The Odyssey, Homer, Book 12 Lines 225-257

Translated by Samuel Butler from The Internet Classics Archive.
http://classics.mit.edu/

This online edition was prepared by Jarret Hoffman

The following passage tells the story of Odysseus’ journey between the two sea monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla is a hideous creature with six heads, long gangling limbs, three rows of teeth, and the lower half of her body is made of dogs. Charybdis is a monstrous representation of a whirlpool. Odysseus has come to these two monsters while attempting to sail back home after the conclusion of the Trojan War. Poseidon, the god of the ocean, is angry with Odysseus for not making proper sacrifice and has been thwarting Odysseus' attempts to sail home. On his way he has to face a cyclops, a sea witch, and sirens. Odysseus has had most of his crew killed by giants, he visited the underworld, and survived shipwrecks. Odysseus has his ship sail close to the tall rocky formation where Scylla lives so he can avoid Charybdis. While they sail through the two monsters, Scylla snatches six of Odysseus' men, dragging them to their death and up to her lair. This passage is of interest because it allows us to examine the ethics of choosing between two horrific outcomes. In particular, the choice between having your ship sucked down into the ocean or allowing six of your men to die.

Passage Starts

"As for you, coxswain, these are your orders; attend to them, for the ship is in your hands; turn her head away from these steaming rapids and hug the rock, or she will give you the slip and be over yonder before you know where you are, and you will be the death of us."

"So they did as I told them; but I said nothing about the awful monster Scylla, for I knew the men would not on rowing if I did, but would huddle together in the hold. In one thing only did I disobey Circe's strict instructions- I put on my armor. Then seizing two strong spears I took my stand on the ships bows, for it was there that I expected first to see the monster of the rock, who was to do my men so much harm; but I could not make her out anywhere, though I strained my eyes with looking the gloomy rock all over and over."

"Then we entered the Straits in great fear of mind, for on the one hand was Scylla, and on the other dread Charybdis kept sucking up the salt water. As she vomited it up, it was like the water in a cauldron when it is boiling over upon a great fire, and the spray reached the top of the rocks on either side. When she began to suck again, we could see the water all inside whirling round and round, and it made a deafening sound as it broke against the rocks. We could see the bottom of the whirlpool all black with sand and mud, and the men were at their wit's ends for fear. While we were taken up with this, and were expecting each moment to be our last, Scylla pounced down suddenly upon us and snatched up my six best men. I was looking at once after both ship and men, and in a moment I saw their hands and feet ever so high above me, struggling in the air as Scylla was carrying them off, and I heard them call out my name in one last despairing cry. As a fisherman, seated, spear in hand, upon some jutting rock throws bait into the water to deceive the poor little fishes, and spears them with the ox's horn with which his spear is shod, throwing them gasping on to the land as he catches them one by one- even so did Scylla land these panting creatures on her rock and munch them up at the mouth of her den, while they screamed and stretched out their hands to me in their mortal agony. This was the most sickening sight that I saw throughout all my voyages."


Works Cited

Atsma, Aaron. Skylla. Digital image. Theoi Project. N.p., 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .

Cartwright, Mark. "Greek Mythology Definition." Ancient History Encyclopedia. 29 July 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .

"coxswain." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 22 Sep. 2014. .
"Earth From Space: The Strait of Messina." European Space Agency. 3 Mar. 2006. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .

Homer. "The Odyssey by Homer." The Internet Classic Archive. Trans. Samuel Butler. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .

Lindemans, Micha F. "Charybdis." Encyclopedia Mythica. 21 Apr. 1997. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. .

Lindemans, Micha F. "Scylla." Encyclopedia Mythica. 3 Mar. 1997. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. .

Mangum, Marc. "Circe." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2 May 1997. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .

"Strait of Messina." Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. .