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Mythology and the Creative
Muse |
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PART
IV
THE MYTH OF CIRCE |
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Circe
by Wright Barker, 1900
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Odysseus,
the legendary hero of Homer's
epic tale The Odyssey, arrived
with his crew of sailors
upon the island of Aiaia,
starving and exhausted,
after narrowly escaping
death at the hands of the
fearsome Cyclops.
There dwelt Circe, the daughter
of the sun-god Helios and
the sea nymph Perseis. Circe
was a powerul witch and
sorcerer, as were her sister
Pasiphae and her two brothers.
Upon landing on Circe's
isle, Ulysses climbed a
hill, and gazing round saw
no signs of habitation except
in one spot at the centre
of the island, where he
perceived a palace embowered
with trees. He sent forward
one- half of his crew, under
the command of Eurylochus,
to see what prospect of
hospitality they might find.
As they approached the palace,
they found themselves surrounded
by lions, tigers and wolves,
not fierce, but tamed by
Circe's art.
All these animals had once
been men, but had been changed
by Circe's enchantments
into the forms of beasts.
The sounds of soft music
were heard from within,
and a sweet female voice
singing. Eurylochus called
aloud and the goddess came
forth and invited them in.
They all gladly entered
except Eurylochus, who suspected
danger.
The goddess conducted her
guests to a seat, and had
them served with wine and
other delicacies. When they
had feasted heartily, she
touched them one by one
with her wand, and they
became immediately changed
into swine, in "head,
body, voice and bristles,"
yet with their intellects
as before. She shut them
in pig sties, and supplied
them with acorns and such
other things as swine love.
Eurylochus hurried back
to the ship and told the
tale. Ulysses thereupon
determined to go himself,
and try if by any means
he might deliver his companions.
As he strode onward alone,
he met a youth who addressed
him familiarly, appearing
to be acquainted with his
adventures. He announced
himself as Mercury, and
informed Ulysses of the
arts of Circe, and of the
danger of approaching her.
As Ulysses was not to be
dissuaded from his attempts,
Mercury provided him with
a sprig of the plant Moly,
of wonderful power to resist
sorceries, and instructed
him how to act. Ulysses
proceeded, and reaching
the palace was courteously
received by Circe, who entertained
him as she had done his
companions, and after he
had eaten and drank, touched
him with her wand, saying,
"Hence seek the sty
and wallow with thy friends."
But instead of obeying,
Odysseus drew his sword
and rushed upon her with
fury in his countenance.
She fell on her knees and
begged for mercy. He dictated
a solemn oath that she would
release his companions and
practise no further against
him or them; and she repeated
it, at the same time promising
to dismiss them all in safety
after hospitably entertaining
them.
She was as good as her word.
The men were restored to
their shapes, the rest of
the crew summoned from the
shore, and the whole magnificently
entertained day after day,
till Ulysses seemed to have
forgotten his native land,
and to have reconciled himself
to an inglorious life of
ease and pleasure. At length
his companions recalled
him to nobler sentiments,
and he received their admonition
gratefully.
Circe aided their departure,
and instructed them how
to pass safely by the coast
of the Sirens. The Sirens
were Sea-nymphs who had
the power of charming by
their song all who had heard
them, so that the unhappy
mariners were irresistibly
impelled to cast themselves
into the sea to their destruction.
Circe directed Ulysses to
fill the ears of his seamen
with wax, so that they should
not hear the strain; and
to cause himself to be bound
to the mast, and his people
to be strictly enjoined,
whatever he might say or
do, by no means to release
him till they should have
passed the Sirens' island.
Ulysses was also warned
by Circe of the two monsters
Scylla and Charybdis.
Scylla was once a beautiful
maiden who had been changed
into a snaky monster by
Circe. She dwelt in a cave
high up on the cliff, from
whence she was accustomed
to thrust forth her long
necks (for she had six heads),
and in each of her mouths
to seize one of the crew
of every vessel passing
within reach.
The other terror, Charybdis,
was a gulf, nearly on a
level with the water. Thrice
each day the water rushed
into a frightful chasm,
and thrice was disgorged.
Any vessel coming near the
whirlpool when the tide
was rushing in must inevitably
by engulfed; not Neptune
himself could save it.
Odysseus and his men followed
Circe's instructions in
evading the sirens' song.
On approaching the haunt
of the dread monsters, the
roar of Charybdis' waters
gave warning at a distance,
but Scylla could nowhere
be discerned. While Ulysses
and his men watched with
anxious eyes the dreadful
whirlpool, they were not
equally on their guard from
the attack of Scylla, and
the monster darting forth
her snaky heads, caught
six of his men, and bore
them away shrieking to her
den. It was the saddest
sight Ulysses had yet seen;
to behold his friends thus
sacrificed and hear their
cries, unable to afford
them any assistance.
Scylla and Charybdis have
become proverbial, to denote
opposite dangers which beset
one's course.
Despite her assistance in
saving Odysseus and his
men, and despite her bearing
two children by him, the
name of Circe now conjures
only her image as a dread
goddess and a deadly sorcerer.
| The
Symbolist Franz von
Stuck portrayed the
famed Austrian actress
Tilla Durieux as Circe
offering a cup of
poisoned enchantment;
tragically prophetic,
as her husband died
of a suicide attempt
following her divorcing
him. Tilla acted the
role of Circe on the
stage, and became
ever more renowned
for her title role
in Oscar Wilde's Salome
and for being the
first Eliza Doolittle
in playwrite George
Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. |
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