Scylla and Charybdis
When myth gave names to the sea’s fury.
In the narrow Strait of Messina — that slender, restless stretch of sea between Calabria and Sicily — the waters are never still. Powerful currents surge beneath the surface. Winds shift suddenly. Eddies swirl and whirlpools spin with frightening force. Ancient sailors crossing this strait faced a passage so treacherous that it felt like navigating between two living threats.
And so they told a story — one that turned the chaos of nature into the terror of myth.
On the Calabrian side, clinging to the cliffs, was Scylla — a monstrous creature with twelve deformed legs, six snapping heads, and eyes full of fury. But Scylla wasn’t always a monster. She was once a stunning sea nymph, admired for her grace and beauty. Many fell in love with her, including the sea god Glaucus.
Desperate to win Scylla’s heart, Glaucus sought the help of the enchantress Circe. But Circe, too, fell in love — with Glaucus. When he rejected her, Circe’s heartbreak turned into jealousy, and she took her revenge on Scylla. As the young nymph bathed in a quiet cove, Circe poured a cursed potion into the water. Scylla’s body twisted. Her lower half transformed into barking sea beasts and writhing tentacles. Horrified and heartbroken, Scylla fled to the cliffs, hiding in the shadows — forever watching, lashing out at ships that dared pass too close.
Across the strait, on the Sicilian side, raged Charybdis — not a creature with form, but a gigantic, living whirlpool. Her origins were equally tragic. She was once a powerful sea nymph, a daughter of Poseidon, god of the seas. Loyal to her father, she helped him in his war against Zeus by swallowing land and flooding coasts to expand the oceans. Enraged by this defiance, Zeus struck her down with his thunderbolt and cursed her: she was condemned to forever gulp down the sea and vomit it back out — three times a day — creating a churning vortex so violent it could pull entire ships into the abyss.
Between Scylla, waiting in the cliffs to snatch sailors with her many heads, and Charybdis, threatening to drag them under in a foaming whirl, the strait became a corridor of fear. To ancient sailors, it was the embodiment of the worst kind of choice: to avoid one monster meant sailing closer to the other. Even Odysseus, in Homer’s Odyssey, had to choose. He sailed nearer to Scylla, sacrificing six of his men to her snapping jaws, rather than risk losing his entire ship to Charybdis’s hunger.
But behind the terror lies a truth of the Earth itself.
The Strait of Messina is home to a rare natural phenomenon: the collision of cold and warm sea currents, the meeting of two seas with different salinity and temperature, and the sudden shifts caused by tides, winds, and underwater topography. These forces can generate sudden whirlpools, vortexes, and strange noises — sounds that echoed against the cliffs, creating the illusion of creatures growling beneath the waves.
Without science to explain it, the people of the ancient world turned to myth. They gave form to fear. They told stories not only to survive — but to make sense of what they could not yet understand.
Even now, ships pass easily through the Strait. But the names Scylla and Charybdis remain — not just on maps, but in language itself, a metaphor for the impossible choice between two dangers.
And if you stand on the shore, and the wind howls and the sea begins to churn, you might still hear the echo of Scylla’s cry — or glimpse the dizzying pull of Charybdis — and feel, if only for a moment, how myth and nature once merged in the hearts of those who dared to cross.
Yet, despite the legends, the Strait of Messina offers an experience like no other — a breathtaking landscape that blends natural wonder with rich cultural history. Visiting this magnificent part of Italy is not just a journey through myth, but an invitation to immerse yourself in the beauty of the Mediterranean, where ancient stories live on in the land and sea. From the stunning cliffs of Calabria to the charming streets of Messina, Sicily, the region welcomes you with open arms, offering timeless beauty, unforgettable landscapes, and a deep connection to the past.
Whether you’re sailing through the strait, wandering the coastal towns, or simply soaking in the view, the enchantment of Italy is palpable, and its myths, still alive, are part of the experience.
