Source-groundedThe Odyssey
All entities

Published entity metadata

Read-only identity and editorial metadata.

Canonical name
Moly
Disambiguator
None
Kind
Item
Scope
Individual
Editorial note
No editorial note published.

Aliases

0

No aliases recorded.

Location presence

Phase 6 currently covers 24 processed books.

1
Circe’s house1 observation
·Hypothetical

Mercury instructed Ulysses to carry Moly into Circe’s house.

See evidence text
“‘‘And I will tell you of all the wicked witchcraft that Circe will try to practice upon you. She will mix a mess for you to drink, and she will drug the meal with which she makes it, but she will not be able to charm you, for the virtue of the herb that I shall give you will prevent her spells from working. I will tell you all about it. When Circe strikes you with her wand, draw your sword and spring upon her as though you were going to kill her. She will then be frightened, and will desire you to go to bed with her; on this you must not point blank refuse her, for you want her to set your companions free, and to take good care also of yourself, but you must make her swear solemnly by all the blessed gods that she will plot no further mischief against you, or else when she has got you naked she will unman you and make you fit for nothing.’ ”

Claims

3
·Reported

Mercury gives Ulysses a powerful herb as a talisman against every kind of mischief at Circe’s house.

See evidence text
“Take this herb, which is one of great virtue, and keep it about you when you go to Circe’s house, it will be a talisman to you against every kind of mischief”
·Hypothetical

Mercury says Moly’s virtue will prevent Circe’s spells from working on Ulysses.

See evidence text
“the virtue of the herb that I shall give you will prevent her spells from working”
·Remembered

Moly has a black root and milk-white flower; mortals cannot uproot it, though gods can.

See evidence text
“The root was black, while the flower was as white as milk; the gods call it Moly, and mortal men cannot uproot it, but the gods can do whatever they like”

Additional evidence

Evidence records not already represented by a claim.

2
·Reported
“Take this herb, which is one of great virtue, and keep it about you when you go to Circe’s house”
·Remembered
“The root was black, while the flower was as white as milk; the gods call it Moly”

Passage preview

Book 10 · Passage 22

‘With this I left the ship and went up inland. When I got through the charmed grove, and was near the great house of the enchantress Circe, I met Mercury with his golden wand, disguised as a young man in the hey-day of his youth and beauty with the down just coming upon his face. He came up to me and took my hand within his own, saying, ‘My poor unhappy man, whither are you going over this mountain top, alone and without knowing the way? Your men are shut up in Circe’s pigstyes, like so many wild boars in their lairs. You surely do not fancy that you can set them free? I can tell you that you will never get back and will have to stay there with the rest of them. But never mind, I will protect you and get you out of your difficulty. Take this herb, which is one of great virtue, and keep it about you when you go to Circe’s house, it will be a talisman to you against every kind of mischief.