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  BookDiscovery.com — Printed on 6 June, 2026
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  • Leonard

    Moderator
    November 19, 2024 at 4:37 pm
    Easy | Engaging | Nuanced | Philosophical

    A Vivid Reimagining of How a Goddess Experienced Her Life

    Some goddesses are cast into roles ready made for them. Born directly from Zeus’s head, Athena, the patron goddess of the city of Athens and the divine sponsor of the hero Odysseus, was a force in the Olympian pantheon from the beginning.

    Other goddesses, the lesser ones, have to either make their own places or while away their infinite lives as the brides of some minor gods of this or that. You would think that a goddess wouldn’t have any trouble making herself noticed. But it turns out that making your mark as a goddess is no less difficult than making your mark as a woman.

    It would be easier if the gods respected sensitivity and compassion. But they do not. And why should they? The virtues that come most naturally to women are not necessary to the gods, who are, by definition, invulnerable. That is why most gods — and even goddesses — are petty and cruel. They are moved only by power that is greater than their own. The experiences of weakness and vulnerability, which might deepen their souls, are not common among them. A god or goddess would have to be extraordinarily sensitive to feel them.

    Such a goddess is Circe. Daughter of Helios, the Titan who daily rides his chariot across the sky to illuminate the earth, she would appear destined for a significant place in the world of gods and men. But she is an unremarkable child. And so her parents set about immediately to “make another.”

    Ignored by her parents, she grows up as an outsider in the society of gods and goddesses. Some children might be hardened by this treatment, but Circe develops sensitivity to suffering. Her sympathies are less with the invulnerable gods and more with fragile humans. And so when Prometheus is judged and shunned for giving them fire, Circe secretly brings him food and drink. So begins a life in which Circe finds her own way.

    I will not spoil the story, for it is a good one. It includes many of the gods, goddesses, monsters, and heroes you will have heard of: Hermes, Apollo, Athena, Persephone, Scylla, the Minotaur, Ariadne, Daedalus, Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus. And it has much to say about life, nature, solitude, being human, and being a woman. The ending is a bit of a surprise, and questions might be raised. But that is another part of what makes this such a thoughtful book and one which is well-worth experiencing for yourself.

    I suggest a new or used hardcover edition (which abound). The artwork on the dust jacket is lovely, the printing is well spaced, and ragged pages are a delight.

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