ABSTRACT
The translated texts illustrate the ominous role of female miracle-mongers. Homer’s account of Circe in Odyssey 10 offers a puzzle: it is not clear why the hero’s companions should be turned into swine; two complementary tales from St. Augustine suggest witches who purported to turn men into temporary draft animals. Two further pieces present a shape-shifting Empousa, one of many child-scarers and child-eaters. Dio of Prusa offers a horrific version of Siren-like women who serve as honey-traps for the men they will overpower and eat. A rarely noticed version of Hylas and the Nymphs gives us an early version of the Grimms’ The Nixie in the Pond.
