CIRCE (daughter of Helios)

1. CIRCE (daughter of Helios) Goddess - Enchantress living in a mansion in the woods Always surrounded by wolves and lions (tamed) Invited Odysseus’ his men to eat during their travels; put a potion in the meal and turned his men to swine. Odysseus was warned by Athena to eat (moly) to make him immune to the potion; he drew his sword on Circe. She promised to free his men if he stayed with her; He stayed with her in her mansion for for one year – though it felt like only a few days under her charm.

2. CALYPSO Goddess-nymph of Ogygia. Enchants/seduces Odysseus with her singing. Fell in love with Odysseus; kept him on her island for 7 years to make him her immortal husband. Promised him eternal life if he stayed… Odysseus wants to return to Penelope; Athena asks Zeus to order Calypso to set Odysseus free, for it is not his destiny to stay With her; send Hermes with message. She is angered that Zeus will not allow love Between a mortal and immortal, but sends Odysseus away with bread, wine, and a boat Out of respect for him and the gods.

3. Lotus Flower/Eaters The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary food of the island and were narcotic, causing the people to sleep in peaceful apathy. Urban Dictionary: In modern usage, the term Lotus Eater is used negatively. It refers to self absorbed, pseudo-intellectual dope smokers who are prone to grandiose ideas, but insulated from the real-world consequences. Lotus Eaters think that their skewed reality is similar to all other peoples in all other circumstances.

4. The Cyclops (Polyphemus) Archetype: from the Greek word ‘archetypos’, meaning “original pattern.” Polyphemus = “much spoken of” or “famous” (son of Poseidon and a nymph) 1 eyed giants, dwelling on the island of Sicily. Origins: The idea of the Cyclopes’ single eye arose from… an actual practice of blacksmiths wearing an eye patch over one eye to prevent flying sparks from blinding them in both eyes (ancient Greece) the prehistoric dwarf elephant skulls – about twice the size of a human skull – that may have been found by the Greeks on Cyprus, Crete, Malta, and Sicily.

5. Sirens (muses of the underworld) The song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons,even though they see beached skulls... Margaret Atwood Dangerous and beautiful creatures, portrayed as femmes fatales who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island Early Greek Art: Sirens were represented as birds with large women's heads, bird feathers and scaly feet. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings, playing a variety of musical instruments, especially harps Their song, though irresistibly sweet, was no less sad than sweet, and lapped both body and soul in a fatal lethargy, the foreshadowing of death and corruption. Siren Song refers to an appeal that is hard to resist but that, if followed, will lead to death.

6. Scylla A monster with four eyes, six long necks equipped with grisly heads, each of which contained three rows of sharp teeth. Her body consisted of twelve tentacle-like legs and a cat's tail while four to six dog-heads ringed her waist. Lived on one side of a narrow channel of water off the coast of Sicily, opposite its counterpart Charybdis…. Scylla was a beautiful nymph who was claimed by Poseidon, but the jealous Amphitrite turned her into a monster by poisoning the water of the spring where Scylla would bathe. While Scylla was bathing in the sea, the jealous Circe poured a potion into the sea water which caused Scylla to transform into a monster In this form she attacked the ships of passing sailors, seizing one of the crew with each of her heads.

7. Charybdis Once a lovely maiden, Charybdis was loyal to her father (Poseidon) in his endless feud with Zeus. She claimed so much land for her father's kingdom that Zeus became enraged and changed her into a sea monster 75 foot diameter – it does exist but is rarely dangerous. “Between Scylla and Charybdis” thus means having to choose between two dangers, either of brings harm.