What caused the appearance of such an expression as “between Scylla and Charybdis”? And what does it carry, what is the point? Let's take the basis of ancient Greek mythology. As she says, Charybdis and Skill (Scylla) are two monsters that lived on both sides of the strait, which was small in width. This waterway was located between Italy and Sicily. Two monsters were remembered for the fact that they destroyed the sailors. So, Scylla and Charybdis: the meaning of phraseology and a little about these characters we will discuss in the review.
A brief history of the first monster
According to mythology, Scylla is a beautiful nymph. She spent all her days at sea, playing with other characters like herself. Once she was loved by a sea deity named Glaucus. And in order to achieve the location of a beautiful nymph, he used the love potion prepared by the magician Kirk. However, the sorceress herself was not completely indifferent to God, and in order to get rid of her rival, she turned her into a rather terrible monster. Scylla acquired six dog heads, teeth in three rows and twelve legs. After that, she began to catch sailors, suddenly emerging from her cave. Previously, a beautiful nymph was breaking their bones and, not particularly in a hurry, swallowed. This is 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 bit about the second monster
Charybdis was the daughter of two gods - Gaia and Poseidon. It was turned into a terrible monster by Zeus himself, while dropping into the sea. Three times a day, she sucks in a fairly large amount of water and releases it back. That is how she ruined many sailors.
What hides a winged expression
An expression such as “between Scylla and Charybdis” tells us about the danger that threatens both sides at the same time. Between these two monsters, Odysseus once passed on his ship while approaching Sicily. He was returning from Troy to his homeland.
What sacrifices did you have to pay
In order not to be touched by Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus sacrificed many. First, he sent his ship to Scylla, fleeing the second monster. She, having stolen the best of his sailors in the amount of six pieces, retired deep into the cave in order to slowly eat them. People screamed for help, extended their hands to Odysseus. However, he did not take a single step to save them. On the contrary, he just sailed on to the cave. A few days later, Odysseus still fell into one of the whirlpools that had been created by Charybdis. After a shipwreck, he sailed on the mast and keel, which were connected by a rawhide strap. Odysseus, clutching the roots of a tree that grew to one of the rocks, was able to stay in that state until his impromptu raft was absorbed into the water. After some time, the keel and mast were thrown back. Then Odysseus saddled them again and began to rake his hands in the direction opposite from the maelstrom. This is how Scylla and Charybdis were passed by him. However, he also lost quite a lot - the ship and his entire crew. And the path to the homeland was quite long.
A film in which there is a scene with monsters
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 a lot of goals. The second monster appeared in front of viewers in the form of a huge mouth that swallowed the ships.
Mentions of monsters that have come down to us in a variety of ways
It should also be noted that Scylla in translation means "barking." As many people know, in the Adriatic Sea you can find shrimp, which is called exactly the same. In addition, there are several fantastic works written by domestic writers in which you can meet space animals with a large number of goals. 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 Scylls at once, who live near Tartarus along with many other monsters. The Strugatsky in their story entitled "Far Rainbow" called Charybdis a mechanism that absorbs wave energy, under which the cataclysm caused by experimental physicists was hidden.
In the Adriatic Sea you can also find the Skillian rock. According to local traditions, it was Scylla who lived on it. In addition, in the game "Castellania" a character named Scylla, as well as Medusa Gorgon, are presented .
Monster Habitats
According to Homer's work entitled "The Odyssey," Scylla and Charybdis lived at a distance from each other's arrows. The first monster chose a rock as the place of his stay, and the second lived under the mountain. In ancient times, the places of residence of two monsters were connected with 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 in their works noted that Scylla is the daughter of Forkis and Hecate, Forbant and Hecate, Triton and Lamia, Typhon and Echidna. Simply put, a lot of names were mentioned. In other words, the authors could not come to something common. But Charybdis was unanimously named the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia.
In more detail 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 sky. She was always covered in black clouds and dusk. Climbing onto the rock was practically impossible, since the surface was quite slippery and steep. In the center of such an impregnable colossus 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, announcing the surroundings with her piercing screech.
In front of this monster were twelve thin paws. On the shoulders you could see six heads, which were held on long and flexible necks. Scylla had frequent, sharp teeth in three rows in its mouth. The monster hunted the sailors quite simply. It exhibited its heads from the cave and examined the water surface. At that moment, when a ship sailed by, all the mouths grabbed people at the same time.
What does a monster look like in various novels?
The authors of myths portrayed Scylla as a dog below and a woman above. Often you can see the image in which the monster is presented in the form of a girl with six dog heads and two tails. In fact, there are a lot of stories about how Scylla looks. Each author demonstrates it in different ways, showing all his imagination.
The second monster was equated with a deity
Charybdis, according to Homer, does not have individuality, although it belongs to the category of deities. According to him, this is just a sea vortex, which occurs three times in one day and absorbs, and then spews water. No one saw her, as she is hidden by the thickness of the water. Charybdis has a gigantic mouth, into which water pours non-stop.
In ancient Greek mythology, Charybdis was considered a kind of personification of the deep sea. In some situations, she was portrayed as a sea deity or monster.
Parallels to the modern world
You can also read the work that Nikonov wrote. “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 reduced to absurdity. Nikonov tried to convey to everyone his idea - a transparent world of the future. How much 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, collecting several stories and speculations of the authors. In fact, the monsters that are so called exist in the fantasies of people for a long time. Each in his own way tries to imagine how they look. At the same time, someone also pours out his idea by writing a book. And it should be noted that in the modern world the phrase "between Scylla and Charybdis" is still very popular. We hope that after reading this review you will understand what it means.