Scylla and Charybdis, the names of two mythical navigational hazards in the Straits of Messina between which, according to the Greek legend, the fleet of Odysseus, or in the Latin legend that of Ulysses, passed after the capture of Troy. In the legend Scylla was a nymph seen bathing in the nude by the sea god Glaucus who fell in love with her but whose advances she repelled. Glaucus appealed to Circe for a love potion but she, jealous of his affection for Scylla, gave him instead a poisonous mixture which, when poured into the sea when she bathed, turned Scylla into a frightful monster, rooted to a rock on the Italian side of the straits. Nevertheless, she retained her lovely voice and whenever a ship passed she sang songs enticing the mariners on board to their destruction.

Charybdis was a dangerous whirlpool on the Sicilian side of the straits opposite Scylla. She was said by legend originally to have been an avaricious woman who stole the oxen of Hercules and for this misdeed was punished by Zeus by being turned into a whirlpool. She was also said to swallow the sea three times a day and throw it up again, thus causing the whirlpool. Between Scylla on one side and Charybdis on the other, the unfortunate seamen of the time seemed to have little chance of survival.

Scylla and Charybdis

In Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis were a pair of monsters who lived on opposite ends of the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily Scylla was originally a sea nymph who was loved by the sea god Poseidon*. Out of jealousy, Poseidon's wife Amphitrite poisoned the waters in which Scylla bathed. This turned Scylla into a six-headed beast with three rows of sharp teeth in each head. When ships passed close by her, she struck out to grab and eat unwary sailors.

Charybdis was also a sea nymph, as well as the daughter of Poseidon. Zeus* transformed her into a dangerous whirlpool across the strait from Scylla. Ships sailing the strait were almost certain to be destroyed by one of the monsters.

nymph minor goddess of nature, usually represented as young and beautiful

epic long poem about legendary or historical heroes, written in a grand style

In the Greek epic the Odyssey], the hero Odysseus lost his ship in Charybdis, but he managed to save himself by clinging to a tree overhanging the water. Later the whirlpool spat up the ship, and Odysseus dropped to safety on its deck. The legend of the two monsters gave birth to the phrase "between Scylla and Charybdis," meaning a situation in which one has to choose between two equally unattractive options.

See also Greek Mythology; Nymphs; Odyssey, The.

* See Names and Places at the end of this volume for further information.