Wednesday, January 21, 2015

In Book 10 of The Odyssey, how does Odysseus get Circe to release his men?

When Odysseus landed on Circe's island, he spotted the
smoke coming from Circe's fireplace and sent his second-in-command, Eurylochus, to
investigate with half his sailors. Circe, a nymph and sorceress, used a combination of
drugged wine and a magic wand to turn them into swine. Eurylochus managed to escape, not
having drunk the wine, and warned Odysseus.


As Odysseus was
on the way to rescue the men, the god Hermes warned him of his peril and gave him the
herb "moly," which can only be harvested by a god, not a
human:



Its
root is black and its flower white as milk and the gods call it moly. Dangerous for a
mortal man to pluck from the soil but not for deathless
gods...



Odysseus takes the
herb, and when neither the drugged wine nor wand affect him, to Circe's surprise, he
pulls out his sword and threatens her, demanding she release his men. Circe apparently
finds this behavior alluring and seduces Odysseus, after she has sworn binding oaths not
to harm him or his men. After a brief romantic interlude, Circe frees the men and
invites them all to a feast.

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