162). The men are attracted to the enchanting goddess singing with her alluring voice and are invited in. Their desire for Circe gives her the opportunity to benefit from their weaknesses and innocence, trick them and magically turn them into pigs. When Odysseus goes to save his men, Hermes gave him a herb that protects him from Circe's curse. Hermes advices Odysseus that "[t]he moment Circe strikes her long thin wand, you draw your sharp sword sheathed at your hip and rush her fast as if to run her through" (Book X, pg. 164). This moment that Odysseus draws his sword toward her can demonstrate the way a woman's appeal and beauty can be a threat. Later in that same moment, Odysseus goes to bed with the goddess to make swear she will do no harm to him and his crew. .
The Sirens were also very intelligent, and knew men were attracted to them. The moment Odysseus gets to the island of the Sirens, they tried to lure him and his men to their deaths with their voices. The Sirens said "Come closer, famous Odysseus" (Book Xll, pg. 202) and promised him immortal knowledge. Odysseus sealed his men's ears with wax and ordered them to bind him hand and foot in the ship. In this short scene, we notice the Sirens using their intelligence to their advantage but Odysseus does not permit it. .
As mentioned before, all these manipulation and temptations make Odysseus's journey to his home slow down. At this period in the epic, Odysseus could be perceived as naive and weak. For this reason, he permits himself to fall on traps every time a beautiful female appears, even though his love does belong to his wife, Penelope. However, further into the epic, Odysseus starts to be more cautious and concentrated on getting to Ithaca. For example, Penelope could be seen as an inspiration because Odysseus' homecoming is centered on his love for her. In addition, other female characters prove to be not only beautiful but also astute and help Odysseus on his adventure to get home.