harm him. From enemy she becomes host: the crew stays with her for a year, and before they leave she sends Odysseus to the Underworld and warns him of the Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis and the cattle of Helios.
Key moments
- Book 10
She turns Eurylochus' companions into pigs; only Eurylochus escapes to warn Odysseus.
- Book 10
Protected by Hermes' moly, Odysseus resists her spell and makes her restore his men.
- Book 12
She maps out the dangers ahead: the Sirens, the strait of Scylla and Charybdis, and Thrinacia.
Relationship to Odysseus
She tests his resolve, shares his bed, and eventually equips him with the knowledge needed to survive the darker stages ahead.
Where this figure enters the journey
Her encounter is tied to Aeaea, where danger takes the form of hospitality, seduction, and hard-won instruction.
Open the map locationIsland of Circe