Odd Odysseus? Circe’s Island Explained

Nearly a year after the release of Homer’s critically acclaimed biography of Odysseus of Ithaca, other eyewitnesses of the famed journey have stepped forth claiming that Odysseus’s account of the voyage are flooded with inaccuracies.

“Oh yeah, I don’t know where he got most of that stuff that he told Homer. But I can’t say I’m surprised. With his mental breakdown and exposure to hallucinogenic plants, Odysseus saw a lot of things that the rest of us guys didn’t see, if you know what I mean,” states an unnamed sailor of the Ithacan crew.

Of all of the fantastical events described in his Homer’s book, the eyewitnesses are only able to find a factual basis for the incident at Circe’s island.

“I don’t know where he got that Cyclops from, or those things that supposedly killed us all, but I think I know where came up with the island of Circe,” says another unnamed crewman. “Circe was the name of this beautiful young woman, that much was true. She moved to this island to get away from the mortal princes fighting over her. She was a goddess, but not an enchantress. She was a very hospitable hostess,” the sailor talked fondly of Circe.

He went on to explain the transformations Circe supposedly performed, “That deal with the some of the men turning into pigs? Well, there we were sitting on the beach, when this wild pig comes bolting from nowhere in particular. We’re thinking, ‘Great, food.’ But not Veginitis, he always had a soft spot for pigs. So, he rescues it claiming it’s his new best friend, and then he named it after a warrior we lost back in the Trojan War, a warrior he was close to. So we let him have the pig to keep him company.”

Eurylochus, Odysseus’s first mate, stepped forth to explain the temporary “disappearances” of the group he had led to explore the island. “It was true we came upon Circe’s house, but she didn’t turn my men into pigs. She invited us in for a meal, as is Greek custom for travelers, but I went back to tell Odysseus. At this time, Odysseus was having a hard time understanding anything we said, and I evidently got there after the thing with Veginitis and his pig. Odysseus thought somehow the pig had been a crew member. I tried explaining that my group was just having dinner, but he was convinced otherwise. Eventually we did get him to come with us.”
The eyewitnesses also had a discrepancy with Odysseus over the amount of time they stayed at Circe’s island. Though Odysseus reports that their stay was a year, the others all unanimously agree that it was only one week.

“If there was anything negative about Circe’s place, it was that she had a drug problem. What's more, Odysseus got a hold of some lotus blossoms,” stated Odysseus’s attendant.

Whether these revelations will hurt Homer’s sales or not remains to be seen.