Krataiis
Sea goddess or nymph identified as the mother of the terrifying six-headed monster Scylla
The Myth of Krataiis
Krataiis was a sea deity identified by Homer and other ancient sources as the mother of Scylla, the fearsome six-headed monster that inhabited a cliff opposite the whirlpool Charybdis in the Strait of Messina. In the Odyssey, Circe instructs Odysseus to call upon Krataiis when passing through the strait, as only she can restrain her daughter from striking more than once. The identity of Krataiis is debated in ancient sources: some identified her with Hecate, the goddess of crossroads and witchcraft, while others considered her a distinct sea nymph. Apollonius of Rhodes and later mythographers offered varying genealogies, sometimes making Phorcys or Poseidon the father of Scylla through Krataiis. Her name may derive from a word meaning mighty or ruling, suggesting she was a figure of considerable power despite her relatively obscure status in the surviving literary tradition.
Parents
None recorded
Children
Scylla
Symbols
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