Scylla
Once a nymph, Scylla was transformed into a six-headed cliffside monster. Guarding one side of the narrow Strait of Messina, she snatches sailors from decks as ships pass—forcing heroes to choose between her and whirlpool Charybdis.
Story beats
- 1) Glaucus or Poseidon’s pursuit enrages sorceress Circe, who pours poison into Scylla’s bathing pool.
- 2) Scylla sprouts dog-headed necks and snapping jaws; her lower body anchors to rock above a deadly strait.
- 3) Passing ships must hug her cliff or be sucked into Charybdis; six sailors are seized from Odysseus’ crew.
- 4) Later myths place Scylla as an unavoidable hazard—sometimes slain, but usually enduring as a warning.
Context & symbolism
Scylla embodies unavoidable loss and the monstrous potential of jealousy. Positioned opposite Charybdis, she personifies the "between a rock and a hard place" dilemma—leaders must pick which cost to bear.
Her transformation also echoes cautionary tales about spurned love and the danger of tampering with natural beauty for possessive ends.
Motifs
- Six snapping heads on long necks
- Anchored to cliffside rock
- No-win strait crossing
- Jealous sorcery transforming a nymph
Use it in play
- Force a hard choice: lose crew to Scylla or risk the whirlpool opposite.
- Seek Circe’s antidote to restore Scylla, turning a hazard into an ally.
- Cliff dungeon: climb past snapping heads to place a calming charm.
- Barter with Scylla for safe passage—she demands names of enemies to claim instead.