Tuesday 20 November 2012

Circe's Island





In ancient Greek mythology,the warrior king Odysseus,on his ten year 
journey home from the
Trojan War to his homeland of Ithaca,landed on the Island of Aiaia.

Unknown to Odysseus and his crew this was the home of the enchantress

and sorceress Circe,and her nymph attendants.




Drawn towards the centre of the island by the sight of smoke rising across
the dense forest and undergrowth,they set out to investigate.
























Eventually they reached a clearing in the heart of the forest.




Here stood Circe's palace,where docile wild animals prowled around the house and grounds.
With the use of magic potions and a wand Circe transformed her enemies and those who upset her
into wild animals. The men obviously appeared a threat to her so she set about changing them into

 wild boar,however with the  help of the God Hermes,Odysseus persuaded 
her to release them from the spell.
Renowned for her knowledge of herbs and drugs it seems that she had
excellent protection against unwelcome invaders.


Odysseus remained on the island for a year before continuing his journey.




Painting by John William Waterhouse  - 1891


Goddess Circe,daughter of Sun God Helios,offering a potion to Odysseus.





I always think this beautiful vase by Siddy Langley looks like a potion bottle.When I bought it,sometime
in the 90s, I remember being told something about an ancient Roman technique incorporating
 gold being used in it's design. The colours glow as the light changes
throughout the day.




Poseidon blowing on the waters !





I'm making a wand for Circe.

 Hopefully the completed work will be shown in my next post.






15 comments:

Boris said...

If scenery on the island was like in your photos, it is not surprising that Odysseus stayed on the island for a year.

dritanje said...

It's lovely the way you have re-created the story as a series of images! And it's great to see you're making a wand for Circe.
M xx

biebkriebels said...

What a wonderful post, I like the photos and the story to it. The vase is beautiful with that golden glew. I am looking forward to your piece of art. You are so creative!

Palomasea said...

Breathtakingly beautiful, dear Ruby!
Can't wait to see the finished wand...
Blessings,
- Irina

stardust said...

Ruby, I like your way of telling the mythology using your images. The forest clad in fresh greenery is perfectly fits to the story and mythological island of Circe. Your golden bottle is magically beautiful with Poseidon “blowing on waters” almost soaring to the sky, and I like the cloth which the vase is placed on and is the same color with the vase. Look forward to seeing the magic wand.

Yoko

stardust said...

Sorry, not bottle but vase in the second line.

cosmos said...

Your vivid imagination makes a series of the scenery more attractive and mystic. The beautiful vase surely looks like Circe's portion bottle; its pattern, shape ,"colors glow as the change of light" as well. Her magic wand must be so magically beautiful!

snowwhite said...

Ruby,
What a beautiful series of photos based on Greek mythology. Especially 8th photo depicts the place where Goddess Circe lives very well. When it comes to mythology, I will be never tired of it. She is beautiful!! On the mirror I see Odysseus. He had the portion. He did not become a wild bore, but he was enchanted by her.
I want to gaze at the vase whose colors are changing and glowing all day long! Poseidon is about to appear from the water any moment.
Thanks a lot for sharing this.
keiko

Pet said...

I think I wouldn't be able to resist the atraction of your forest, and its enchantress' either :-)
What a Scotish way to make the story atractive to foreigners of your land!

Magia da Inês said...

♡¸.•°
Olá, amiga!
Ver essas paisagens maravilhosa já enfeitiçam!!!
Boa semana!
Beijinhos do Brasil

✿ °•.¸♡¸.•°✿

Tammie Lee said...

thank you for taking me on a wonderful journey full of gorgeously magical nature.

Sciarada said...

Ciao Ruby, I also like Ulysses, I would be tempted to spend 10 years in an island so beautiful! ^_^
I'm curious to see your wand of Circe!
Have a good ispiration!

Jenny Woolf said...

Oh you are right, Circe could live there. I can see it. I have not looked at many Waterhouse paintings, but I will seek some out now. And the vase is lovely. It looks to me liks glass that has been buried in the earth for many centuries. Very very old glass often has that rainbow effect.

Forest Dream Weaver said...

Thank you for your comments.

Happy weekend!
Ruby

Rurousha said...

You really got my imagination going with this post. I love trees, and this was a very intriguing trip through the forest! Where do we go next? ^^

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