In Greek mythology, Scylla is a legendary, man-eating monster that lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart, the sea-swallowing monster Charybdis. The two sides of the
Scylla as a maiden with a kētos tail and dog heads sprouting from her body. Detail from a red-figure bell-crater in the Louvre, 450–425 BC. This form of Scylla was prevalent in ancient depictions, though very different from the description in Homer, where she is land-based and more dragon-like.
The Rock of Scilla, Calabria, which is said to be the home of Scylla
Scylla figurine, late 4th BCE. National Archaeological Museum, Athens
Glaucus and Scylla by Bartholomeus Spranger (c. 1581)
Charybdis is a sea monster in Greek mythology. Along with the sea monster Scylla, it appears as a challenge to epic characters such as Odysseus, Jason, and Aeneas. The descriptions of Greek mythical c
Henry Fuseli's painting of Odysseus facing the choice between Scylla and Charybdis, 1794–1796
The Strait of Messina, with Scylla (underlined in red) and Charybdis on the opposite shores
A 19th-century engraving of the Strait of Messina, the site associated with Scylla and Charybdis