Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Glaucus and Scylla explained
Glaucus, a fisherman transformed into a sea-god, falls in love with the nymph Scylla, who spurns him.
What happens
Glaucus, a fisherman transformed into a sea-god, falls in love with the nymph Scylla, who spurns him. He seeks the help of the enchantress Circe, who, jealous of his devotion to Scylla, uses her magic to transform Scylla into a hideous monster surrounded by serpents and barking beasts. Scylla becomes a terror to mariners, destroying six of Ulysses' companions and later being turned into a rock. The chapter also includes Keats' alternative version where Glaucus is cursed by Circe and eventually restored by Endymion.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Transformation
Glaucus' love for Scylla drives his quest to Circe, leading to Scylla's monstrous transformation and later, in Keats' version, to restoration through love.
Jealousy and Revenge
Circe's jealousy of Scylla and her vengeful transformation of the nymph into a monster.
Characters to notice
- Glaucus
A fisherman transformed into a sea-god who falls in love with Scylla and seeks Circe's help.
- Scylla
A beautiful water-nymph who rejects Glaucus and is transformed by Circe into a monster.
- Circe
The enchantress who, jealous of Glaucus' love for Scylla, transforms Scylla into a monster.
- Ulysses
Mentioned as one whose companions were destroyed by Scylla.
- Aeneas
Mentioned as one whose ships Scylla tried to wreck.
Key passages
“Sooner shall trees grow at the bottom of the ocean, and seaweed on the top of the mountains, than I will cease to love Scylla, and her alone.”
Glaucus declares that his love for Scylla is eternal and unchanging, no matter what obstacles arise.
Glaucus' steadfast devotion to Scylla, even after Circe's advances.
“What was her horror to perceive a brood of serpents and barking monsters surrounding her! At first she could not imagine they were a part of herself, and tried to run from them, and to drive them away; but as she ran she carried them with her, and when she tried to touch her limbs, she found her hands touch only the yawning jaws of monsters.”
Scylla is horrified to discover that the serpents and monsters are actually part of her own body, transforming her into a terrifying creature.
The moment of Scylla's transformation into a monster by Circe's magic.