Circe the Enchantress By Michael Antolak Introduction The

Circe the Enchantress By Michael Antolak

Introduction • The goddess that I am assigned to research is Circe. • Her name is pronounced: SUR-see • There are many different spellings and pronunciations of “Circe. ” • Other Spellings with Pronunciations: – – – Circe (KUR-kee) Circé (SUR-see) Kirke (KUR-kee) Kerké (KUR-kee) Kerkê (KUR-kee)

Who is Circe? • Many people agree that Circe is a minor goddess, but others say she is simply a woman with magic powers. She is most commonly defined as a “witch” or an “enchantress. ” • Circe is most well-known for her appearance in The Odyssey. She would lure male travelers onto her island (Aeaea) and then turn them into animals. • According to a legend that came about after The Iliad and The Odyssey, Circe gave birth to a boy named Telegonos. He later unwillingly killed his father, Odysseus.

What Does Circe Look Like? Most people believe that Circe is beautiful… Others, not so much.

Circe’s Family Tree ? Autolikos Antiklea Hyperion Laertes Perseis Odysseus Helios Circe Telegonos Female Male ? - Mate Unknown ?

If I was Circe/ If I had her abilities… • If I could use magic to turn people into animals, I would use this skill to my advantage. • I would use the magic to make my life easier. – If someone does something really mean to me, I would turn them into some really ugly animal and then bring them to school for “Show and Tell. ” • I would also use these abilities to help others. – Being able to turn people into animals could contribute greatly to warfare. I could turn soldiers into really tough animals (like elephants or rhinos) or really fast animals (like cheetahs) or even really small animals (like mice or insects) Heck, we wouldn’t even need airplanes anymore if I was nearby. I could just turn you into a bird and then turn you back to human once we get to wherever we’re going. – I could also transform people into animals to explore new places. I could make people into animals that “see” with the sense of touch to explore darkened, underground caves. I could turn people into bioluminescent fish to discover the depths of the ocean. I could even turn people into animals that have adapted to different climates like high altitudes, sweltering heat, or arctic temperatures. The possibilities are endless!

Circe’s Role in the Odyssey • When Odysseus and his men arrived on Circe’s island, Aeaea, she offered them a feast. Then, when the men weren’t expecting it, she used her magic to turn them into swine. The god Hermes had given Odysseus an herb that protected him from the magic. Odysseus made a deal with Circe. They agreed that if they had a relationship together, she would let Odysseus and his men free. • Click here to see the original text.

Connection to Roman Mythology • Circe does not play a part in Roman mythology. Perhaps this is because she was not a major character in Greek mythology in general.

Bibliography • “Circe. " Dictionary. com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 02 Oct. 2010. <Dictionary. com http: //dictionary. reference. com/browse/circe>. • Yarnall, Judith. Transformations of Circe: the History of an Enchantress. Urbana: University of Illinois, 1994. Google Books. Web. <http: //goo. gl/AQ 8 L> • Atsma, Aaron. "GREEK MYTHOLOGY FAMILY TREE 3. " THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http: //www. theoi. com/Tree 3. html> • The Walters Art Museum. "Family Tree. " The Walters Art Museum. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. <http: //thewalters. org/exhibitions/heroes/greek-mythology-family-tree. pdf>. • "Circe. " The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. © 1994, 2000 -2006, on Infoplease. © 2000– 2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. 03 Oct. 2010 <http: //www. infoplease. com/ce 6/ent/A 0812290. html>. • "Truth as Circe. " Moody Lawless. 29 Nov. 2009. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http: //m-o-o-dy-l-a-w-l-e-ss. blogspot. com/2009/11/truth-as-circe. html>. • "CIRCE : Greek Goddess, Witch of Aeaea ; Mythology ; Pictures : KIRKE. " THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http: //www. theoi. com/Titan/Kirke. html>. • Skidmore, Joel. Odysseus. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. <http: //www. mythweb. com/odyssey/>. • Parada, Carlos, and Maicar Förlag. "Circe - Greek Mythology Link. " Greek Mythology Link. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http: //homepage. mac. com/cparada/GML/Circe. html>.

Stolen Images • http: //peperonity. com/go/sites/mview/ench anted/17637795 • http: //www. kunsterniert. ch/imagestxt/circeodyssey-calypsogreekmythology. html • http: //thanasis. com/circe. htm