Kírkē, Odysseus, and Polyphemus the Cyclops coloring pages have arrived!

Kírkē (Circe) was an enigmatic figure in Greek mythology, but we can be certain that her control of magic made her very powerful. Here she is with one of Odysseus’ men, freshly turned into a pig!

Just in time for the summer and the year’s biggest movie, we’re sharing a new collection of coloring pages inspired by Homer’s ancient poem the Odyssey. These mythical coloring pages are the perfect way to introduce your younger family members to the story and characters of what is sure to be a huge cultural touchstone for years to come. It can be easy to leave our youngest learners out of moments like this, so it’s important to include even the smallest members of our family in this epic opportunity for classical learning. If you’re already fully prepared for the Odyssey, you can find more Greek mythology coloring pages in our Coloring Pages section. Finally, all of the art included here was created by the tremendously talented Ally Frame. The Classical Workshop believes in the importance of meaningful art for children and never uses AI in any part of its process.

Kírkē (Circe)

We’re having a bit of fun by using the Greek version of the name Kírkē here, but it’s for a good reason-it’s so we can tell you the interesting fact that her name means “hawk!” As we see in the Odyssey, she is certainly a kind of predator. The first of our three Odyssey-themed coloring pages is Circe, a nymph (and witch!) who lived on the island of Aeaea. She used her knowledge of magic and herbs to make potions that could turn people into animals, then she kept them trapped in her house. Circe tricked Odysseus’ men and turned them into pigs, but Odysseus escaped with a little help from the messenger god Hermes. Hermes also gave Odysseus some advice to help him convince Circe to change them back. Would you like to read more about Circe’s story? You can get more details here: https://mythopedia.com/topics/circe/

Polyphemus the Cyclops

How did Odysseus escape from the Cyclops’s cave? After the cyclops was blinded, Odysseus rode out clinging to the belly of a sheep. This one isn’t big enough!

We have also added Polyphemus the Cyclops! When Odysseus and his men arrived at the island of the Cyclopes (that’s the plural of Cyclops) hungry and tired, they found some unguarded cheese and milk and helped themselves. Little did they know that it belonged to Polyphemus, a monstrous giant with one eye that herded sheep in the mountains on the island. Polyphemus trapped them in his cave by closing the door-a huge stone-behind him. Odysseus and his men only managed to escape by blinding the monster and riding out of his cave clinging to the stomachs of the Cyclops’ sheep. Polyphemus felt around blindly, but only felt the sheep, and not the men escaping his cave.

This coloring page of Polyphemus is actually based on the art from The Classical Workshop’s Mythology Match game. That art, however, tells a very different story about Polyphemus. Before he met Odysseus, Polyphemus fell in love with a beautiful sea nymph named Galatea, who did not love him back. If you’d like to read more about Polyphemus, you can do that on his Mythopedia page here: https://mythopedia.com/topics/polyphemus/.

Odysseus

Which brings us to our next coloring page: Odysseus escaping the Cyclops’ cave! Odysseus was often called by Homer, “a man of many devices.” He thought up the Trojan Horse to help the Greeks end the Trojan War, and he would have to use his intellect to get our of many more problems. Here we see Odysseus clinging to the belly of a sheep, but he’s just trying this one on for size. Odysseus actually escaped under the belly of a huge black ram that was also Polyphemus’ favorite. Odysseus and company managed to escape the cave successfully, but Odysseus made the mistake of (eventually) telling the Cyclops his name. The Cyclops then asked his father, the sea god Poseidon, to curse Odysseus in return for blinding him. Poseidon obliged, and that’s where Odysseus’ real troubles began. Ready for more about Odysseus? Read up on him here: https://mythopedia.com/topics/odysseus/.

Valete-be well!