# Scylla and Charybdis explained — Bulfinch’s Mythology

> Chapter companion for Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/scylla-and-charybdis
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters