Scylla
(One of the Many) Terrifying Greek Sea Monster!
Origins
- Scylla was a beautiful maiden, with whom Glaucus fell in love with. (Padara).
- To impress Scylla Glaucus became immortal, and turned into a sea creature. (Padara).
- Scylla rejected him, so Glaucus went to Circe, a goddess, for help. Circe fell in love with Glaucus, the sentiment was not returned. (Padara).
- Circe became jealous and poisoned the water Scylla bathed in, turning her into a hideous monster. (Lindemans).
OR
"According to various traditions, daughter of Phorcys, Trienus, Triton or Typhon and Crataeis, Echidna, Hecate or Lamia" (Kravitz 210).
Below, Glaucus attempting to woo Scylla in her human form.
Forms
According to different sources, Scylla had many forms.
- In some traditions Scylla was said to have six dog-like heads, and twelve feet, with a voice like a barking puppy. (ABC-CLIO Solutions).
- In traditions written at a later date she was said to have the torso and head of a beautiful woman. She had six dog-like heads around her waist and twelve feet. (ABC-CLIO Solutions).
- Each head had three rows of teeth each. (Lindemans).
Location, Location, Location
- On the Italian side of the Strait of Messina. (Kravitz 210).
- Opposite of Charybdis, in some stories said to be her sister. (Kravitz 210).
Relevance?
- Scylla ate six men from each ship that passed her. (Lindemans).
- She attacked Odysseus's ship, and ate some of his men. (Kravitz 210).
- Scylla was killed by Heracles, but came back to life since she was immortal. (Kravitz 210).
Citations
"Scylla." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2014. Encyclopedia Mythica Online.
07 Nov. 2014 <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/scylla.html>.
Padara, Carlos. "Scylla 1 - Greek Mythology Link." Scylla 1 - Greek Mythology Link. Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.
Kravitz, David. Who's Who in Greek Mythology. N.p.: Clarkson N. Potter, 1997. Print.
"Scylla." ABC-CLIO Solutions. ABC-CLIO Solutions, 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
"Iconography/Scylla 1/2818." Iconography/Scylla 1/2818. Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.