(Κίρκη [Kírkē]; Latin Circe, Cerca, Circa)
A. Myth
Although the myth of the sorceress C., daugh-ter of Helios and Perse, certainly derives from older traditions, its first and most important portrayal in literature comes in Homer’s Odyssey (Hom. Od. 10,135–574; 12,1–143). When Odysseus reaches the island of Aeaea, C. transforms some of his companions into pigs using a drink she mixes herself and by touching them with her crop, while Odysseus himself is protected by the herb ‘molu’, given to him by Hermes. As an opponent now o…