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Where Sicily and Calabria almost touch, the Strait of Messina has always inspired stories, legends and folk tales. Among the most fascinating is that of Scylla and Charybdis, two monstrous sea creatures that, according to mythology, have terrified sailors crossing these waters since ancient times .
The mythical heart of the Strait of Messina
According to Greek mythology, Scylla was a beautiful young woman who was courted by several sea gods, including Poseidon, Minos of Crete, and the sea god Glaucus. Near the rocks of Zancle (the ancient name for Messina), Scylla meets Glaucus, a fisherman transformed into a sea god, half man and half fish.
Scylla, frightened by his appearance, fled. Glaucus, in despair, turned to the sorceress Circe, asking her for a potion that could make him human again. But Circe, secretly in love with him and consumed by jealousy, took revenge by transforming Scylla into a sea monster. From that moment on, the young woman took on the form of a creature with six canine heads and twelve tentacled legs. She hid among the rocks on the Calabrian side of the Strait, ready to attack anyone who dared to pass nearby.
Charybdis, on the other hand, was the daughter of Poseidon and Gaea. After stealing Heracles‘ sacred livestock, she was punished by Zeus, who condemned her to become a water-devouring sea monster. Three times a day she swallows the sea and throws it back violently, creating giant whirlpools capable of dragging down even the strongest ships. According to legend, Charybdis hid along the Sicilian shore of the Strait, near present-day Ganzirri, north of Messina.
A myth born to explain nature
Today we read this legend as a captivating tale, but it most likely arose as an attempt to explain real natural phenomena that were extremely dangerous. The Strait of Messina unique in its morphology: narrow, deep, and subject to tidal currents that change direction several times a day. Here the waters of the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Sea meet, generating turbulent motions, whirlpools and sudden changes in sea level.
For ancient peoples, these phenomena were inexplicable. Without scientific instruments, myth became the way to give a face and meaning to the sea’s dangers.. The whirlpools that still form north of Messina may have inspired the character of Charybdis, while Scylla’s treacherous cliffs fit the image of the many-headed monster lying in wait.
Navigating the Straits, especially in ancient times, was a perilous task. Oared or sailing vessels required great skill to steer; a single mistake could dash them against the rocks or drag them into the vortex. Thus, the myth of Scylla and Charybdis thus became a kind of imaginary map of dangers, combining natural elements with a strong and enduring narrative.
Echoes in literature: from Homer to Dante
The first author to tell the myth of Scylla and Charybdis was Homer, in theOdyssey. During his journey home to Ithaca, Odysseus was forced to choose between the two monsters. He ultimately steered closer to Scylla, sacrificing six of his men, rather than risk the deadly whirlpools of Charybdis that could destroy his entire ship. It is one of the most dramatic episodes in the poem, showing how deeply the myth was embedded in Greek culture.
Virgil also revisits the legend in the Aeneid. As the Trojan hero Aeneas flees his burning city, he crosses the Strait and is warned of the perils embodied by the two sea creatures.
In the Middle Ages, Dante Alighieri mentions Scylla and Charybdis in the Divine Comedy, turning them into moral symbols: allegories of sins and temptations from which it is difficult to save oneself.
Even today, the expression “being between Scylla and Charybdis” is used to describe situations in which every choice involves loss or risk but, beyond metaphor, the legend retains its value and reminds us of the dangers of the sea and the skill needed to deal with them.
A legend and folk heritage that still lives on
The myth of Scylla and Charybdis is not confined to schoolbooks or classical studies but continues to live in popular culture, oral tales, local traditions and even tourism.
In Scylla, the picturesque village of Chianalea overlooks the sea, at the very spot where, according to legend, the creature hides. The houses built on the rocks and the sound of the waves are a reminder, on stormy days, of the eerie power of the sea.
On the Sicilian side, in the Ganzirri area, local fishermen are familiar with the currents and eddies that form with the changing tide. Although today no one believes in sea monsters anymore, the legend continues to be told to children, especially in fishing families. It is a way of teaching respect for the sea, but also to keep alive a collective memory linked to a unique territory. In addition, Messina’s Neptune Fountain in the Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia depicts the two sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis chained on either side of Neptune and is an allegory of the city’s physical and moral strength in overcoming adversity.
In recent years, the myth has been rediscovered in terms of tourism: thematic routes, guided boat tours, theater performances and art installations inspired by the two monsters have been created. In Messina and Scylla there are murals, explanatory panels and even summer events dedicated to the legend. The tale of Scylla and Charybdis thus continues to weave together myth, nature and local identity, still enchanting those who cross the Strait today.
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