Old McCirce: A Children's Story

Old McCirce

We all know of the famous children's story Old McCirce, its a classic! But did you know that its actually set on the island of Corsica? In case you have forgotten how the tale goes, here is a brief recap.

The tale is a rendition of Circe's Palace from The Odyssey by Homer. Circe is a skilled and humble corn farmer who lives on Corsica.She is a kind old lady who lives the ends of her days trying to make the world a better place. One day she meets 6 evil brothers who scam her of a large amount of corn! Using her wisdom, powers, and help from Otis, the brothers' father, she must teach them the joy of giving, kindness, and humility.

So come on over to Corsica today! And see the setting of the enormously popular children's story, Old McCirce!

Come Take a Tour of Corsica!

Moly(Snowdrop)

When the brave Odysseus was traveling to Circe's palace to rescue his men, he was approached by Hermes. Hermes told him to eat a special plant that would protect him from Circe's Witchcraft. This plant was called moly, as displayed above! It grows all along the lands of the Mediterranean. Many natives in the land of Corsica keep a Moly petal in their tea or coffee, believing that the Snowdrop would guard them from wicked magic.

Odysseus' Bow

The prized bow of Odysseus, only able to be strung by he himself. Yes, you need more than Katniss to wield this bow. Many thousands of years ago, this weapon eliminated 100 suitors from Odysseus' home in less than an hour. So today, the nuclear warhead may be our weapon of mass destruction, but back then, this was theirs. The bow is 5 feet long and had more than a hundred pounds of draw weight.

Circe's Wand

Welcome To Corsica

Hello adventurous tourist and welcome to the beautiful island of Corsica. Now I know you'll want to learn a few things about the island before you buy your tickets and head off. That is what I'm here for, to teach you some of the basic things you'll need to know. First off Corsica is located south of France and West of Italy. Corsica's official language is French, but many corsicans are bilingual or trilingual, speaking Italian and the native Corsican language (Corsu). Corsica's predominant religion is Roman Catholic, but the devotion is very weak so you dont need to worry about that. The only religion topic that is taken seriously are Religious festivals. The Corsican cuisine is very basic. It consists of meats, seafood, dairy, and the food is usually accompanied by some sort of wine or beer. When in Corsica you will see that the Corsicans are very laid back and easy going, they appreciate friendliness and patience. So if you are driving on the road and are being blocked by two strangers talking in the middle of the street try to restrain from impolite. They also always greet people with "Monsieur", "Madame" or "Mademoiselle". Corsica is an island with music heard around the island, art around every corner, and festivals organised by citizens passionate about their chosen interests.

                                                                                          
                                                                                  Corsican Music

 

        Corsican music, essentially polyphonic, is part of the islands culture and identity and is renowned throughout France and even across Europe. Polyphonic songs grew out of the shepherds who, while they were out on the hillsides, used to sing a "Paghjella" or a male singing tradition. The Paghjella served primarily as a means of retelling stories of everyday  life, before they became a way of communicating the culture, traditions and history of the island.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6tLRTllOvs&feature=player_detailpage


                                                                                       Corsican Festivals


       In Corsica literally every town and village on the island of Corsica holds its own festivals for agricultural, religious or cultural reasons. There are so many festivals that there are 5-6 festivals in every month. For example there are festivals about Italian Cinema, archaeology, the sea, dreams, comic strips, all sorts of genre music festivals, mountains, etc.

 

 

    Corsican Sports and Activities

 

         While in Corsica you are going to want to do do different activities and maybe see the countries best sports teams. Many activities are based off the island's mountains and surrounding sea. If you are thinking of taking a dip in the water jet skiing, wind surfing, or just straight out diving in the water is the way for you. If the mountains are your way to go you could rock climb, hike, or mountain bike. For sports they don't have baseball, or hockey. They have volleyball and the most famous the good old game of football, or for us Americans, soccer. Corsica is most known for soccer teams AC Ajaccio and SC Bastia.



    
 

The Enchantress' Palace! Corsica's Rich History!

Circe the enchantress was a great witch capable of impossible feats of magic and sorcery. She lived hundreds of years ago on Corsica during the years following the Trojan war and today, her palace still stands as a petting zoo that her descendants own. Legend has it that Circe still lives to this day! Circe's palace can be read about during Homer's Odyssey where Odysseus and his men landed after attempting to return home from the war in Troy. Upon landing, Circe used her great knowledge or arcane magic to turn Odyssues' men into all types of animals. Hermes then helps Odysseus return his men to their proper kind. Recently, an archaelogical team discovered a plethora or relics buried near the palace one of which was identified as Circe's personal journal. Intense examination revealed the following entry from our beloved sorceress, "A boat landed on my precious island today. Dozens of big, strong-looking men with swords and armor emerged and they seemed very ragged and tired. I decided that I would take them food, drink, and new clothes. After all, I am rich ha ha! But the most vile thing happened; a few of the men from the boat went exploring and they found my palace! Zeus gave them the bright idea to then break in and to begin pillaging my things! They would've kindanpped me to if I hadn't turned them into animals! I must get rid of these barbarians. But how?" Come vist Corsica today to find out the whole truth about what happened on Cersi's island!