SHANA JAMES - Circe - Goddess of Transformation * Edition 1/3 SOLD | Editions 2/3 & 3/3 STILL AVAILABLE *

Circe - Goddess of Transformation

In this linocut, Circe - Goddess of Transformation, I depict the mythic sorceress at a moment of grounded power and renewal. Inspired by Madeline Miller’s novel Circe, I imagine her not as an otherworldly enchantress removed from life, but as a woman deeply connected to the natural world; practical, resilient, and self-determining. Her braided hair references Miller’s description, in the novel Circe says, “I learned to braid my hair back, so it would not catch on every twig,” a practical move symbolising her growing comfort of working with her surroundings, rather than wishing them to be different.

The intricate patterns of plants and flowers on her clothing merging with the environment represent the continuous cycles of growth, decay, and transformation that define both nature and the self. The floating crocus flowers — from which her transformative magic was said to derive - suggest the unseen forces of change that move through and around us.

In her hands, Circe holds an uprooted willow tree, a symbol of growth, adaptability, and flexibility. The willow, which bends but does not break, mirrors Circe’s own evolution from exile to empowerment. Through these symbols, I explore transformation not as a single act of magic, but as an ongoing process of regeneration; one that is as earthy and imperfect as it is divine.