FIVE

THE WITCH’S PALACE

Odysseus opened the gate that led to Circe’s palace. Huge wolves and lions prowled the courtyard. The animals approached him eagerly, sniffing the air and making soft, friendly sounds. Odysseus stared at them with horror and pity. He knew that they were men trapped in the bodies of wild creatures.

Odysseus moved swiftly through the courtyard. At the door of the palace, he called out for Circe.

Soon the enchantress appeared. Her long braids gleamed like gold. Her jeweled gown shimmered and sparkled.

She spoke in a soft, warm voice. “Enter, please,” she said to Odysseus, and she held open the door.

Without a word, Odysseus stepped into the sunlit palace. Circe invited him to sit down and rest.

“Let me make a drink to refresh you after your long travels,” she said.

She left the room for a moment. Then she came back with a cup, and she handed it to Odysseus.

“Here,” she said. “Drink this.”

Odysseus put the cup to his lips. As he sipped the brew, Circe tapped him with her wand.

“Foolish man!” she said. “Off to the pigsty with the rest of them!”

Hermes’ magic herb protected Odysseus from Circe’s evil spell. He did not turn into a pig as the witch had expected. Instead, he pulled out his bronze sword and held it to her throat.

Circe shrieked in alarm. “Why does my magic have no effect on you?” she cried. “Who are you? What is your name?”

“My name is Odysseus,” he told her.

“Odysseus!” she said. “Hermes once told me that a great warrior named Odysseus would someday visit my palace. If you are indeed this man, put away your sword! We must trust one another and become friends.”

Odysseus glared at her. “How can you speak of trust when your evil magic has transformed my men into beasts? You must swear an oath that you will do nothing to harm me.”

Circe bowed her head. In a whisper she swore not to harm Odysseus. When Odysseus put his sword away, she called for her handmaidens.

Lovely nymphs of the woods and rivers slipped out from the shadows of the palace. They made a great fire under a huge cauldron of water.

Odysseus bathed in the soft, healing waters. Then he dressed in a flowing cloak. The nymphs led him to the great hall of the palace where a feast had been prepared for him.

Circe invited Odysseus to sit at her table. She filled their golden cups with wine.

But Odysseus would not eat or drink. He sat in silence, staring at Circe.

“Odysseus, why will you not eat my bread or drink my wine?” she asked. “You must not fear me now, for I have given my solemn oath that I will never harm you.”

Odysseus fixed his eyes upon her. “What sort of captain could enjoy meat or wine when his men are not free?” he asked. “If you want me to be happy at your table, you must undo the spell you have cast over my men.”

Circe held his gaze for a long moment. Then she took a deep breath and rose from the table. With her wand in her hand, she stepped out of the palace into the courtyard.

Odysseus followed her and watched her open the gate to the pigsty. Twenty-two fat pink hogs barreled forward, snorting and grunting.

The enchantress rubbed a potion on the head of each animal, then touched them all with her wand. All at once their bristles fell off, and the pigs miraculously turned back into men. The men were younger, taller, and more handsome than ever before. They embraced Odysseus and wept with joy. They asked about their comrades.

Even Circe was moved by the tears of her captives. “Odysseus, go back to the rest of your crew. Bring them to my palace,” she said. “I swear that I will treat them well, too.”

Odysseus left the palace. He hurried through the green forest until he came to the men waiting for him on the shore. When they saw their leader alive, they shouted with great relief and threw their arms around him.

“With the help of Hermes, the spell of Circe, the enchantress, has been broken,” said Odysseus. “Your comrades have all been turned back into men. Come with me now to the palace and you shall be united with them.”

Some of the Greeks drew back in fear.

“I assure you,” Odysseus told them gently, “Circe has sworn to welcome you into her palace.”

All the men finally agreed to go with Odysseus. They pulled their ship onto the shore and hid all their belongings in a cave. Then they followed Odysseus back through the shadowy green forest until they came to Circe’s glimmering palace.

Circe welcomed the Greeks into her palace. She bid her handmaidens to draw baths for the men and anoint them with olive oil. The nymphs gave the tired Greeks woolen cloaks and tunics, then led them to a feast in the great hall.

At the feast, Circe urged Odysseus to remain with her in her palace. “You are not the same man you were when you left Ithaca long ago,” she said. “Your battles and sorrows have left you weak and weary. Your own family will not know you.”

Odysseus did indeed feel a great weariness as he thought of the war with Troy and his nightmarish voyage toward home—the monsters and giants, the cruel deaths of his men.

“Stay with me until you have forgotten all your grief and sad memories,” said Circe. “When you are strong in mind and body, I will help you find your way home.”

Feeling the burden of his losses, Odysseus surrendered to the wishes of the lovely witch. He promised Circe he would stay with her until he and his men were strong again.