Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Scylla and Charybdis explained
Ulysses, warned by Circe, navigates the perilous strait between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis.
What happens
Ulysses, warned by Circe, navigates the perilous strait between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla seizes six of his men, and later, despite his oath, his crew slaughters the sacred cattle of the Sun on Thrinakia, leading to a storm that destroys the ship and kills all but Ulysses, who escapes to Calypso's island.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Free Will
Ulysses' crew chooses to violate the sacred cattle despite warnings, leading to their inevitable destruction, highlighting the tension between fate and human choice.
Hubris and Divine Retribution
The crew's transgression against the Sun's cattle results in divine punishment through a storm and shipwreck, illustrating retribution for overstepping mortal bounds.
Characters to notice
- Ulysses
The hero who navigates the dangers of Scylla and Charybdis and later loses his crew due to their violation of the Sun's cattle.
- Circe
The enchantress who warns Ulysses of the monsters Scylla and Charybdis and the sacred cattle of the Sun.
- Scylla
A six-headed monster dwelling in a cave on a cliff, who seizes six of Ulysses' men.
- Neptune
Mentioned as unable to save a vessel engulfed by Charybdis.
Key passages
“Scylla and Charybdis have become proverbial, to denote opposite dangers which beset one’s course.”
The phrase 'between Scylla and Charybdis' is now a common expression for being caught between two equally hazardous choices.
This explains the lasting cultural impact of the myth as a metaphor for dilemma.
“The skins crept on the ground, and the joints of meat lowed on the spits while roasting.”
After the crew slaughtered the sacred cattle, the hides moved and the meat mooed as it cooked, signaling divine displeasure.
Portentous signs following the violation of the Sun's cattle.