Scylla and Charybdis
Alyssa Pearson 6th
Scylla
What is Scylla?
 “Scylla was a supernatural female creature, with 12 feet and 6
heads on long, snaky necks, each head having a triple row of
sharklike teeth, while her loins were girdled by the heads of
baying dogs.” (“Scylla and Charybdis”)
 Scylla was a monster
 “With necks fully expanded, Scylla is 15 feet tall; the necks are
5 feet long each.” (“Scylla”)
 Scylla normally eats six men, one man for each of her heads
(“Scylla the Sea Monster”)
Scylla’s Origin
 Scylla was the daughter of Phorcys and Crateis or
known to be the daughter of Lamia and Triton.
(“Scylla”)
 Scylla was “a beautiful maiden” before she became
a monster. (“Scylla”)
 “When Glaucus went to the witch Circe to ask her to
cast a love spell on Scylla, Circe became jealous of
his love and instead cursed the sea nymph into
becoming the ferocious sea monster we now know.”
(“Scylla the Sea Monster”)
Scylla is Famous for…
 Scylla is best known for attacking Odysseus and his
men on one of their many obstacles that happened
while trying to return home.
 Scylla is also known for Jason and the Argonauts
sailing through the Strait of Messina once stealing
the Golden Fleece. (“Scylla The Beast With Six
Heads”)
How is Scylla in Odysseus’ Story?
 In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus travels through the Strait of
Messina when traveling back home to Ithaca. There he
interacts with Scylla.
Charybdis
What is Charybdis?
 Charybdis is a sea monster
 “She is often known only in her most vicious form - a swirling
whirlpool of death that swallowed enormous amounts of
water and anything that got caught in it. (“Charybdis of
Greek Mythology)
 Charybdis lives in the Strait of Messina along with Scylla
 “In Greek mythology, Charybdis, or Kharybdis ("sucker
down", Greek Χάρυβδις), is a sea monster, daughter of
Poseidon and Gaia, who swallows huge amounts of water
three times a day and then belches them back out again,
destroying all the boats that sail around. It takes form as a
huge vortex that lives on one side of a narrow channel of
water.” (“Charybdis”)
Charybdis’ Origin
 Charybdis mother is Gaia (“Charybdis”)
 Charybdis father is Poseidon (“Charybdis”)
 She is a child of incest
 She helped Poseidon make his kingdom larger by
flooding land (“Charybdis”)
 She was a water nymph, naiad (“Charybdis of
Greek Mythology”)
 “She was so successful that Zeus took notice of
her claims on his land and grew furious. He
transformed her into a sea monster, a giant
bulbous beast with a giant mouth, and chained
her to the bottom of the sea in the Strait of
Messina” (“Charybdis of Greek Mythology”).
Charybdis is Famous for…
 Charybdis is famous for being in the story “Jason and
the Argonauts” and in “The Odyssey” (“Charybdis of
Greek Mythology”).
 “In The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus chooses to sail
closer to Scylla and lose a few of his men rather than risk
his entire ship swallowed up in the inescapable
whirlpool” (“Charybdis of Greek Mythology).
 “The Argonauts, with help from Hera (Greek mythology)
were able to avoid both sea monsters altogether”
(“Charybdis of Greek Mythology”).
How is Charybdis in Odysseus’ Story?
 In “The Odyssey,” Charybdis is on the opposite
end of the Strait of Messina when Odysseus is
sailing his ship near Scylla. He sails closer to
Scylla rather than Charybdis because Scylla
caused less deaths.
Work Cited
 "Scylla and Charybdis". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015
 "Charybdis of Greek Mythology." Royal Mint Publishing LLC, 2015. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
 "Greek Mythology - Scylla." Greek Mythology - Scylla. Royal Mint Publishing LLC, 2015. Web.
08 Dec. 2015.
 "Scylla.“ Scylla. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
 "Charybdis." Charybdis. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
 "Skylla." (Scylla). N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.