Storytelling for Week 3: Captured by Circe's Magic

Hermes had given me the herb and just as it was powerful in it's abilities, I too felt particularly strong. The beautiful goddess, Circe, had taken many of my men and made them into her own personal pig pen. I was not going to fall into her trap and be made a fool of. Very thankful of Hermes, I reached the steps to Circe's house prepared for whatever she thought she had in store for me.

As quickly as I had knocked on her door, Circe answered, a large grin showing on her face. She welcomed me in warmly and innocently, as if that was her intention. I followed her inside and she led me to a big room filled with many trinkets and wonderfully crafted furniture. She sat down in an enchanting carved wooden chair with vines delicately weaved throughout the holes within it and motioned for me to sit across from her in an identical chair. As we sat, she called for her maid to bring us drinks. The maid brought us similar cups, but I knew my drink was different. Unbeknownst to Circe, I had eaten the herb to prevent her magic from affecting me.

I politely snatched the cup from the maid's hand, eager to feel the power of not absorbing the effects of Circe's evil magic. I thanked Circe and her maid for the drink and great hospitality they presented me with and easily drank the whole cup. As I was getting up to show Circe how she was not able to trick me, Odysseus, of many resources, scion of Zeus, and Laertes' son, I felt a shift within me. Confused, I examined myself just in time to see me changing. First, my hands, then my feet, and finally, the rest of my body. Immediately, I fell to the ground.

A pig! This evil woman, Circe, disguised in an attractive outward appearance had turned me into a wretched, dirty, pig! But how? I wondered. Just as my thoughts poured in to my mind Circe exclaimed how her maid was out gathering ingredients for the drink and saw my encounter with Hermes. Upon seeing this, she went back and told Circe, giving her the opportunity to add in more magic to make Hermes herb ineffective.

Frustrated, I began squealing, fighting and struggling against Circe as she carried me to the back of her house where I found the rest of my men hopelessly wandering around the yard. As she put me down, I yelled to my men telling them to gather around. Of course, Circe and her sly maid, were not able to comprehend the animal talk. This gave me the perfect chance.

"Listen up men, I came to rescue all of you with the help of Hermes, but Circe and her sidekick were able to get around my plan. She thinks she has won, but she has not. The maid heard the conversation between me and Hermes but left before it was truly over. As I will always do everything in my power to protect my friends, this situation is no exception. Hermes told me something else. With the help of all of us, I believe we can make it out by dawn. Here's the plan..."

"Circe, 14th-century illustration"
Source: Mythology and Folklore UnTextbook

Author's Note: This retelling is from the story "The Moly Defeats Circe," from Homer's Odyssey. In the original story, Circe, a goddess, turns all of Odysseus' men into pigs using magic. On his way to go save his men, Odysseus comes into contact with Hermes. Hermes gives him a herb that will stop Circe's magic from working on him. That way, Odysseus will not be turned into a pig, which will surprise Circe and lead them to making a deal where Odysseus' men are changed back into humans. However, in this retelling I decided to have the herb not work! I thought it'd be interesting to have it not go the way it was supposed to since a lot of the stories I had read went just how predicted. I think in this way, it gave the story a nice twist and would make the reader wonder how Odysseus would get him and his men out of the predicament. This story is just a part of a longer story line so that's why I decided to end it the way I did. The continuation could go anyway. They could possibly escape, or they could be trapped forever. Who knows! I also chose to add the above picture because it shows Circe and multiple men-turned-pigs just as in the original and in my retelling of the story.

Bibliography: "The Moly Defeats Circe" translated by Tony Kline, from Homer's Odyssey (2004).

Web source: Mythology and Folklore UnTextbook