By: Emily Leskowsky, Marissa Moosic, and Taryn Talacka

Scylla and Charybdis were two sea monsters that lived at the opposite ends of the Strait of Messina, located between Italy and Sicily.

Scylla was a sea nymph. A nymph is a minor goddess of nature, usually represented as young and beautiful. She was beloved by Poseidon, god of the sea.

Poseidon's jealous wife, Amphitrite, poisoned Scylla’s bath water. This turned Scylla into a six-headed monster with three rows of razor-sharp teeth in each head. When ships passed close by her, she struck out to grab and eat unsuspecting sailors.

Charybdis was also a sea nymph, and was Poseidon’s daughter. Zeus transformed her into a dangerous whirlpool, directly across the strait from Scylla. Ships sailing the strait were almost certain to be destroyed by either Scylla or Charybdis.

Scylla and Charbydis were sea monsters who attacked sailors. Some sailors didn’t know that these monsters existed, while others knew of their existence and thought that they could get by the monsters without any harm coming to them. Unfortunately, it was near impossible to get past the monsters.

“Scylla and Charybdis.” 2020site.org. 19 Feb “Scylla and Charybdis.” mythencyclopedia.com. 19 Feb