"Scylla and Charybdis" - the meaning of phraseology

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

What was the reason for the appearance of such an expression as "between Scylla and Charybdis"? And what does it mean, what's the point? Let's take ancient Greek mythology as a basis. As it says, Charybdis and Skilla (Scylla) are two monsters that lived on both sides of the sea strait, which was distinguished by its small width. This waterway was located between Italy and Sicily. Two monsters are remembered for the fact that they killed sailors. So, Scylla and Charybdis: the meaning of phraseology and a little about these characters we will tell in the review.

A Brief History of the First Monster

As mythology says, Scylla is a beautiful nymph. She spent all her days at sea, playing with other similar characters. One day, a sea deity named Glaucus fell in love with her. And in order to achieve the location of a beautiful nymph, he used the love potion that the sorceress Kirk prepared for him. However, the sorceress herself was not entirely indifferent to God, and in order to get rid of her rival, she turned her into a rather terrible monster. Scylla acquired six dogheads, three rows of teeth, and twelve legs. After that, she began to catch sailors by suddenly appearing from her cave. Previously, a beautiful nymph broke their bones and, especially slowly, swallowed them. This is the part of the story in which Scylla is described. And Charybdis deserves attention. Now let's describe the story of the second monster.

A little about the second monster

Charybdis was the daughter of two gods - Gaia and Poseidon. She was turned into a terrible monster by Zeus himself, while throwing her into the sea. She sucks in a fairly large amount of water three times a day and releases it back. That is how she ruined many sailors.

What does the catchphrase hide in itself

Such an expression as "between Scylla and Charybdis" tells us about the danger that threatens simultaneously from two sides. Odysseus once passed between these two monsters on his ship while approaching Sicily. He was returning from Troy to his homeland.

What sacrifices had to be paid

In order not to be touched by Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus sacrificed a lot. First, he sent his ship to Scylla, escaping from the second monster. She, having kidnapped his best sailors in the amount of six pieces, retired deep into the cave in order to slowly eat them. People screamed for help, stretched out their hands to Odysseus. However, he made no move to save them. On the contrary, he simply swam beyond the cave. A few days later, Odysseus nevertheless fell into one of the whirlpools that was created by Charybdis. He sailed on the mast after the shipwreckand keel, which were tied together with a rawhide belt. Odysseus, grabbing the roots of a tree that had grown to one of the rocks, was able to stay in this state until his makeshift raft was swallowed up by water. After some time, the keel and mast were thrown back. Then Odysseus saddled them again and began to rake with his hands in the direction opposite from the whirlpool. This is how Scylla and Charybdis were passed by him. However, at the same time, he lost quite a lot - the ship and his entire crew. And the way home was rather long.

A movie that has a monster scene

Director Konchalovsky made a film that was dedicated to Odysseus. Two characters appeared in it - Scylla and Charybdis. The first monster looked like a dragon with many heads. The second monster appeared before the viewers in the form of a huge mouth that swallowed the ships.

Mentions of monsters that have come down to us in various forms

It should also be noted that Scylla in translation means "barking". As many people know, in the Adriatic Sea you can find a shrimp, which is called exactly the same. In addition, there are several fantastic works written by Russian writers in which one can meet space animals with a large number of heads. Their name, of course, is exactly the same as the monster of the same name from Greek mythology. For example, Virgil in his work mentioned several Scylla at once, who live near Tartarus, along withmany other monsters. The Strugatskys in their story called "The Distant Rainbow" called Charybdis a mechanism that absorbs the energy of a wave, under which a cataclysm caused by experimental physicists was hidden.

Skyllian rock can also be found in the Adriatic Sea. According to local legends, it was on it that Scylla lived. In addition, the game "Castelvania" features a character named Scylla, as well as Medusa Gorgon.

Monster Locations

According to the work of Homer called "The Odyssey", Scylla and Charybdis lived at an arrow's flight distance from each other. The first monster chose a rock as his place of residence, and the second lived under the mountain. In ancient times, the residences of the two monsters were connected to each other by the Strait of Messina, the width of which reached 5 km.

It is not always possible to establish family ties

Some ancient Greek authors noted in their works that Scylla is the daughter of Phorkis and Hekate, Forbant and Hekate, Triton and Lamia, Typhon and Echidna. To put it simply, there were a lot of names mentioned. In other words, the authors could not come to something in common. But Charybdis was unanimously named the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia.

More details about the place of residence of Scylla and its appearance according to Homer

Homer in his work described the habitat of Scylla. The rock on which the monster lived rose almost to the very sky. She was always covered with black clouds and dusk. climb onthe rock was almost impossible, as the surface was quite slippery and steep. In the center of such an impregnable colossus there was a cave, the entrance of which was directed to the west. It was in this cave that the terrible Scylla lived. She constantly barked, filling the surroundings with her shrill squeal.

The front of this monster had twelve thin paws. On the shoulders one could see six heads, which were held on long and flexible necks. In the mouth, Scylla had frequent, sharp teeth arranged in three rows. The monster hunted the seafarers quite simply. It exposed its heads from the cave and examined the water surface. At that moment, when the ship sailed by, all the mouths grabbed people at the same time.

What does the monster look like in various novels?

The authors of the myths depicted Scylla as a dog below and a woman above. It is not uncommon to see an image in which the monster is represented as a girl with six dog heads and two tails. In fact, there are a lot of stories about what Scylla looks like. Each author demonstrates it differently, showing all their imagination.

The second monster was equated with a deity

Charybdis, according to Homer, does not have an individuality, although it belongs to the category of deities. According to him, this is just a sea whirlpool, which arises three times in one day and absorbs and then spews water. No one has seen her, as she is hidden by the water column. Charybdis has a gigantic mouth into which water flows non-stop.

BIn ancient Greek mythology, Charybdis was considered a kind of personification of the deep sea. In some situations, she was depicted as a sea deity or monster.

Parallels with the modern world

You can also read the work written by Nikonov. "Between Scylla and Charybdis" - it was under this expression that he described the path of development of civilization, which was accompanied by constant danger from all sides. As Scylla, he demonstrated reactionary conservatism and obscurantism. Charybdis in the author's novel appeared in the form of soft-bodied political correctness, which has already been brought to the point of absurdity. Nikonov tried to convey to everyone his idea - a transparent world of the future. How well he did it, you can find out after reading the book.

Conclusion

You wondered: Scylla and Charybdis - who are they? In this review, we tried to tell you about these two characters by collecting several stories and conjectures of the authors. In fact, the monsters that are called that have existed in the fantasies of people for a long time. Everyone in their own way tries to imagine what they look like. Someone else pours out his idea by writing a book. And it should be noted that in the modern world the expression "between Scylla and Charybdis" is still very popular. We hope that after reading this review it became clear to you what it means.