Week 3 Storytelling : The Shape of the Beast

The Shape of the Beast
Circe grew up in the forest surrounded by animals and all the wildlife she could dream of.  None of the animals were afraid of her, and she was afraid of none of them.  She treated the lion, the mouse, the bat, and the fish all as equals.  She would sing to them, care for them, and they in turn would care for her, bring her nuts and plants to nourish her.  Many years passed, and Circe earned favor with the gods for retrieving a lost child of Zeus using her hounds and their noses.  

To thank Circe for her kind deed, Zeus gave her a grand house made of marble stone, and a beautiful island that was to be her own, and handmaidens to take care of her every need. Circe lived on the island for many years, lonely, missing her friends the animals.  Occasionally a ship would take refuge on her island, and her home.  She would turn the men into many different kinds of animals, depending on their personalities, and she would care for them in her grand house.  Slowly over the years, Circe became less lonely, for she was making new friends, and she took care of her dear animals. 

Circe, by Wright Barker

Circe always knew when a new ship entered her island.  It was not something that occurred often, maybe once every few years.  Circe was always happy to make new friends, and was curious what kind of people the seas washed onto her shore today. Circe stood at the gate of her beautiful home, stroked the silky mane of one of her lions as she waited.

The men appeared at Circe's doorsteps, as she graciously invited them inside.  They followed her to the dinning room.  Circe walked to the end of the table, and delicately took a seat.  She was about to offer the men a seat and a meal, but in the time it had taken her to talk to the far end on the room and sit down, them men had already begone to feast without an invitation.

They helped themselves to her fine meat and finer wine.  They ate her bread, which was always warm and freshly baked, even though Circe herself never did any cooking.  The fruit bowls kept refilling themselves as the men gorged on all of the rich food.  They were probably famished after a long journey of stale hard bread, but this was too much.  The men reminded her of pigs! No manners, no courtesy, and they ate her food without even asking. Circe smiled, never had a decision painted in front of her so clearly, so she turned every single one of the men into the animal that she felt suited them best, pigs.

Author's Note:
This story is inspired by my weekly reading choice: The Odyssey.  This is an old epic story written by Homer, telling of Odysseus's adventures.  During this story Odysseus and his men come upon the isle of Circe.  When exploring the island, the men find a beautiful marble house filled with animals.  Circe, a beautiful women, invites the men inside and offers them food.  As soon as they have eaten the food, Circe turn the men into pigs.  Odysseus only managed to free his men by taking advise from Hermes, and managed to get immunity from Circe's magic, saving his friends.

My retelling of the story is a little different and focuses on Circe.  After some research, I found that all of Circe's stories have a strong animal theme to them.  Circe turns Odysseus' men into pigs, and .  in the tale of Glaucus the fisherman he turns the women Glaucus' love into a sea monster.  I made up my own backstory for Circe, and explained why she has such an affinity for animals, followed by an excerpt from Odysseus, with a new ending.  In my story, unlike the original, the men stay pigs instead of getting rescued by the hero Odysseus.

Bibliography
Story inspired by Homer's Odyssey, translated by Tony Kline.