CHAPTER 4: MEDEA AND CIRCE

Circe is identified as Greek literature's first witch.
References to Circe can be found throughout classical texts, notably Homer’s Odyssey.

Line Numbers: 10.133-405, 569-574
Plot Summary: Voyages to Circe’s Island
- Odysseus and his men arrive at the island of Aeaea, inhabited by Circe, depicted as a beautiful yet terrible goddess endowed with speech and magic.
- Family Origins: She is the sister of Aeetes, both children of the Sun and Perse, daughter of Ocean.

After an arduous journey, Odysseus’s crew rests at the island where they share a meal.
Odysseus sends someone to scout the area after a long period of sleep, suspecting human presence due to smoke rising from Circe’s residence.

On his way to check the smoke, Odysseus encounters a stag sent by a god.
- He kills the stag with his spear, which he uses to feed his men.
- This establishes Odysseus's leadership as he urges his men to eat and remain strong.

Odysseus informs his men about an uncertain plan of action due to lack of knowledge of their whereabouts.
Fears and memories of previous encounters with hostile beings like the Laestrygonians and Cyclops haunt the crew.

Odysseus divides his men into two groups and they draw lots; Eurylochus’s lot is chosen to explore Circe’s home.
Upon arrival, they find Circe’s home, described as luxurious and filled with animals (enchanted wolves and lions).
Circe is seen singing while weaving at her loom.

Circe invites the men to enter her home, where she serves them food laced with drugs causing them to forget their homeland.
- She transforms them into pigs while keeping their minds intact.
Eurylochus, who stayed behind, returns to Odysseus with the news, visibly distraught and in tears.

Despite Eurylochus’s pleas to avoid confrontation, Odysseus insists on rescuing his men.

On his way to confront Circe, Hermes appears, disguising himself as a young man.
- He informs Odysseus of Circe's magic and provides him with a protective drug called môlu, which prevents transformation.
- Instructions are given to confront Circe with a sword in order to establish dominance after she attempts to seduce him.

Odysseus arrives at Circe's house and after drinking her potion, remains unaffected.
He draws his sword in aggression, startling Circe, who realizes he is indeed Odysseus.
A negotiation ensues; Circe swears an oath to not harm him further as they enter a romantic relationship.

Once the bond is established, Circe liberates Odysseus’s men from their pig form, rejuvenating them with ointments, and restores their human appearance.
- The act of rejuvenation emphasizes themes of transformation and reclamation of lost humanity.
Emotional reunions take place as the transformed men regather, lamenting their previous state.

Circe advises Odysseus to return to the ship, secure his crew, and prepare for future journeys, including a visit to the Underworld.

Circe’s portrayal as a witch (often connected to pharmaka - “drugs” or “spells”) marks her as one of the earliest examples of such figures in Greek myth.
Her use of drugs for transformation and manipulation reflects broader themes in witchcraft within ancient cultures.

Transformation of men to animals and back, involving both potions and spells.
Command over wild animals, suggesting control over nature.
Potential for death and rebirth through her magic, indicated by rejuvenation of Odysseus's men.
Capabilities of invisibility or shamanic travel through the soul, showing her complex powers.
Implications of erotic magic, highlighted during her negotiations with Odysseus.
Expert in necromancy and guidance for Odysseus’s journey into the Underworld, thus granting her considerable influence.

The depiction of Circe as a powerful female figure reflects the dual nature of magic (both beneficent and malevolent) in the ancient world.
Circe's interactions with male heroes signify the tensions between male power and female autonomy in mythology, often leading to themes of caution surrounding female authority.

Comparison with Calypso, another supernatural woman who enchants Odysseus, signifying thematic overlaps in seduction and control.
Helen of Troy also employs similar magical powers through drugs, identifying a lineage of powerful women utilizing pharmacological magic.
The Sirens symbolize another manifestation of magical femininity, reflecting dangers of enchantment and loss of autonomy in the face of seductive powers.

The narrative of Circe reflects complex themes of magic, witchcraft, and the dynamics of gender relations within Greek epic poetry, establishing her as a pivotal figure in the representation of witches and enchantresses in classical literature.