Urganda is a mythological witch, the Portuguese equivalent of

Circe Circe (; grc, , ) is an Magician (paranormal), enchantress and a minor goddess in ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion. She is either a daughter of the Titans, Titan Helios and the Oceanid nymph Perse (mythology), Perse ...

, the witch that Odysseus is said to have encountered on his journey home from Troy.The Book of Trespass. Nick Hayes. Bloomsbury Circus (20 Aug 2020). Chapter ''Fox'' She is an enchantress in the romances belonging to the Amadis and Paimerin series, in the Spanish school of romance. Urganda is one of the

Fates The Fates are a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a trio of goddesses. The Fates shape the destiny of each human, often expressed in textile metaphors such as spinning fibers into yarn, or weaving threads on a ...

who appear in

Matteo Maria Boiardo Matteo Maria Boiardo (, ; 144019/20 December 1494) was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem ''Orlando innamorato''. Early life Boiardo was born in 1440,

's epic poem ''Orlando in Love '' (1495). In the poem she is the protector of Amadigi along with fellow fate

Oriana {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 Oriana is a given name, primarily of a female, that is widespread in Europe. Variants include ''Orianna'', ''Oriane'' or ''Orianne''. Sometimes ''Orian, Oreste'' or '' Dorian'' may be a male given name or a famil ...

. The Spanish poet Miguel Cervantes mentions her in the preliminary Poems of

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

(1605) . The part she plays in the poem is more like that of

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

. She derives her title from the faculty which, like Merlin, she possessed of changing her form and appearance at will. A hermitage

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

designed in 1750 by Thomas Wright in the grounds of

Badminton House Badminton House is a large country house and Grade I Listed Building in Badminton, Gloucestershire, England, which has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house, which has given its name to th ...

, in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and known as the Root House is dedicated to her.

References

Circe Portuguese mythology Witches in folklore {{myth-stub