''Circe'' is a 2018 mythic

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

novel by American writer Madeline Miller. Set during the Greek Heroic Age, it is an adaptation of various Greek myths, most notably the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'', as told from the perspective of the witch

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

. The novel explores Circe's origin story and narrates Circe's encounters with mythological figures such as Hermes, the

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...

, and

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

and ultimately, her romance with

Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...

and his son Telemachus.

Plot

Circe is the

divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

daughter of the titan

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; ; Homeric Greek: ) is the god who personification, personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

and

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; ), sometimes also hydriads, are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who embodied ...

Perse. Deemed unattractive and powerless from birth, she is neglected by her father and bullied by the rest of her family. While still young, she witnesses the titan

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

being punished for giving fire to humanity and gives him nectar when no one is looking. She bonds with her younger brother Aeëtes, but he leaves her to rule his own kingdom. Circe falls in love with Glaucos, a mortal fisherman. Circe feeds Glaucos sap of magical flowers grown in soil that was once soaked with the blood of the titan Kronos and transforms him into a god. Arrogant in his newfound divinity, however, Glaucos rejects Circe in favor of the nymph Scylla. Circe's jealousy causes her to use the flowers' magic again, transforming Scylla into a bloodthirsty six-headed monster. Circe confesses her deeds to Helios, who disbelieves her powers at first; Aeëtes reveals that he and his siblings are witches who can draw out magic from such herbs. To keep the peace between the Titans and the Olympians, led by

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

, Helios and Perse are forbidden from having more children. Aeëtes and his other children are to be monitored, but Circe is punished for purposely seeking out the magic and using it on another god. Circe is permanently

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

d to the island of Aiaia. Here she is able to occupy a luxurious house and adopt a tame lion. Circe uses her exile to hone her witchcraft. Over the centuries she spends on Aiaia, Circe interacts with many mythic figures. She receives visits from the Olympian god Hermes, whom she takes as a lover. She is escorted off the island by the mortal

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...

. During her brief visit to Crete, Circe helps her sister birth the

and uses her witchcraft to help tame the monster. Many years later, the hero

and his wife the witch

(Circe's niece) arrive on Aiaia after having stolen the Golden Fleece from Circe's brother Aeëtes, murdering Medea's brother, Absyrtus, in the process. Circe cleanses them of the crime and warns Medea of Jason's waning interest in her but is rebuffed. Circe enters a period of loneliness and is excited to host a group of forlorn sailors who arrive on Aiaia in search of food and rest. Once the sailors realize that Circe lives alone on the island, the ship captain rapes her. Circe uses her witchcraft to transform all the men into pigs. When subsequent ships arrive at her island she continues to do so, sparing only a handful of crewmen who behave with pious respect and do not attempt to force themselves on her. One ship arrives led by the hero

, who charms Circe into sparing his crew and hosting them on her island. Odysseus and his crew ultimately stay on Aiaia for one year. Though Odysseus and Circe have an affair, he leaves to continue his journey back to Ithaca, where his wife and child wait. Circe gives birth to a son, Telegonus. Circe realizes that the goddess

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

threatens her son. Circe casts a spell to protect the island while Telegonus grows. When the teenage Telegonus begs to leave the island to meet his father, Circe acquires the poison tail of the marine god Trygon as a weapon for his protection. When Telegonus meets his father, however, Odysseus attacks him and is accidentally killed by the poisoned spear. Guilty, Telegonus returns home with Odysseus's wife, Penelope, and son Telemachus. Having lost her hero Odysseus, Athena visits Aiaia to offer her patronage to Telemachus, who refuses her. Telegonus accepts in his stead and embarks on his own heroic journey. Forlorn by the loss of her son, Circe summons her father and asks him to negotiate with Zeus to end her exile. Helios initially refuses, but Circe blackmails him by threatening to inform Zeus of how she spoke with Prometheus, which could potentially start a war between the Olympians and Titans. With Telemachus's help, Circe uses the poison spear to turn Scylla to stone and collects more of the flowers she once used on Glaucos. Finding love with Telemachus, Circe uses the flowers' magic on herself with the intention of becoming mortal and living out her days traveling with him.

Critical reception

According to

Book Marks ''Literary Hub'' or ''LitHub'' is a daily literary website that was launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and '' Electric Literatur ...

, the book received "rave" reviews based on eighteen critic reviews, with twelve being "rave" and five being "positive" and one being "mixed". The critic aggregates Books in the Media and ''Bookmarks'' gave the book ratings of 4.14 and 4 out of 5, respectively. In a review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Claire Messud describes Miller's ''Circe'' as "pleasurable," approving of its

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

themes and its "highly psychologized, redemptive and ultimately exculpatory account" of Circe's familiar tale. A review published via ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' by Ron Charles contextualizes Miller's novel within the MeToo movement and praises her reimagining of Circe's story as "harrowing and unexpected", casting a "feminist light" on timeless tales that "illuminates details we hadn't noticed before." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''s Aida Edemariam also praises Miller for finding novelty and "narrative propulsion" by anchoring her retelling around the "emotional life of a woman."

Awards

Adaptations

In 2019, HBO Max announced an eight-episode adaptation of the novel to be written and produced by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

References

External links

*
Official novel
at Little, Brown
Official novel
at

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...