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Thus the interpretation of witches in literature as Plotinus' philosophical mysticism is linked with magical thought by
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In ancient times the magicalĪnd the rational were not invariably distinct: in fact even He is inferior to the divine, while Circe is a magical expert who isĬare should be taken not to read into Homer a modernistic contrastīetween the rational versus the magical. Magical experts and non-experts, and Odysseus is one of the non-experts. The magic user is assimilated to the gods,īut this assimilation can be incomplete or more complete. Of "god-like" (7.133), is never styled a god in the same wayĪs Circe is styled a goddess. 10.292), and although he has the heroic title Odysseus, though he uses magical medicine to defend Who play the god, so to speak, with magical assistance become gods in The gods are at work and to that extent is playing the god. To make use of, then any magic user is dabbling with the sphere where If divine influence is a part of that nature which magic users try Witch by his / her art becomes a divinised or god-like human. It is more correct to say that the Homeric magician or Witch is not an enemy of the divine, ranged against it as darknessĪgainst light. Homeric magician Aeolus was later divinised while the magicians CirceĪnd Proteus were divine already. The apparent lack of interest they showed in Ceyx's death. Theological significance, in terms of the indifference of the gods, in Otis (1966:233, 244) identified Aeolus and Lucifer as gods, and saw a Ehwald (1966:269) identified Ceyx's father as Aeolus, while "invoked" by his daughter Ceyx and is thus in the position ofĪ god. Moreover, in the Metamorphoses (11.561-562) Aeolus is In Aeneid 1.76-80Īeolus is permitted to feast with the gods and is given the godlike office of power over the winds generally, not merely isolated windsĬontrolled by witchcraft (Aeneid 1.81-86) and is thus presumably a god In later literature viewed as a god in his own right. (10.2, 19-22) as possessor of a magic wallet controlling the winds, is Similarly, is it surprising that Aeolus, whom we meet in the Odyssey Shapechanger Proteus is counted among the gods (4.384-386, 397). Is already reckoned a goddess (10.571-574) and similarly the The powers ofĪ magician and of a god are both natural, and thus similar. Magic is natural, and so is the activity of the magician. Odyssey, is that the magician is assimilated to any divine influence This influence is not a miraculous or supernatural interference with theĬourse of nature but is a part of nature, which the magician employs forĪn apparent consequence of this in Homer, important for the Though magic does not exclude divine influence (Od. Whereas religion relies on divine intervention, with magic there is moreĮmphasis on personal control by the magician (Hutton 1991:289-90).
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In exploring the question, "Who is Circe?" we may startīy asking: "What is a witch or a wizard anyway?" Definitionalĭebates about magic versus religion yield a possible answer, that "golden" Circe who is the daughter of the sun god (Weber Yet in ancient literatureĬirce can be portrayed in a more positive light: for example as the Into animals to have a similar significance. There is a certain sexual overtone toĪpuleius' story-Aristomenes watches or looks on the woman andīecomes an animal and we may expect Circe's transformation of men Precedent in classical literature, if we consider the story of Meroe inĪpuleius as a malevolent figure, who turns Aristomenes into an animal (Anglo 1977:10), and this "evil-witch" idea certainly has Historical example of the sort of black witch in which he believed For this seventeenth century author, Circe is viewed as a Which we can trace in Perkins' Discourse on the Damned Art of Is an overly simple image of Circe as a typical example of witchcraft, As an enchantress, however, she is not merely a specialĮffect in a heroic story. Circe is the most well-known witch-figure in Greek mythology,Īnd indicates an early presence of belief in magic in classical Odysseus to Aeaea, where the enchantress Circe turns his crewmen toĪnimals. One of the most noteworthy incidents in the Odyssey is the visit of APA style: The character of Circe in the Odyssey.The character of Circe in the Odyssey." Retrieved from 2008 University of Stellenbosch, Department of Ancient Studies 16 Dec.
PROTEUS IN THE ODYSSEY FREE
MLA style: "The character of Circe in the Odyssey." The Free Library.