Kirke is a comic book by Magda van Tilburg, in which she presents the myth of Circe and Odysseus according to Homer. The entire comic is written in ancient Greek, the phrases used by characters come from books X and XI of Odyssey. Some of hexameters and words are omitted or slightly modified producing a more fluent story and lively dialogue. It is only in the digital version that the original text is accompanied by an English translation. In addition to the translation, supplementary blue boxes contain a few explanations referring e.g., to proper names.

The comic first evokes the story of Paris’ judgement and the Trojan War providing an illustration in the style of Greek pottery. The next drawing depicts Odysseus and his ship drifting off from the burning city of Troy with an incipit from the Odyssey ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε, μοῦσα, πολύτροπον... [Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, polytropon...]. The exhausted sailors come ashore to the Aeaea island, where lives Kirke, daughter of Helios. She turns most of the crew into swine with human consciousness. Owing to Hermes’ warning and his mysterious herb μῶλυ [moly], Odysseus avoids the fate of his companions and becomes the goddess’ lover. This returns the enchanted men to their human form, making them, due to Kirke’s spell, even younger and more handsome than before. The generous hostess provides them with a prosperous existence on the island. As they wish to sail off to their homeland, she instructs the hero to head to the holy forests of Persephone, and then to Hades where he can ask the shade of Tiresias about his further journey home. Eventually, Odysseus forsakes Kirke and sets off towards his homeland.

The story of Odysseus’ stay with Kirke features not only a powerful enchantress and her romance with the hero. The portrayed world also shows other gods. Hermes (see below), who warns the hero of Kirke’s trick, is shown with his attributes: the caduceus, winged sandals and cap. However, he was given a humorous, modern look with ‘trendy’ pink (resembling Phoenician purple) hair and a waistcloth. Hades and Persephone, whom Odysseus is to address in his prayer over offerings, do not resemble their ancient statues, but rather look like a married couple with an unusual dog (see below). However, Hades also becomes a sombre incarnation of the Underworld (see below) who seizes Elpenor into his kingdom when the hero forgets to use the ladder and falls from the roof breaking his neck. The comic also in a remarkable way evokes the story of the quarrel between Athena, Hera and Aphrodite over the title of the fairest and the judgement of Paris and its consequences. It is represented only by a single suggestive drawing in red-figure pottery style, which contrasts with the vibrant colours and modern execution of the other drawings. The ancient style suggests that the reproduced scene took place earlier, providing the origin of the story.

Courtesy of the Author