Odysseus and Circe
Ailie MacMillan
The terracotta vase held in the Metropolitan Museum is not special. It was said to have been made around 440 BCE, and was most likely used to mix water and wine (the MET). Even the story painted on it is one that you would expect; one of the greatest heroes of the ancient world and his defeat of a minor goddess. What is interesting about it, however, are the undertones of the story drawn on the sides of the vase that portrays how religion/myth influenced gender roles in ancient Greece as seen when comparing Circe and Pandora.
Circe was a pharmakis – a type of “witch” that specializes in using potions and herbs to cast spells (Felici). She lived alone on the island Aeaea, with no husband or male figure who resided with her. This made Circe an independent woman, which betrayed many of the societal structures that were upheld in Greece at the time, causing the reader of the story to think of her as evil since no self-respecting woman would have lived without a man. Then, when Odysseus and his crew arrived on the island, she invited the men over for a feast. Odysseus did not go, which ended up being a wise decision, since Circe used her knowledge of magic to turn the men into boars. Luckily, Eurylochus escaped and warned Odysseus, who used a moly plant bestowed upon him by Hercules to resist Crice’s magic, then threatened her and succeeded in having Circe return his men back to humans. What was interesting, however, is that once she had been defeated by Odysseus, Circe changed. Instead of being the femme fatale figure that had greeted the hero and his crew to the island, she had become a “proper woman” who was a gracious and kind host to her guests (cite).
The “taming” of Circe into a more traditional woman by Odysseus reminded me of the story of the first woman – Pandora. Both women were portrayed to be one-dimensional seductresses with hearts of coal. Both are seen to make the lives of the men around them miserable, and their existence alone is punishment for the superior humans. In both of these stories as well, the men in the lives of women (Pandora representing all Greek women) must make them docile – Odysseus so that he can live, and mankind so that they do not grow old alone (La Fond 04:38-20:10). I cannot help but notice how clearly the women were given a role in ancient Greece, one of life-long servitude for men. Circe especially was seen as the villain in her story until she submitted to this idea of what it meant to be a woman by the old Greek standards. Both women differ slightly in their tasks to please the men, however, since Pandora’s/womankind’s role was to covet men sexually and keep the house, while Circe had to be a gracious host (whether this also meant something sexual is unclear). It is hard to more closely compare just Circe and Pandora, since Pandora herself was meant to represent all of womankind, but comparing Circe to the values which the Greeks upheld for women due to the story of Pandora in which women were sent as punishment for men shows obvious connections. Both stories made it so that women were not just servants to the men, but servants which the men had to keep in check so that they did not stray morally – become independent.
The use of religion to set societal expectations for women helped to keep these sexist rules around for a long time, since any woman acting immorally could just be accused of being a heretic or non-believer. In a place like ancient Greece where even the human heroes in some stories were worshiped just for being associated with the gods, this was a very big accusation. This explains why women like Circe in the beginning of her story with Odysseus were seen as evil, since they represented what the gods thought women should not be.
Galina Kim
What can one learn from an ancient ceramic vase? This terracotta vessel for mixing wine and water, also known as a calyx-krater, is adorned with several painted scenes, one of them being the moment when the Greek hero Odysseus angrily chases the sorceress Circe upon realizing that she converted his men into animals. Circe plays a relatively minor role in Odysseus’ long journey, so the artist’s choice to paint that interaction is fascinating. Other panels on this vase also portray the interactions between men and women. Perhaps this piece has multiple purposes - the artist’s fascination and love for mythology, in particular, the obstacles faced by Odysseus on his return to his wife Penelope, and the gender roles in Ancient Greece.
In the Odyssey, exhausted Odysseus and his crew reach the island of Aeaea on their journey back to Ithaca. They soon discover that the island is ruled by the sorceress Circe, daughter of Helios, the god of the sun. Unbeknownst to them, Circe has the power to turn men into animals. Shortly after their arrival, she turns Odysseus’ men into pigs. As Odysseus realized what had happened, the god Hermes appeared with help for Odysseus. Hermes explained Circe’s powers and gave Odysseus magic plant moly, which helped him become invincible against Circe’s spell as she also tried to turn him into a pig. He threatened Circe with his sword and made her change his men back to their human shape. Odysseus remained on Circe’s island for another year, and they had a son, Telegonus. Then, Odysseus asked Circe to return home, to which she agreed and advised him on the next step of his journey (Morford et al. H232).
