📖 Circe

Circe is a modern retelling of the Greek mythological legend of Circe, the daughter of Helios, the Titan of the Sun. As children of a Titan and an ocean nymph, Circe and her siblings are the first and only beings of their kind. Despite their unique genetics and their parents' etherial powers, none of the children display any additional extraordinary powers of their own. Circe is the most ostracized of her siblings since she is constantly berated for her "annoying, screechy" voice and validation-seeking tendencies. Lacking relations with any other gods or goddesses, Circe finds herself interacting with a mortal fisherman who visits her daily. Due to the immortality of gods, Circe knows that the fisherman's mortal life will end soon. Consequently, she recalls the legend of Zeus and how finding a special plant could empower her to save her siblings from their Titan father, thus birthing a new breed of Olympians. Extrapolating the power of these plants, Circe searches the island, believing that she is successful in elevating the fisherman to a god. However, her plan does not go according to plan, since the fisherman no longer worships her for her godly status. Feeling betrayed, Circe uses the same plants to transform the fisherman's new lover into an ugly monster. Suddenly feeling guilty, Circe confesses to her father, and it is discovered that her siblings all have similar powers. Zeus, fearing the new advantage that the Titans have over the Olympians (two groups of gods that have lived at peace because of their equal powers), demands the powers of these "witches" be controlled. Thus, Circe's parents are forbidden from having any more children, and the remaining children are closely monitored. None of her siblings admit to using their powers for evil, like Circe, so they are let off with a warning and close surveillance. However, Circe is punished with exile. I recommend this novel as an easy introduction to Greek mythology that does not require any prior knowledge. Due to the interconnectedness of Greek tales, it can be difficult to find an understandable starting point, but Miller gives the appropriate context of mythology without excessive, unnecessary details, guiding readers every step of the way.

《Circe》是对希腊神话传说中赛珂的现代重新诠释,赛珂是太阳之泰坦赫利俄斯的女儿。作为泰坦和海洋仙女的孩子,赛珂和她的兄弟姐妹是他们种族中的第一批也是唯一的存在。尽管他们拥有独特的遗传基因和父母的神秘力量,但没有一个孩子展现出任何额外的非凡能力。赛珂是她兄弟姐妹中最受排斥的,因为她经常因为她"刺耳,刺人的"声音和寻求认可的倾向而受到责备。由于与其他神祇没有任何关系,赛珂发现自己与一位每天拜访她的凡人渔夫互动。由于神明的不朽,赛珂知道这位渔夫的有限寿命即将结束。因此,她回忆起宙斯的传说,了解到找到一种特殊的植物可以赋予她力量,使她能够拯救她的兄弟姐妹脱离泰坦父亲的掌控,从而诞生出新一代的奥林匹斯神祇。推断出这些植物的力量,赛珂在岛上寻找,相信她成功地将这位渔夫提升为神祇。然而,她的计划并没有按照计划进行,因为渔夫不再因她的神祇身份而崇拜她。感到受到背叛,赛珂使用同样的植物将渔夫的新情人变成了一个丑陋的怪物。突然感到内疚,赛珂向她的父亲坦白,发现她的兄弟姐妹都有类似的能力。宙斯担心泰坦在奥林匹斯神祇面前获得的新优势(两组神祇因为他们的平等力量而和平共处),要求对这些"女巫"的力量进行控制。因此,赛珂的父母被禁止再生育,剩下的孩子被密切监视。赛珂的兄弟姐妹没有承认像赛珂那样将他们的力量用于邪恶,因此他们得以免于惩罚,但接受了警告和严密监视。然而,赛珂被流放。我推荐这部小说作为对希腊神话的轻松入门,无需任何先前的知识。由于希腊神话故事的相互联系,很难找到一个可以理解的起点,但米勒在没有过多不必要细节的情况下提供了神话的适当背景,引导读者一步步前行。