Circe’s Island

Somewhere in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea the morning after the storm, we had to either head east to Αια (Greek) also called Cabo Circeo or change course and head south towards the Aeolian Islands. In Odyssey, Ulysses landed on Circe’s island, which according to Srabo was south of Rome.  Cabo Circeo on the west coast of Italy is a small promontory which when approached from the sea looks like an island.  Unlike Odysseus’s who had lost most of his crew to the Laestrygonians, and were sailing with heavy hearts, we were elated as we had survived the storm and had lost only one man to an unknown virus.

As all four of us on Vol de Nuit were of Greek decent and had studied the Odyssey at school, we were aware of the difficulties Odysseus’ men had from their encounter with the beautiful and godly attractive Circe.  Had we succumbed to human weaknesses and vices, imprudent decisions, could have us entangled in Circe’s charms.  Homer tells that Circe (Greek: Κίρκη), the daughter of the Sun God, Helios, was an enchanting and captivating sorceress. Had we interacted with her, she could convince us to try one of her magic potions that caused amnesia and then by merely touching us with her magic wand would have turned us into swine.  Circe invited Ulysses men to a feast during which they drunk the “amnesia potion” that was laced with honey and wine following which, as the story goes, Circe turn them to pigs.  Hermes alerted Odysseus to use the holy herb Moly (Greek:Μῶλυ) as an antidote to Circe’s magic elixirs.   Ulysses thanks to Molly stayed on Circe’s island for a year, feasting, drinking wine and enjoying Circe’s favors.

Odysseus and his men would had stayed captives for life if it was not for Hermes again who advised Odysseus to draw his sword and act as if he was going to attack Circe. According to Homer, Circe released Odysseus and his men from their spell and advised them to either pass thru the dangerous strait of monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis or go to the Underworld and ask Tiresias for directions on how to return to their beloved Ithaca.

As we had favorable northerly winds, unlike Odysseus who went west to Oceanus, to meet Tiresias, we sailed due south towards the Aeolian Islands.