Scylla

Scyl la r e t s n o M k e e r G

Scylla was a highly dangerous greek sea monster that guarded the straits in the Mediterranean Sea that Odysseus sailed through in the Odyssey. Her counterpart, Charybdis, guarded the other side. These straits were known as the straits of Scylla and Charybdis, and are now known as the straits of Messina.

Scylla was once a human woman, but was turned into a hideous monster by Circe. She had six snakelike heads, with six matching snakelike necks.

She also had twelve octopus tentacles for legs, and an abdomen encircled with snarling and slobbering dog’s heads. Each snake head had three rows of razor sharp shark teeth.

Scylla’s counterpart was just as deadly. Her name was Charybdis.

Charybdis was a whirlpool, who drank in the tides, and spit them out three times a day. She lived underneath a fig tree on the other side of the straits.

When Odysseus passed through the straits, he went on Charybdis’ side, and escaped her by hanging from her fig tree until his raft drifted back to the surface.

Scylla was often associated with a reef for unknown reasons, and Charybdis, appropriately, a whirlpool. There was an old saying that to be caught “Between Scylla and Charybdis” was to be stuck between two different and equally unpleasant endings.Scylla was particularly unpleasant because she killed from her cave atop a hill. She would reach her necks down and pluck sailors off ships one by one. She was completely invincible and un-killable.

As for Scylla’s heritage, there was a disagreement as to who Scylla’s parents were. Hesiod thought that Scylla was the daughter of Hecate, Goddess of magic, and Titan daughter of Perses and Asteria. He did not say though, who her father was.

Homer however, was of the opinion that Crataeis was Scylla’s mother. He did also have a few ideas about her father, and all of them had connections to the sea.