Circe: Sovereignty & Sacred Listening
Circe occupies a fascinating position in classical mythology. Traditionally cast as a dangerous witch who transforms men into beasts, her figure has often been flattened into a warning about female power. Yet modern retellings, particularly Madeline Miller’s Circe (2018), have invited a re-reading of her myth, positioning her not as a villain but as a complex archetype of sovereignty, self-discovery, and deep ecological connection.
This painting was inspired by Miller’s narrative and seeks to explore Circe’s story as an invitation to reimagine power itself. Her exile on the island of Aeaea is not merely a punishment but a crucible: a place of profound initiation where she learns the language of plants, the rhythms of the tide, and the voices of the winds. Her witchcraft becomes a practice of relationship rather than domination, a reciprocal dialogue between herself and the living world.
By recasting Circe as a figure of tender strength, this work aligns with contemporary mythopoeic scholarship, which emphasises the transformative power of story to shape cultural consciousness. Circe’s journey exemplifies a mythic path of self-knowledge rooted in listening and reciprocity. Her magic represents a form of knowledge - one that honours interconnection over hierarchy and presence over spectacle.
In the painting, Circe’s sovereignty is rendered as a quiet authority, inviting the viewer into a space of contemplation. It becomes a visual meditation on exile, transformation, and the re-wilding of one’s voice. This narrative resonates not only within feminist mythological frameworks but also within ecological and spiritual discourse, where myth serves as a bridge between personal transformation and collective re-enchantment.
Circe’s myth offers an enduring archetype: the witch not as a threat to be silenced, but as a guide to deeper listening (to ourselves, to the unseen, and to the natural world).
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