Circe characters

Appears from the start

An immortal daughter of the sun god Helios and the nymph Perse. Her mortal-sounding voice and unremarkable divine powers make her an object of contempt in her father's brilliant court. More attentive to suffering than most of her family, she risks approaching the condemned Titan Prometheus when he is brought before Helios for punishment.

Also known as Titan of the Sun

Appears from the start

Circe's father, a powerful Titan who drives the sun across the sky. Radiant, wealthy, and accustomed to obedience, he presides over a court in which status and divine power determine worth.

Appears from the start

Circe's mother, a beautiful ocean nymph who sought a match with Helios for the rank it would bring. She shares the divine court's concern with beauty and prestige and offers little comfort to a daughter who reflects poorly on her.

Appears from the start

Circe's younger sister, beautiful, cutting, and skilled at exploiting the hierarchy of Helios's household. She treats Circe with contempt and seeks a powerful marriage suited to her ambitions.

First appears in chapter 2

Circe's younger brother, whom she tends closely after his birth. Precocious and self-contained, he learns rapidly and leaves their father's halls to establish power of his own.

Appears from the start

A Titan who defied Zeus by helping mortals and is brought to Helios's hall to be punished. Though bloodied and restrained, he responds to Circe's secret act of compassion with calm dignity, giving her an early glimpse of courage independent of power.

First appears in chapter 3

A mortal fisherman whom Circe meets near the shore. Honest and physically beautiful, he becomes the focus of her first sustained love and of her growing determination to alter the limits placed on mortal life.

First appears in chapter 3

A lovely sea nymph desired and flattered by many gods. Glaucos becomes fascinated with her after entering divine society, and Circe sees her as a rival for his affection.

First appears in chapter 6

The swift messenger god, clever, irreverent, and drawn to novelty. He visits Circe on Aiaia despite the island's isolation, bringing news of the gods and becoming her intermittent companion and lover.

First appears in chapter 8

A celebrated mortal craftsman serving King Minos of Crete. Intelligent, observant, and constrained by the king's power, he comes to Aiaia to escort Circe to Pasiphae, whose dangerous labor requires another witch's aid.

First appears in chapter 12

Aeëtes' young daughter and a formidable witch in her own right. She reaches Aiaia with Jason while fleeing her homeland, carrying the consequences of the violence she committed to help him obtain the Golden Fleece.

First appears in chapter 14

The resourceful king of Ithaca, stranded on Aiaia with surviving crewmen during his long return from the Trojan War. Wary and persuasive, he meets Circe's power with negotiation rather than force and proves as interested in stories and strategy as she is.

First appears in chapter 17

The mortal son born to Circe and Odysseus on Aiaia after Odysseus has resumed his journey home. A demanding infant vulnerable to divine hostility, he becomes the center of Circe's fiercely protective life.

First appears in chapter 18

The goddess of wisdom and Odysseus's divine patron. She appears to Circe with a demand concerning the newborn Telegonus, making clear that she regards the child as a threat to plans she will not explain.

First appears in chapter 23

Odysseus's widow and the former queen of Ithaca. Intelligent, guarded, and exhausted by the aftermath of her husband's return, she comes to Aiaia with her son after Odysseus's death and seeks refuge from Athena's intentions.

First appears in chapter 23

The son of Odysseus and Penelope, now a young man living in the shadow of his father's reputation. He accompanies his mother to Aiaia although Telegonus's killing of Odysseus might have been expected to make the two families enemies. He is quiet, practical, and unlike the heroic image Circe anticipated.