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Daedalus
Glaucos is initially a mortal fisherman whom Circe meets when he sails close to the shore near Helios’s halls. Glaucos admires Circe; she, a goddess, is a marvel to him. Circe falls in love with him, and he is the first of many mortals that Circe comes to love. She is astonished at how appreciative he is when she helps him with his fishing, particularly because gratitude is not a quality found among the gods. Circe’s first act of magic is on him, as she turns him into a god when experimenting with pharmaka. As soon as he becomes a god, though, Glaucos becomes vain and egotistical, demonstrating how immortality strips away the virtues that come with mortality, like thankfulness and empathy. Circe hopes to marry him, but Glaucos is drunk with his power and wants “the best” of the nymphs. As a god, to him the best is the most beautiful, and the most beautiful nymph is Scylla. It is not love, but a shallow lust, that leads him to her. After Scylla’s transformation, Glaucos swiftly forgets her and moves on to other nymphs.
Glaucos Quotes in Circe
The Circe quotes below are all either spoken by Glaucos or refer to Glaucos. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
I was too wild to feel any shame. It was true. I would not just uproot the world, but tear it, burn it, do any evil I could to keep Glaucos by my side. But what stayed most in my mind was the look on my grandmother’s face when I’d said that word, pharmaka. It was not a look I knew well, among the gods. But I had seen Glaucos when he spoke of the levy and empty nets and his father. I had begun to know what fear was. What could make a god afraid? I knew that answer too.
A power greater than their own.
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Chapter 5
Quotes
[Glaucos] pushed me from him. His face was caught, half in anger, half in a sort of fear. He looked almost like his old self […]
“No!” He slashed his hand through the air. “I will not think on those days. Every hour some new bruise upon me, some new ache, always weary, always burdened and weak. I sit at councils with your father now. I do not have to beg for every scrap. Nymphs clamor for me, and I may choose the best among them, which is Scylla.”
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Glaucos Quotes in Circe
The Circe quotes below are all either spoken by Glaucos or refer to Glaucos. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
I was too wild to feel any shame. It was true. I would not just uproot the world, but tear it, burn it, do any evil I could to keep Glaucos by my side. But what stayed most in my mind was the look on my grandmother’s face when I’d said that word, pharmaka. It was not a look I knew well, among the gods. But I had seen Glaucos when he spoke of the levy and empty nets and his father. I had begun to know what fear was. What could make a god afraid? I knew that answer too.
A power greater than their own.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5
Quotes
[Glaucos] pushed me from him. His face was caught, half in anger, half in a sort of fear. He looked almost like his old self […]
“No!” He slashed his hand through the air. “I will not think on those days. Every hour some new bruise upon me, some new ache, always weary, always burdened and weak. I sit at councils with your father now. I do not have to beg for every scrap. Nymphs clamor for me, and I may choose the best among them, which is Scylla.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
