The island where the sorceress Circe lives is Aeaea. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus reaches Aeaea after the Laestrygonians destroy all but one of his ships. Circe welcomes—or overwhelms—his crew with enchanted food and transforms many of the men into pigs.
With help from Hermes and the protective herb moly, Odysseus resists Circe’s magic and makes her restore his companions. He and his crew then remain on Aeaea for a year before continuing toward Ithaca. Circe also advises Odysseus on his journey to the Underworld.
Aeaea is a mythical location rather than a securely identifiable historical island. Later Greek and Roman writers associated it with places near the western coast of Italy, especially Mount Circeo, which may once have appeared island-like because of surrounding marshes. It should not be confused with Ogygia, Calypso’s island, or Scheria, home of the Phaeacians.