Scylla
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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.
Scylla on the reverse of a first-century BC denarius minted by Sextus Pompeius
The Rock of Scilla, Calabria, which is said to be the home of Scylla
Scylla figurine, late 4th BCE. National Archaeological Museum, Athens
Circe
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In Greek mythology, Circe is a witch and goddess. In most accounts, Circe is described as a daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast knowledge of potions a
Scylla
…bathe. A similar story is found in Hyginus, according to whom Scylla was loved by Glaucus, but Glaucus himself was also loved by the goddess sorceress Circe. While Scylla was bathing in the sea, the jealous Circe poured a baleful potion into the sea water which caused Scylla to transform into a frightful…
Statuette of Circe and pigs from the Sperlonga sculptures, 2nd–3rd century CE
Circe and Scylla in John William Waterhouse's Circe Invidiosa (1892)
Frederick S. Church's Circe (1910)
Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses by John William Waterhouse, 1891