Scylla
Beautiful nymph transformed into a six-headed sea monster by Circe's poison, eternally lurking in a strait opposite Charybdis.
The Myth of Scylla
She was beautiful once — Circe poisoned her bath water out of jealousy and turned her into a monster with twelve feet and six dog heads. Glaucus, a sea god, fell in love with Scylla and asked Circe for a love potion. But Circe wanted Glaucus for herself. When he refused her, she poured poison into the pool where Scylla bathed. Scylla's lower body erupted into snarling dogs fused to her waist. She fled to the Strait of Messina and turned to stone, becoming the rock formation sailors dreaded. When Odysseus sailed past, she snatched six of his men. Ovid's telling emphasizes that Scylla was an innocent victim — transformed by a jealousy not her own.
Parents
Phorcys, Ceto
Symbols
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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.
Glaucus of Anthedon
🐉 creaturesea,transformation
A mortal fisherman who accidentally ate a magical herb and was transformed into an immortal sea deity, growing fish's scales and a tail, destined to roam the seas forever.
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.
Callisto
🌿 nymphNymph transformed into the Great Bear
Callisto was a companion of Artemis who was seduced by Zeus and transformed into a bear — placed in the sky as Ursa Major, the Great Bear constellation.
Ceto
🐉 creatureSea, monsters
Primordial sea goddess known as the Mother of Monsters who bore many of the most fearsome creatures in Greek myth
Amphitrite
🌿 nymphQueen of the sea
Amphitrite was the Nereid who became queen of the sea as Poseidon's wife.
Medusa
🐉 creatureSnake-haired Gorgon whose gaze turned men to stone
A winged Gorgon with serpents for hair whose gaze could turn any living creature to stone. Once beautiful, she was cursed by Athena and later beheaded by Perseus.
Halia
🌿 nymphthe sea, salt
A sea nymph of Rhodes who bore six sons and a daughter to Poseidon before throwing herself into the sea in grief.
Krataiis
🐉 creatureSea, terror
Sea goddess or nymph identified as the mother of the terrifying six-headed monster Scylla
Glaucus
⚡ godsea, prophecy
A mortal fisherman who became an immortal sea god after eating a magical herb.
Lamia
🐉 creatureChild-devouring queen turned monster
Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya whom Zeus loved; when Hera killed her children in jealousy, Lamia was driven mad and became a child-snatching monster.
Salmacis
🌿 nymphdesire
Water nymph of Caria whose desperate embrace of Hermaphroditus caused the gods to fuse them into a single dual-sexed being.