Scylla
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.
The Myth of Scylla
Scylla was once a beautiful sea nymph. In one version, Circe transformed her out of jealousy; in another, Poseidon's wife Amphitrite poisoned the waters where Scylla bathed. She became a monstrous creature rooted to a cliff face — six long necks ending in fearsome heads, each with three rows of teeth, and twelve tentacle-like legs.
She dwelt in a cave high on a cliff in the Strait of Messina, directly opposite the whirlpool Charybdis. Ships that sailed too far from Scylla were sucked into Charybdis and destroyed entirely. Ships that stayed close to Scylla's cliff lost six men — one to each head — but the vessel survived.
When Odysseus passed through the strait, Circe advised him to sail closer to Scylla. Losing six men was better than losing the entire ship to Charybdis. Odysseus watched helplessly as Scylla snatched six of his crew from the deck and devoured them. He later called it the most pitiable sight he witnessed in all his wanderings.
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Fun Fact
The phrase "between Scylla and Charybdis" means being caught between two equally dangerous options — the original "rock and a hard place."
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
Phorcydes
🐉 creaturesea creatures
The monstrous children of Phorcys and Ceto, including the Gorgons, Graeae, and other terrors
Charybdis
🐉 creatureMonstrous whirlpool
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.
Ceto
🐉 creatureSea, monsters
Primordial sea goddess known as the Mother of Monsters who bore many of the most fearsome creatures in Greek myth
Scylla
🐉 creaturetransformation
Beautiful nymph transformed into a six-headed sea monster by Circe's poison, eternally lurking in a strait opposite Charybdis.
Cetus
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A colossal sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage the coast of Ethiopia
Trojan Cetus
🐉 creaturesea monsters
A sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage Troy, fought by Heracles in exchange for divine horses
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.
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
Krataiis
🐉 creatureSea, terror
Sea goddess or nymph identified as the mother of the terrifying six-headed monster Scylla
Lernaean Hydra
🐉 creatureMany-headed water serpent
The Hydra was a gigantic water serpent with multiple heads — when one was severed, two more grew in its place, making it seemingly impossible to kill.
Hippocampus
🐉 creaturesea creatures
A horse-bodied sea creature with a fish or serpent tail that pulled Poseidon's chariot