Circe 喀耳刻---女魔法师

饼干糖

    Circe is the witch living in the island of Aeaea, who was visited by the crew of heroes called the Argonauts and the Trojan War hero Odysseus. Circe was a powerful witch who, with the help of herbs, muttering incantations, or praying to her gods, could turn men into animals or create unsubstantial images of beasts. She was able to darken the heavens by hiding the moon or the sun behind clouds, and destroy her enemies with poisonous juices, calling to her aid Nyx (Night), Chaos or Hecate, goddess of the crossroads. In her presence and because of her enchantments the woods could move, the ground rumble and the trees around her turn white.
    But as witchcraft may make a victim also of him or her who practices it, the nights of Circe could be wasted in fear because of the uncontrolled visions which filled her house. And so, for example, the walls and chambers of her palace could seem to be bathing in blood, while fire could seem to devour her magic herbs. That is why it was a relief for her when daylight came and she could bathe and clean her garments forgetting the scaring nightly visions.
    If these were visions, those who came to her abode could hallucinate as much as she did, and if not, her world was in fact transformed. For Circe is said to have been surrounded by all kinds of beasts which cannot be seen elsewhere, having an appearance which reminds of what earth produced out of primeval slime. And yet, when others came to the palace of Circe, they also saw many beasts, but of the regular kind, that is, such as lions, bears and wolves, which however, acted as domesticated animals showing their kindness by wagging their tails. Some say these were actually the drugged victims of Circe.

    The witch Circe, whose hair resembled flames, lived in Aeaea, an island which could be located off the western or eastern coast of Italy, where she was brought by her father Helius. The name of this elusive island is what some call a palindrome, for it is the same when read backwards or forwards.
Some of those who visited Aeaea have told that Circe, who lived in a house made of stone in the middle of a clearing in a forest dell, used to sit on a throne wearing a purple robe and a golden veil. They said that her attendants were Nereids and Nymphs, whose only task to sort out the plants and flowers of Circe's herbarium, and put them in separate baskets.
    Besides supervising them Circe, while singing beautifully, wove delicate and dazzling fabrics, which is one of the goddesses' favorite occupations. Others have said that Circe was attended by four maids, one who threw covers over the chairs, another who drew silver tables up to the chairs, placing golden baskets on them, another who mixed the wine, and a fourth who fetched water and lit up the fire to warm it.
    Circe fell in love with Glaucus, brother of the Nereids, who some say had once been a mortal fisherman but afterwards became a sea-deity by chewing a plant. However Glaucus loved Scylla, who was a most beautiful young woman, and when she went to bathe in the sea, Circe, out of jealousy, poisoned the water with her magic drugs. This is how the beautiful girl became a monster with the face and breast of a woman but having in her flanks six heads and twelve feet of dogs, and a danger for ships passing the strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy.