Clashing Rocks
The Wandering Rocks encountered by Odysseus, blazing cliffs through which only the Argo ever passed, offered as an alternative route to Scylla and Charybdis.
The Story of Clashing Rocks
The Planctae, or Wandering Rocks, were described by Circe as an alternative to the strait of Scylla and Charybdis. Unlike the Symplegades that the Argonauts passed, the Planctae were surrounded by fire and crashing waves, and no ship had ever survived them except the Argo, which Hera guided safely through out of love for Jason. Even doves carrying ambrosia to Zeus lost one of their number to the rocks each flight, and Zeus always had to replace the lost bird. Circe advised Odysseus to avoid the Planctae entirely and instead choose the strait where Scylla and Charybdis waited. Scylla would take six men — one for each of her six heads — but the ship would survive. The Planctae would destroy them all. This forced choice between certain partial loss (Scylla) and probable total destruction (Planctae) gave Odysseus one of his most agonising leadership decisions: to sacrifice some crew members knowingly to save the rest.
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Fun Fact
The "Scylla or Charybdis" dilemma — choosing between two terrible options — became one of the most used idioms in English and European languages, but Homer actually presented three options: Scylla, Charybdis, or the Planctae. The third option (total destruction) was rejected so quickly that it disappeared from the idiom. Leadership theory calls this "the Odysseus problem" — the hardest decisions aren't between good and bad, but between bad and worse, with the truly catastrophic option already eliminated.
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
Symplegades
🏛 placenavigation
The Clashing Rocks at the entrance to the Black Sea that crushed any ship attempting to pass between them.
Scheria
🏛 placeLand of the Phaeacians
Scheria was the island of the Phaeacians, a seafaring people beloved by the gods, where the shipwrecked Odysseus was welcomed by King Alcinous and Princess Nausicaa.
Geraestus
🏛 placegeography
The southernmost promontory of Euboea, a key waypoint for sailors with a temple of Poseidon.
Aulis
🏛 placeHarbour where the Greek fleet gathered for Troy
Aulis was the harbour in Boeotia where the Greek fleet of over a thousand ships assembled before sailing to Troy — and where Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to gain favourable winds.
Nauplius
🗡 heroNavigation, Vengeance, Deception
Master navigator who wrecked the Greek fleet on false beacon fires in revenge for his son Palamedes' unjust execution.
Sestos
🏛 placeGeography
A city on the European shore of the Hellespont, home of Hero in the tale of Hero and Leander
Tiphys
🗡 heroNavigation, seamanship
Original helmsman of the Argo whose skill guided the ship through the Clashing Rocks
Nauplia
🏛 placegeography
The ancient port of Argos, founded by Nauplius, whose son Palamedes was unjustly executed during the Trojan War.
Scheria
🏛 placeutopia, hospitality
The island of the Phaeacians, a maritime utopia of divine ships, magical gardens, and perfect hospitality that represented the last threshold before Odysseus's return to reality.
Chersonese
🏛 placegeography
The narrow Thracian peninsula (modern Gallipoli), site of Protesilaus' sanctuary and Hecuba's transformation.
Lesbos
🏛 placegeography
An Aegean island where the severed head of Orpheus floated ashore, still singing, after the Maenads tore him apart.
Voyage of the Argo
💭 conceptNarrative
The legendary sea journey of the Argonauts through uncharted waters to reach the kingdom of Colchis