Odysseus is generally described as a classic Greek hero and is praised for his bravery and strength. Much of his story is about the many obstacles he faced and conquered to return home to his wife, Penelope. Because of that, he and Penelope are often considered a great love story, with their reunion being a happy ending to the saga. Yet, what stands out most is how Odysseus’ infidelity to his wife is practically accepted as normal. While Odysseus is on his exploration, he is tempted by many women and even engages in long-term love affairs with other women. He spends seven years with goddess Calypso on the Ogygia island, even developing a relationship significant enough for Calypso to offer Odysseus immortality (Morford et al. 517). He also spends a year with Circe, and they have a son, even after she turns his men into animals. Odysseus is never criticized for his infidelity. In stark contrast, Penelope remains faithful to her husband for twenty years, despite her hardships as she kept Ithaca alone as a single mother.
Unfortunately, this double standard was the norm for the people of Ancient Greece. It goes along with the inequalities endured by Ancient Greek women. Compared to men, they had no rights when it came to voting or owning land, and their primary purpose in life was to take care of their families. Considering that, it probably wouldn’t even occur to Penelope to criticize her husband for cheating. Moreover, it’s important to note that Circe is another example of women succumbing to men. Although she is a powerful female figure with magical powers, she is defeated by Odysseus and ‘tamed’ into becoming a generous hostess and a more traditional woman.
This calyx-krater appears to reflect the theme of gender in Ancient Greece. The rest of the vessel shows interactions between men and women, with the bottom front panel showing a male between two females and the back of the vase depicting two women and a king (The MET). Unfortunately, the name of the creator of the vase is unknown, and the piece is attributed to the Persephone painter, which is a pseudonym. What we know is that the artist chose to decorate this vase with paintings of powerful men surrounded by women, or in the case of Odysseus, women being defeated by a man. Sadly, this reflects on the gender norms held by most pre-modern societies.
Larkin Hobart Dimeff
This terracotta vase made around 440 BCE depicts one of Greece’s most famous heroes and his strength. Odysseus fends off the minor Goddess and witch Circe during his epic voyage we know as the Odyssey. Odysseus found Circe alone on her island Anaea. She, seemingly overjoyed by the prospect of guests, invited all his men to her home for a feast, and they all went. Except Odysseus. Circe was what is known as a Pharmakis, or a witch that is knowledgeable especially about casting spells using herbs and potions. This word, Pharmakis, is where we ended up with the word pharmacist/ pharmacy. With this knowledge, she used a spell to turn all of Odysseus’ men into boars, save for one who was able to escape and warn Odysseus of what had happened. With the use of a plant gifted to him by the legendary Hercules, Odysseus was able to defend against her magic and in the end threatened her and convinced her to return his men to their original forms. This is the moment depicted on our vase. The odd part of this story is that after this encounter, Circe seems to change her tune, and Odysseus ends up staying with her on her island for a whole year and fathers two sons with her, Latinus and Telegonuns, forgetting, it seems that he has a wife and child back home. This story details one of two affairs Odysseus had while on his journey. The other is with Calypso, another woman on an island, however, unlike Circe, Odysseus did not consensually stay with Calypso. She is a goddess who is trapped on an island, and she captures Odysseus and holds him prisoner for seven years. Over that time she coerces him into being her lover, it does not seem to be a consensual affair.
A fascinating thing about Calypso is that she seems to make an appearance in the epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest known piece of writing. It follows the beautiful story of a demigod-like person, Gilgamesh, and his dear friend Enkidu on their adventures. The epic mentions “ the lone female plies the inconsolable hero-wanderer with drink and sends him off to a place beyond the sea reserved for a special class of honoured people" and "to prepare for the voyage he has to cut down and trim timbers.”(Dally, S).
This vase is nothing special, it would have been a common sight in ancient Greece, used for mixing and holding wine and water. The amazing art we see now would have been completely routine in the daily life of those living in the time. The depiction of great heroes and villains on daily use items seems to show a love of their stories and history and the importance placed on teaching and knowing these amazing tales.
Works Cited
Dalley, S. (1989) Myths from Mesopotamia . Oxford University Press, Oxford, NY.
Felici, Marcia. “Circe: The Odyssey’s Warning for Femininity.” The Collector, 26 May 2022, https://www.thecollector.com/circe-sorceress-odyssey/ . Accessed 29 July 2023.
La Fond, Marie. “Rise of Man, Rise of Woman: Prometheus and Pandora.” Greek and Roman Myth . University of Washington, July 2023, https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1643084/pages/lesson-2-video-lectures?module_item_id=18539192
Accessed 29 July 2023.
Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology . 11 th ed., Oxford UP, 2019.
The MET. “Terracotta calyx-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water).” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/253627 . Accessed 30 July 2023.