Charybdis
A massive whirlpool monster that swallowed and regurgitated the sea three times daily, destroying any ship caught in its pull. She sat opposite Scylla in the Strait of Messina.
The Myth of Charybdis
Charybdis was either a sea monster or a personification of the whirlpool itself. In some accounts, she was a daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, punished by Zeus for flooding lands by being transformed into a monstrous maw beneath the sea.
Three times each day, Charybdis drank down the waters of the strait, creating a massive whirlpool that sucked everything nearby into its depths. Three times she belched the water back up in a thundering eruption. No ship caught in her pull could survive.
Odysseus encountered Charybdis twice. The first time, he followed Circe's advice and sailed near Scylla instead, losing six men but saving his ship. The second time, after Zeus destroyed his ship, Odysseus clung to a fig tree growing over Charybdis's maw, waiting for the waters to regurgitate his broken mast so he could float to safety.
Parents
Poseidon and Gaia
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily has strong tidal currents and small whirlpools, likely inspiring the myth of Charybdis.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Scylla
🐉 creatureSix-headed sea monster
A terrifying sea monster with six heads on long necks, each with three rows of teeth. She lived in a cliff cave opposite the whirlpool Charybdis, creating an impossible choice for sailors.
Phorcydes
🐉 creaturesea creatures
The monstrous children of Phorcys and Ceto, including the Gorgons, Graeae, and other terrors
Ceto
🐉 creatureSea, monsters
Primordial sea goddess known as the Mother of Monsters who bore many of the most fearsome creatures in Greek myth
Krataiis
🐉 creatureSea, terror
Sea goddess or nymph identified as the mother of the terrifying six-headed monster Scylla
Trojan Cetus
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage Troy, fought by Heracles in exchange for divine horses
Cetus
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A colossal sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage the coast of Ethiopia
Scylla
🐉 creaturetransformation
Beautiful nymph transformed into a six-headed sea monster by Circe's poison, eternally lurking in a strait opposite Charybdis.
Hydra
🐉 creatureMulti-headed serpent of Lerna
A monstrous water serpent with multiple heads that grew two more whenever one was cut off. Slaying the Hydra was Heracles's second labor.
Scylla
🌿 nymphBeautiful nymph transformed into a monster
Scylla was originally a beautiful sea nymph who was transformed into a six-headed monster by the jealous Circe or Amphitrite.
Ketea
🐉 creaturesea monsters,plural
The generic class of great sea monsters in Greek myth — enormous serpentine or whale-like creatures of the deep ocean, of which Cetus is the most famous individual.
Skolopendra
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A colossal sea centipede with a broad flat head, bristled body, and forked tail that terrified sailors
Pistrix
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A massive saw-toothed sea creature depicted in Roman mosaics as a hybrid of fish, dragon, and whale