E. Cobham Brewer 18101897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
The Circe of the Arabians, who, by her enchantments, transformed men into horses and other brute beasts. She is introduced into the Arabian Nights Entertainments, where Beder, Prince of Persia, marries her, defeats her plots against him, and turns her into a mare. Being restored to her proper shape by her mother, she turns Beder into an owl; but the prince ultimately regains his own proper form.