Circe
Daughter of Helios and powerful sorceress who transformed Odysseus's men into pigs on the island of Aeaea.
The Myth of Circe
She turned men into pigs with a casual wave of her wand — and Odysseus stayed a year because he liked it there. Circe was the daughter of Helios and the Oceanid Perse, sister of Aeetes and Pasiphae. When Odysseus's advance party arrived on Aeaea, she fed them a feast laced with drugs and turned them into swine with a tap of her wand. Hermes gave Odysseus the herb moly as protection, and when her magic failed, she recognized him from prophecy. They became lovers. Odysseus stayed a full year before his crew reminded him of Ithaca. Circe then gave him instructions for reaching the Underworld to consult Tiresias — she is the one who enables the katabasis.
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Circe
⚡ godSorceress goddess of transformation
A powerful sorceress who lived on the island of Aeaea. Circe transformed Odysseus's men into swine and later became his lover and advisor.
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.
Perse
🌿 nymphthe sea, sorcery
An Oceanid nymph who married the sun god Helios and bore him Circe, Pasiphae, and Aeetes — a family of legendary sorcerers.
Aeetes
🗡 herosorcery
King of Colchis, son of Helios, father of Medea, and guardian of the Golden Fleece who set impossible tasks for Jason.
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.
Pasiphaë
🗡 heroQueen of Crete, mother of the Minotaur
Pasiphaë was the queen of Crete whom Poseidon cursed with an unnatural desire for a bull — the mother of the Minotaur and a sorceress in her own right.
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.
Hermes
⚡ godGod of travellers, thieves, and communication
Hermes was the messenger god, guide of souls, patron of travellers and thieves — the most versatile and likeable Olympian, born cunning.
Perseis
🌿 nymphWitchcraft, sun
Oceanid nymph and mother of the sorceress Circe and King Aeetes of Colchis
Hecate
⚡ godGoddess of crossroads, magic, and the liminal
The triple-formed goddess of crossroads, sorcery, and the boundaries between worlds — honoured by Zeus above all other deities.
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.