The Mythology of Circe Explained (Witch from Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey)

I did it. I went to see The Odyssey. I won’t spoil anything here, and I’ve got a full review on the way, but before I release that, I want to talk about Circe—the witch from The Odyssey who transforms Odysseus’s men into pigs and eventually gives him the instructions he needs to reach the entrance to the Underworld. The movie also makes some pretty significant choices about who Circe is, what she represents, and how her encounter with Odysseus actually unfolds. And that inspired me to take a deep dive into some of her history, examining her origins and how the Circe we saw on screen differs from the Circe of Myth. Topics Covered In This Video: Who was Circe in Greek mythology? Circe’s role in Homer’s Odyssey explained The mythology of Circe in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey How Christopher Nolan changed Circe’s story Why Circe was one of the darkest parts of The Odyssey Samantha Morton’s portrayal of Circe explained Was Circe a witch, goddess, or sorceress? Who were Circe’s parents in Greek mythology? Circe’s connection to Helios, Aeetes, and Pasiphae Where was Circe’s island of Aeaea? Circe’s enchanted wolves and lions explained Why Circe transformed Odysseus’s men into pigs The disturbing meaning behind the pig transformation How Nolan turned Circe’s magic into body horror Why Odysseus’s men retained their human minds as pigs How Odysseus defeated Circe in Homer’s Odyssey How Hermes and the magical herb moly protected Odysseus Why Christopher Nolan removed Hermes and moly The meaning of Circe’s crow in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey Was Circe’s transformed sister in Homer’s original poem? Did Circe and Odysseus become lovers? Why Odysseus remained on Circe’s island for an entire year Why Nolan removed Circe and Odysseus’s relationship Why Circe sent Odysseus to the Underworld Who was the prophet Tiresias in The Odyssey? What Odysseus learned in the land of the dead Circe’s warning about the Sirens explained Why Odysseus tied himself to the mast Circe’s role in the creation of Scylla explained How Scylla became a monster in Greek mythology Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey explained The biggest changes Nolan made to Homer’s Odyssey How accurate is Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey? Christopher Nolan’s approach to Greek mythology Homer’s Odyssey compared with Nolan’s movie The journey of Odysseus after the Trojan War The Cyclops, Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis explained The major gods, witches, and monsters in The Odyssey Why Nolan reduced the direct involvement of the Greek gods What Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey gets right about Circe Questions Answered: Who was Circe in The Odyssey? Was Circe a witch or a goddess? Who played Circe in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey? Why did Circe turn Odysseus’s men into pigs? Did the men know they had been transformed into pigs? What did Circe mean when she said the men were already pigs? How did Nolan change Circe’s transformation spell? How did Odysseus resist Circe’s magic in Homer? What was the magical herb moly? Why are Hermes and moly absent from Nolan’s movie? Who was the crow in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey? Did Circe really have a sister who became a crow? Did Circe and Odysseus have a relationship? How long did Odysseus remain with Circe? Why did Circe send Odysseus to the Underworld? Who was Tiresias, and what did he tell Odysseus? How did Circe help Odysseus survive the Sirens? Did Circe transform Scylla into a monster? How does Nolan’s Circe differ from Homer’s Circe? How accurate is Christopher Nolan’s version of Circe? What did Christopher Nolan change from Homer’s Odyssey? What happens during Odysseus’s journey home from Troy? Who are the main monsters in The Odyssey? Why does Nolan portray Greek magic as body horror? Was Circe the darkest part of Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices