Teodora 's Reviews > Circe

FEBRUARY 2023 UPDATE: 5/5 ⭐

Changing my rating on this one because I've realised how comforting this book is actually to me. Also, I realised that the whole vibe and aesthetic of the narrative and the scenery and setting and the main character's are actually matching my personality and aesthetic. This could actually be one of the books that could describe me if I would ever have a list of them.
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4.45/5 ⭐

Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺

”Witches are not so delicate”.
Witches are raw power. And raw power through its definition is not delicate.

Being honest right now, I have never been a huge fan of Greek mythology. I used to be obsessed with Egyptian mythology and fascinated by the Celtic one. But Greek mythology seemed all Greek to me (pun intended!). Not because it was unattractive, but just because I never understood it properly. I felt like it was a never-ending tale, too elaborate for my capacity of understanding. But this book written by Madeline Miller, Circe, helped the eyes of my mind flush open with understanding and for this I am thankful.

Circe is introduced to us as a nobody. She is neither a full Goddess, in the true meaning of the concept, nor a mudblooded mortal. She is a Goddess, the daughter of the mighty Sun, the Titan Helios, and the beautiful nymph Perse, but the mundanity of her voice and the inutility of her presence made her a lesser Goddess in other Gods' point of view, even lesser than universally considered. She is an outcast even in her own family and as hard as she wants to change this, she’s bound by unseen powers not to (Fates, duh!).

The book expands some universal and social ideas: the road of an outcast hero, searching for love in a loveless life, feminist actions abnormal for the collective mentality of the time, vengeance and forgiveness. So many more.

Starting with the road of an outcast hero, all is there to say is if you are not outcasted, then you don’t suffer and if you don’t suffer you have no drive to make something worth out of your life. In this case, an infinite, immortal life. Circe’s exile on the isle of Aiaia makes her realise the infinite power that she possesses within her and everywhere around her. It all starts with a plant. It all ends with the same plant.

Pharmaka is associated in the book with witchcraft. The power of the herbs to heal is magical. In my native language, Romanian, there is a word similar to the word pharmaka and its meaning from the book. We say farmece, witchery spells. When someone does farmece to you, that person casts an unseen and unfelt spell over you (both metaphorically and practically speaking). Circe’s power is to tame the so-feared pharmaka and use it without being afraid.

Circe is a powerful individual, but she gains this power from her wisdom, the wisdom of time: ””You are wise”, he said. ”If it is so”, I said, ”it is only because I have been a fool enough for a hundred lifetimes””. She is a free spirit and she has her father’s roots of pride. She is her own master and she doesn't agree with the ancient etiquettes, sung by bards and stuck for eternity in people’s minds: „Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep”. This shows the power of freedom she raised in herself.

Circe is powerful, yes. Circe is unique. Circe is herself. She gives us a valuable lesson on how to live free and how to live sufficiently. She is a figure of self-respect and self-care and she says, with unspoken words, that if you want to live happily, you have to live true to yourself.

And as to paraphrase a quote from the book as my own strong impression of Circe, however gold she shines, do not forget her fire.