Circe: Witches, Power, Heroes, and Braids

Circe, a secondary goddess in ancient Greek mythology, is best known as the sorceress in Homer’s Odyssey who turned the men into swine and later helped the hero Odysseus make a required trip into the underworld. 

Circe’s powers of seduction and evil enchantments have titillated the Western imagination for centuries. Now Madeline Miller gives us Circe’s whole story, told from the perspective of the goddess herself.

Miller skillfully handles the mythological fragments of Circe’s documented past to create an absolutely beautiful story, a story that led me to consider the importance of works that reshape the old stories, and how they can help us deconstruct the dominate paradigm of heroes and heroics and power.

Treat yourself to this book and better yet, listen to the audio version narrated by Perdita Weeks. I hope you enjoy my reflections too.

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