Editing Circe (section)

=== Pre-Odyssey ===
[[File:J. W. Waterhouse - Circe Invidiosa - Google Art Project.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Circe and [[Scylla]] in [[John William Waterhouse]]'s ''[[Circe Invidiosa]]'' (1892)|alt=]]

In the ''[[Argonautica]]'', [[Apollonius Rhodius|Apollonius]] relates that Circe purified the [[Argonauts]] for the murder of Medea's brother [[Absyrtus]],<ref>"They escaped neither the vast sea's hardships nor vexatious tempests till Kirké<!--Kirké in original--> should wash them clean of the pitiless murder of Apsyrtos" ([[Apollonius of Rhodes]], ''[[Argonautica]]'', iv. 586–88, in Peter Grean's translation).</ref> possibly reflecting an early tradition.<ref>See the ancient concept of ''[[Miasma (Greek mythology)|miasma]]'', a Peter Green's commentary on iv. 705–17, ''The Argonautika Apollonios Rhodios'', (1997, 2007) p. 322.</ref> In this poem, the Argonauts find Circe bathing in salt water; the animals that surround her are not former lovers transformed but primeval "beasts, not resembling the beasts of the wild, nor yet like men in body, but with a medley of limbs."<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/830/830-h/830-h.htm#2H_4_0006|title=iv: 659–84|date=1997|publisher=Gutenberg.org|access-date=2014-03-19}}</ref> Circe invites Jason, Medea and their crew into her mansion; uttering no words, they show her the still bloody sword they used to cut Absyrtus down, and Circe immediately realizes they have visited her to be purified of murder. She purifies them by slitting the throat of a suckling pig and letting the blood drip on them. Afterwards, Medea tells Circe their tale in great detail, albeit omitting the part of Absyrtus' murder; nevertheless Circe is not fooled, and greatly disapproves of their actions. However, out of pity for the girl, and on account of their kinship, she promises not to be an obstacle on their way, and orders Jason and Medea to leave her island immediately.<ref>[[Apollonius Rhodius]], ''[[Argonautica]]'' [https://archive.org/details/theargonauticaof00apoliala/page/170/mode/2up 4.662]-[https://archive.org/details/theargonauticaof00apoliala/page/172/mode/2up 752]</ref>

The sea-god [[Glaucus]] was in love with a beautiful maiden, [[Scylla]], but she spurned his affections no matter how he tried to win her heart. Glaucus went to Circe, and asked her for a magic potion to make Scylla fall in love with him too. But Circe was smitten by Glaucus herself, and fell in love with him. Glaucus did not love her back, and turned down her offer of marriage. Enraged, Circe used her knowledge of herbs and plants to take her revenge; she found the spot where Scylla usually took her bath, and poisoned the water. When Scylla went down to it to bathe, dogs sprang from her thighs and she was transformed into the familiar monster from the ''Odyssey''.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://ovid.lib.virginia.edu/trans/Metamorph14.htm#487618604 14.1-74]</ref><ref>[[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#199 199]</ref> In another, similar story, [[Picus]] was a Latian king whom Circe turned into a woodpecker.<ref>[[Virgil]], ''[[Aeneid]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/245#7.148 7.186]</ref> He was the son of [[Saturn (mythology)|Saturn]], and a king of [[Latium]]. He fell in love and married a [[nymph]], [[Canens (mythology)|Canens]], to whom he was utterly devoted. One day as he was hunting boars, he came upon Circe, who was gathering herbs in the woods. Circe fell immediately in love with him; but Picus, just like Glaucus before him, spurned her and declared that he would remain forever faithful to Canens. Circe, furious, turned Picus into a woodpecker.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://ovid.lib.virginia.edu/trans/Metamorph14.htm#487618609 14.320-396]</ref> His wife Canens eventually wasted away in her mourning.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://ovid.lib.virginia.edu/trans/Metamorph14.htm#487618610 14.397-434]</ref>

During [[Giants (Greek mythology)|the war between the gods and the giants]], one of the giants, [[Picolous]], fled the battle against the gods and came to Aeaea, Circe's island. He attempted to chase Circe away, only to be killed by Helios, Circe's ally and father.<ref>[[Eustathius of Thessalonica|Eustathius]], ''Ad Odysseam'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=EAYREAAAQBAJ&pg=PT324 10.305] "Alexander of [[Paphos]] reports the following tale: Picoloos, one of the Giants, by fleeing from the war led against Zeus, reached Circe’s island and tried to chase her away. Her father Helios killed him, protecting his daughter with his shield; from the blood which flowed on the earth a plant was born, and it was called μῶλυ because of the μῶλος or the battle in which the Giant aforementioned was killed."</ref> From the blood of the slain giant, a herb came into existence; [[Moly (herb)|moly]], named thus from the battle (malos) and with a white-coloured flower, either for the white Sun who had killed Picolous or the terrified Circe who turned white;<ref>[[Ptolemaeus Chennus|Ptolemy Hephaestion]], ''New History'' [https://topostext.org/work/237#190.32 4] "The plant “moly” of which Homer speaks; this plant had, it is said, grown from the blood of the giant killed in the isle of Circe; it has a white flower; the ally of Circe who killed the giant was Helios; the combat was hard (mâlos) from which the name of this plant."</ref><ref>Rahner, Hugo. ''Greek Myths and Christian Mystery'' New York. Biblo & Tannen Publishers. 1971. pg. [https://books.google.com/books?id=N8XAF-JE6PAC&pg=PA204 204]</ref> the very plant, which mortals are unable to pluck from the ground, that Hermes would later give to Odysseus in order to defeat Circe.<ref>[[Homer]], ''[[Odyssey]]'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0218%3Abook%3D10%3Acard%3D6 10.302&ndash;306]</ref>