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Circe

American  
[sur-see] / ˈsɜr si /

noun

  1. Also called AeaeaClassical Mythology. Also the enchantress represented by Homer as turning the companions of Odysseus into swine by means of a magic drink.

  2. a dangerously or irresistibly fascinating woman.


Circe British  
/ ˈsɜːsɪ, sɜːˈsɪən /

noun

  1. Greek myth an enchantress who detained Odysseus on her island and turned his men into swine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Circe Cultural  
  1. In classical mythology, a powerful sorceress who turned people into swine. On the way home from Troy, the crew of Odysseus fell prey to her spells.


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There’s even a spinoff of the original poem in which Odysseus has kids with Circe.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 4, 2026

Meanwhile NielsenIQ noted many related works -- including "The Iliad", Madeline Miller's "Circe" and Margaret Atwood's "The Penelopiad" -- had also seen "significant" sales uplifts.

From Barron's Jul. 30, 2026

Also in the field of women’s monstrosity, there’s Madeline Miller’s Circe and other contemporary feminist retellings, fiction that rehabilitates female villains of legend and literature, from Lady Macbeth to Baba Yaga to Japanese yokai.

From Slate Oct. 28, 2024

The pattern across the jersey is inspired by a fifth-century BC vase attributed to Persephone, which depicts Ulysses and the sorceress Circe in Homer's Odyssey.

From BBC Jul. 23, 2024

One morning Circe climbed all the way to the third floor with a covered plate of scrapple and found two empty rooms.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

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