Circe

 

Circe

By Madeline Miller

 

Madeline Miller does a genius job presenting ancient Greek Gods in the 21^st century from a woman’s perspective.  She connects it all with a sense of bravery and courage.  Circe is a Greek nymph goddess yet she was not up to flawless nymph perfection.  That flaw was her strength.  In the beginning she showed a sense of courage to console Prometheus as he stood alone after being punished for his foolish love for mortals.  Her father Helios, god of the sun was not happy about this mischievous escapade.  Circe’s flaw gave her a mind of her own.  Like many nymph goddesses she learned the art of healing apothecary (pharmacy) that evolved into witchcraft as she added spells to her potion.    Later Circe and cousin nymph Scylla get into a nymph cat fight that ends with Circe putting a spell on Scylla, turning her into a dreaded monster of the sea.  That deed found Circe in her dad’s doghouse through to the end of goddess days.

Banned in exile to an island Circe had to teach herself survival skills.  She tamed the wild animals and brought the whole island under her spell.  Not just the occupants but the island itself.  She cast a spell that caused the island, Aiaia to be a shield against Athena. In her survival mode she made the island her home in the same way a 21^st century woman would do with her household.  Nesting, a trait in women pulled through time.  It warmed up the book. 

Yet to set the book afire the love triangles  leaves Pythagoras  at a loss for his hypotenuse.  Odysseus was the one mortal to win the heart and loins of Circe.  He leaves her on the island alone and pregnant to head home to Ithica and his wife Penelope.  Circe’s son grown son of Odysseus  then leaves Aiaia for Ithica to find his father and accidently kills him in the process.   He then returns to Aiaia with Odysseus’ wife Penelope and her son for safe harbor from the toxic vengeance of Greek god rivalry.  There, Athena finally breaks through and makes a deal with Circe involving her son.  Leaving Penelope and her son with Circe who has fallen in love with Penelope’s mortal son.  All this heat leaves Circe with a decision to make.  And you have to read the book to find out how that went.

When I was young it seemed Greek mythology was on the high school curriculum to impart wisdom.  They failed… because they missed the mark.  They did not pull the quips of wisdom through time the way Madeline Miller does.