Tale of Circes Retold

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a young nymph wandering the halls of her father Helios, young Circe had always been one to never follow the herd. It is something that comes with a price. Her first feelings of difference are made apparent when she show compassion to Prometheus , that guy punished by Zeus for giving mankind fire. Offering comfort could have brought her in a lot of trouble. The Gods were always shallow and cruel.

As Circe grows older she begins to study herbs and witchcraft. Her experimentations cause her to turn a mortal fisherman Glaucos into a fish faced deity. She thought he would love her but she was wrong. Glaucos fell in love with Scylla. Circe ends us doing some witchcraft on Scylla and that turns her into a multiheaded sea monster that kills sailors as they go by. As punishment for her misdeeds she is sent on an isle to live out her days in exile.

Upon arriving at the island she begins to gather up her herbs and fix up an abandoned cottage. Soon she makes friend with the animals and the animals become the subjects of her island kingdom. Hermès, messenger of the gods begins to make his rounds to the island delivering prophecies , news and over all sharing companionship . After a bit other rebellious nymphs are sent there as a sort of reform school.

Circes gets her first break from the island when her sister Pasiphae invites her to Crete in order to midwife her child. Circes has to pass by Scylla to. Get there which she does. Pasiphae gives birth to the Minotaur, which injures Circes hand. The Minotaur eats human flesh so to keep the monster under control Circe casts a spell so that it is hungry only during certain times. Daedalus constructs a maze to keep thee creature contained.

When Circes returns to her island exile after the birthing of The Minotaur she dedicates herself to feeding sailors who are not so savory if you catch my drift. HEr adventures drive her into the arms/of Odysseus and cause her to have intersections with Jason of the argonaughts. She has a child with Odysseus and as a mother she must face what all mothers face, letting go. Save that Athena wants to kill her son. What will Circes do?

View all my reviews