Circe
A powerful sorceress who lived on the island of Aeaea. Circe transformed Odysseus's men into swine and later became his lover and advisor.
The Myth of Circe
Circe was a daughter of Helios, the sun god, and the Oceanid Perse. She was a goddess and sorceress of immense power, particularly skilled in the art of transformation. She lived on the island of Aeaea, surrounded by tame wolves and lions — men she had transformed with her potions.
When Odysseus's advance party reached Aeaea, Circe welcomed them with a feast. But the food was drugged, and when she touched them with her wand, the men transformed into swine. Only Eurylochus escaped to warn Odysseus.
Hermes gave Odysseus the herb moly, which protected him from Circe's magic. When her spells failed, Circe recognized Odysseus as the hero she had been warned about and became his ally and lover. He stayed on her island for a year. Before he departed, Circe gave him crucial advice for the journey ahead: how to pass the Sirens, navigate between Scylla and Charybdis, and avoid the cattle of Helios.
Parents
Helios and Perse
Children
Telegonus
Symbols
Fun Fact
Circe's island of Aeaea is often identified with Monte Circeo on the coast of Italy, where a promontory still bears her name.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Circe
⚡ godsorcery
Daughter of Helios and powerful sorceress who transformed Odysseus's men into pigs on the island of Aeaea.
Aeaea
🏛 placemagic, transformation
The mythical island home of the enchantress Circe, where Odysseus's men were transformed into swine and the hero spent a year of enchanted captivity.
Aeaea
🏛 placeIsland of the sorceress Circe
Aeaea was the mythical island home of Circe, the divine sorceress who transformed Odysseus's men into swine and became his lover for a year.
Aphrodite
⚡ godGoddess of love, desire, and beauty
The goddess born from sea-foam whose power over desire could override the will of gods and mortals alike.
Artemis
⚡ godGoddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon, childbirth
Twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the hunt. Artemis roamed the wild forests with her band of nymphs, fiercely protecting her virginity and the natural world.
Io
🗡 heroPriestess transformed into a cow
Io was a priestess of Hera whom Zeus seduced and then transformed into a white cow to hide from his jealous wife — she wandered the world in torment.
Alcyone
🗡 heroLove, transformation, birds
Queen of Trachis who was transformed into a kingfisher bird alongside her devoted husband Ceyx
Artemis
⚡ godGoddess of the hunt, wilderness, and childbirth
The virgin huntress who roamed the wild places with her nymphs, punishing those who trespassed on her domain with lethal precision.
Scylla
🐉 creaturetransformation
Beautiful nymph transformed into a six-headed sea monster by Circe's poison, eternally lurking in a strait opposite Charybdis.
Io
🗡 herotransformation
Priestess of Hera transformed into a white cow by Zeus (or Hera), driven across the world by a gadfly until she reached Egypt.
Myrrha
🗡 herotransgression, transformation
A princess cursed by Aphrodite to desire her own father, whose tears of shame became myrrh resin after the gods transformed her into a tree.
Medusa
🐉 creaturetransformation
Once a beautiful priestess of Athena, raped by Poseidon in Athena's temple and punished by the goddess with a monstrous form.