Circe: Sir-see or Kir-kee?

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

I need to know before next week! 😬

[Mer]

S

[Sean Lookielook]

It's "keer-key" in the original Greek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXW5w...

but it is often pronounced as "sur-see" in English. Either is correct. #teamsoftc

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/def...

[Ben George]

Sir-see = greek
Kir-kee = roman

I don't know which fits the book better.

[John (Taloni)]

Ancient Greek pronunciation is like "keer-kair." Most commonly it's pronounced "Sirsea" today.

At the link below, I most liked this comment:
"In ‘murrican English it is 'SUR-see.' In Greek it is 'KEER-keh.'"
https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-pron...

'Murica!

[David H.]

If you say Caesar "See-sir," you should say Circe "Sir-see."

I don't think there are sufficient Greek or Roman purists to get enough people to say it in the original manner--whenever I do, it always seems strange unless I know they're doing it for effect.

[Ian (RebelGeek)]

I’m going to pronounce it like Cersei Lannister.

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

OK, Cersei it is!

[TraceyL]

The audiobook says Sir-See

[Phil]

Oops, I've been saying it in my head like it rhymes with "fierce".

[Mark]

It's Greek to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXW5w...

[Mark]

John (Taloni) wrote: "Murica!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0exi2...

[Trike]

“Dara”

[William]

Say it like King Arthur's maritime champion: Sir Sea

Btw there were many other often forgotten knights, I've always been a fan of that well rounded character - Sir Cumfrence, but we should never forget the ever-sure Sir Tain or, of course, that great drinking champion - Sir Osis of DaLiver.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

I would have assumed Circe was a fairly well known character from Greek legend :-?

It's always been Sir-See in every remake of the Ulysses/Odysseus legend that I've seen.

If you want some fun with pronunciation, try saying the name of the island she lives on in the Myth without looking it up ;-)

Aeaea

[Trike]

Tassie Dave wrote: "Aeaea "

Named by the person who discovered it while simultaneously stepping on a sharp rock.

[Dara]

Trike wrote: "“Dara”"

Points! I should read this book and make so many threads just to have fun with V. :-D

[Brendan]

Trike wrote: "Named by the person who discovered it while simultaneously stepping on a sharp rock."

My first thought on reading that name in the story last night went immediately to Monty Python's "Castle of AUGHHHH".

[Mark]

Found this pronunciation guide for the Odyssey

http://www.wfbschools.com/faculty/psi...

Whitefish Bay School District (Wisconsin) educators are on Team Sirse ;P

[Mark]

Mark wrote: "Found this pronunciation guide for the Odyssey

http://www.wfbschools.com/faculty/psi...

Whitefish Bay School District (Wisconsin) educators are on Team Si..."

Which leads to this interesting page of audio pronunciation guides for Greek & Roman mythology

http://www.classics.upenn.edu/myth/ph...

[Sean]

It's Kir-kay, just like it's Ki-ker-o and Kai-zar.

[Sean]

Mark wrote: "Found this pronunciation guide for the Odyssey

http://www.wfbschools.com/faculty/psi...

Whitefish Bay School District (Wisconsin) educators are on Team Si..."

They also think the "ch" in Charybdis is pronounced like church instead of Bach, so ...

[Phil]

Tassie Dave wrote: "I would have assumed Circe was a fairly well known character from Greek legend :-?

It's always been Sir-See in every remake of the Ulysses/Odysseus legend that I've seen.

If you want some fun wit..."

I'm familiar with the character from reading but I don't think I've ever seen a movie or tv show with her in it.

[Ruth]

I think her name should be said like “Sir Sea” and the island is “Aye-Aye-a” (like aye aye cap’n)

[Stephen]

Hello,
Here is Madeline Miller reading a snippet from my favorite 2018 book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMAl3...

" Truth is, men make terrible pigs."

I love this book!!!!!

[Trike]

Stephen wrote: "Hello,
Here is Madeline Miller reading a snippet from my favorite 2018 book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMAl3...

" Truth is, men make terrible pigs."

I love this book!!!!!"

Well, there you go, straight from the Greek scholar’s mouth.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Trike wrote: "Tassie Dave wrote: "Aeaea "

Named by the person who discovered it while simultaneously stepping on a sharp rock."

Obviously ;-)

Sean wrote: "It's Kir-kay, just like it's Ki-ker-o and Kai-zar."

How do you say Celtic? I prefer the hard C - Keltic to the soft c - seltic.

Phil wrote: "I'm familiar with the character from reading but I don't think I've ever seen a movie or tv show with her in it."

My favourite was the 1954 movie Ullysses with Kirk Douglas as Ullysses

Silvana Mangano as Circe



That movie was on high rotation on my local TV station during the 60s and early 70s. I loved it as a kid :-)

The 1997 TV mini series The Odyssey was good with Armand Assante as Odysseus and the lovely Bernadette Peters as Circe



There have been several other adaptations over the years, but they are the 2 that I remember the best

This wikipedia page lists a few other shows and literature she has been a character in:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circe_i...

