Who Is Circe (And How Powerful Is She) In The Odyssey?
Now that Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has been released across the globe, fans and critics alike have been eagerly discussing the film and its most memorable moments.
While the battle of Troy and the Cyclops were certainly cinematic spectacles, the scene that has stirred up the most commotion happens at Circe’s cottage. From Samantha Morton's riveting performance as the mythical sorceress to the character’s reasoning behind her actions — not to mention the, shall we say, visceral nature of her magic — the scene has rightly provoked some strong reactions.
However, much about Circe in Nolan’s version of The Odyssey remains rather mysterious, so let’s explore everything we know about the character and her powers.
Who Is Circe in Homer’s Odyssey?
On Odysseus’ long journey home, he and his remaining men dock on the island of Aeaea after surviving the Laestrygonians. Broken and hungry after their ordeal, a portion of the men go scouting up to the palace on a nearby hilltop, where they hear beautiful singing from a woman weaving on a large loom.
This woman, Circe, is a sorceress and the daughter of the sun god Helios, and the water nymph Perse. Circe is described as having “lovely braids” but other than that, Homer leaves her appearance up to the imagination. Her palace is surrounded by wolves and lions that Circe has bewitched with her “magic drugs” to remain docile.
She and her servants offer the men food and wine, but she mixes in a potion that turns them all into pigs. When Odysseus finds out, he goes up to the palace to try and reverse the situation. But before he arrives, he is given a herb (referred to as "moly") by Hermes that will make him immune to Circe’s potions.
Long story short, he survives the meal without turning into a pig and she, shocked by his power, turns his men back into their original forms. They then stay at her palace for another year, eating and making merry, before his men suggest they might, you know, want to head back to Ithaca as per the original plan.
What Is Circe’s Story in Nolan’s Odyssey?
Nolan’s interpretation of Circe is quite different to what we see in Homer’s story. In The Odyssey, Circe is a farmer living alone (well, kinda) in a cottage. When the men first come across her, she is afraid they will hurt her, but Eurylochus manages to convince her they really just want some food.
But, once she serves them a bountiful stew, a true horror show starts, as they begin to eat uncontrollably and she morphs them with her bare hands into pigs. When Odysseus shows up, the pigs are snuffling in their pen, but make such a racket that he doesn’t touch the food, instead confronting her with what he suspects she’s done.
Circe justifies her actions by saying that she merely transformed the men into what they truly are — clearly implying that she’d had enough nasty experiences with men in the past to know their true nature. Odysseus manages to convince her that these men are decent enough blokes, so she changes them back and lets them go.
How Powerful Is Circe?
In Nolan’s adaptation, Circe comes across as a formidable woman, but the extent of her powers remains unclear.
However, if we refer to Homer’s poem, we know that Circe is the daughter of a god and a nymph, so she clearly has some powers that mere mortals do not. Homer describes her “spellbinding voice as she glided back and forth on her immortal loom, her enchanting web a glory only goddesses can weave”, clearly showing her to be at least goddess-adjacent, if not divine in her own right.
As a sorceress, Circe clearly knows her way around a potion, and seems to specialise in human-to-animal transformations — as we find out. In addition, she manages to live in a palace in the middle of nowhere with nymph servants and an ever-plentiful supply of resources, so it seems her powers also cover the catering as well as the beautiful lodgings.
Circe also has some kind of foresight, and is the one to tell Odysseus he must visit the Kingdom of the Dead to hear Tiresias’ prophecy. She gives him detailed instructions for how to get there, even providing his ship with a sturdy North Wind to guide them towards the River Styx.
While Circe isn’t the only character in The Odyssey with awesome powers, she is one of the most fascinating figures to appear. And her story doesn’t end with The Odyssey either. She has a seriously bonkers arc in the sequel to Homer’s poem, The Telegony, that involves her having Odysseus’ child and marrying Telemachus. Clearly, the ancient Greeks didn’t put much stock in pearl clutching.
