In Madeline Miller’s fantasy novel Circe, the island that becomes the witch’s home is Aiaia.
Circe is banished from the realm of the gods after using magic that angers Zeus. She is sent to the remote island of Aiaia, where she lives in exile and develops her abilities as a witch. The island becomes the main setting for much of the novel and a place where Circe encounters gods, heroes, sailors, and monsters from Greek mythology.
Aiaia is associated with Circe in Homer’s Odyssey, where Odysseus reaches her island after his crew’s voyage. Miller expands the mythological figure’s story by presenting Circe’s relationships, fears, family conflicts, and gradual movement toward independence.
Ithaca is Odysseus’s homeland, while Crete and Delos are separate Greek locations with their own mythological traditions. The spelling Aiaia follows the form commonly used in the novel and in many references to Circe’s island.