[Sean Lookielook]

I used to say sell-tic (Celtic) and ser-bur-us (Cerberus) but now I lean toward the hard c for those. "Circe" looks to much like "circle" for me to easily change though.

I'm always torn between being culturally and historically accurate, and trying not sound like a pretentious, pedantic twit.

[Julie]

I feel like if Miller wanted us to pronounce it in the Greek way, she would have done some Edward McCrorie-style transliteration (e.g Akhilleus, Kuklops, Huperion, "They found the home of Kirke soon in a hollow:/shining stone, raised quite high, with a broad view,")

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Mark wrote: "Found this pronunciation guide for the Odyssey

http://www.wfbschools.com/faculty/psi..."

They went with Ay-ay-uh for Aeaea :-?
I've always known it as Ay-ee-ah, and prefer it that way.

They have some strange pronunciations:

Scylla = Skill-uh, instead of Sill-ah
Poseidon = Po-sigh-uh-den, instead of Po-sigh-den
Charybdis = Chuh-rib-dis, instead of Cah-rib-dis

[Gary]

I've always pronounced it either "Sir C" or "Ser Sea." Take your pick. You could say "Sirs E" if you're all exotic, I guess.

[John (Taloni)]

Sean Lookielook wrote: "I'm always torn between being culturally and historically accurate, and trying not sound like a pretentious, pedantic twit."

THIS! So much this!

[Trike]

Tassie Dave wrote: "Mark wrote: "Found this pronunciation guide for the Odyssey

http://www.wfbschools.com/faculty/psi..."

They went with Ay-ay-uh for Aeaea :-?
I've always known it as Ay-ee-ah, and prefer it that way...."

...and now I have the Donnie Iris song stuck in my head.

https://youtu.be/YH5Arbm47IQ

[Mark]

Will Wonder Woman make an appearance?

Wonder Woman vs. Circe

[John (Taloni)]

My intro to Sersi was in the Eternals comic by Kirby. Regrettably no good pix of just Sersi seem to be available, so here's a page from one of the comics.

[Phil]

Ah, I forgot about her. She was a member of the Avengers for a while.

[Jessica]

I've always heard it with the soft C sound, so that's how I said it (in my head) while reading this book. Yes, just like Cersei Lannister :) But I am no Greek scholar.

[Sean]

Tassie Dave wrote: "
How do you say Celtic? I prefer the hard C - Keltic to the soft c - seltic. "

Keltic is the only acceptable way, basketball fans be damned.

They went with Ay-ay-uh for Aeaea :-?
I've always known it as Ay-ee-ah, and prefer it that way.

Shouldn't it be Ee-ee-ah, though?

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'd go with how the author says it!

https://youtu.be/IMAl3ex7NPY

[Mark]

Will The Return of Circe by Nat Schachner be the August Sword pick?

[Baelor]

Ancient Greek is Kir-kay.

Ancient Greek also aspirated ph and ch, and th, so “philosophia” would have been pronounced “pee-lo-so-pee-ah” with slight expulsions of air after the “p” sounds.

Classical Latin had unvoiced sibilants, so Caesar would have been pronounced Kye-sar, not Kye-zar.

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Trike wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Hello,
Here is Madeline Miller reading a snippet from my favorite 2018 book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMAl3...

" Truth is, men make terrible pigs."



I am content!

[Erik]

I think Aeaea is pronounced with a Wilhelm scream

[Joseph]

By coincidence, I accidentally joined a Facebook discussion on the proper pronunciation of "drow" that's now up to about 1,000,000 comments.

[William]

Joseph wrote: "By coincidence, I accidentally joined a Facebook discussion on the proper pronunciation of "drow" that's now up to about 1,000,000 comments."

OK...wow.

[Brendan]

William wrote: "OK...wow."

Were you rhyming your post with "drow"?

[Joseph]

William wrote: "Joseph wrote: "By coincidence, I accidentally joined a Facebook discussion on the proper pronunciation of "drow" that's now up to about 1,000,000 comments."

OK...wow."

Which, by further coincidence, is the preferred pronunciation. (Me, I have to admit I pronounce it to rhyme with "show" because I learned bad habits in my youth.)

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

I quite often get into friendly pronunciation arguments on forums.

Recently in a homophone discussion I argued, correctly, that bored, board, bawd and baud are homophones.

Others argued that bored & board are of each other only, and bawd and baud are of each other only.

Somehow these people vocalise the "R" in both bored & board , which is weird and as one of those words is my surname I should know how to pronounce it ;-)

[Tasha]

Well. Most Americans would vocalize those "R"s. Hard. They are not homophones to me.

[John (Taloni)]

^ In Boston Tassie Dave would be completely correct, but the words would all have two syllables. ;)