Scylla by Kassidy

How can today’s society interpret Circe’s curse on Scylla?

kassidy — 2014-10-24 21:08:26 UTC

Today’s society can interpret Circe’s curse on Scylla as a cruel work of fate. The moral that can be taken from Scylla’s story is that you can’t completely control your destiny. Circe falling in love with the exact god that had been interested in Scylla was completely out of Scylla’s hands. Furthermore, it wasn’t exactly Scylla’s fault for being so attractive—simply a work of nature. The poisoning of the bath that converted Scylla, an elegant nymph, into the horrendous monster she is now primarily associated as, was not a fair event. Her lack of choice and action within that whole ordeal was evident in presenting the way the fates can not be controlled.

What morals can be derived from her association with Odysseus?

kassidy — 2014-10-24 21:08:47 UTC

In Homer's legend, Odysseus was forced into leading his men into one of two very dangerous pathways. In order to cross the Strait of Messina, he would have to fight a sea monster, as well as their attached ethics. The conflict emerged: should he risk his ship falling in the whirlpool of Charybdis, or forfeit his men to Scylla’s heads? He reluctantly sailed towards the serpent behemoth, and six of his men were eaten alive. From this, the motif of sacrifice is developed. It is more justifiable to sacrifice little in sake of saving a lot— in this case, men. It can also be said that perseverance is key when one is enclosed in a series of bad influences. No matter how tempting it may be to give up and take the easy route out, it is important to push on. Odysseus displays this moral as he moves past the murder of his six men and onto the more significant matter of saving his survivors.

Sources

kassidy — 2014-10-24 21:24:35 UTC

Atsma, Aaron J. "Skylla". Theoi. Theoi Project, 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Bramblett, Reid. "Messina: History and Myths". Reids Italy. Reid Bramblett, Aug. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

¨Scylla¨. Monstrous. Mounstrous.com, 2009. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

What is the origin behind Scylla's monstrosity?

kassidy — 2014-10-24 21:35:41 UTC

Scylla was initially an elegant nymph, of mortal appearance. A god of the sea named Glaucus fell madly in love with her, to which no mutual feelings were shared. Ergo, he sought the craft of Circe, goddess of magic. He requested a love potion for the heart of the maiden, however Circe then began growing feelings for him. Still, Glaucus only yearned for Scylla, and so Circe developed a poison to diminish Scylla’s elegance. She polluted the water in which Scylla bathed, and her concoction transformed the once beauty into a hideous monster.

The romantic interests may vary with the deviations across many legends. Poseidon is sometimes said to be the lover of Scylla, and his jealous wife Amphitrite abates her beauty.

Allusion

kassidy — 2014-10-24 21:38:49 UTC

¨...between a rock and a hard place."

The idiom shown above refers to the conflict of being caught between Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla relates to the undesea shoals and dangerous rock pillars found on one side of the Strait of Messina, while Charybdis is "a hard place" on the opposite end with her giant whirlpools. The image is taken from a scene in The Simpsons where Homer Simpson is literally in between a rock and A Hard Place.

kassidy — 2014-10-24 21:41:26 UTC

kassidy — 2014-10-25 19:33:57 UTC

Video

kassidy — 2014-10-25 19:35:11 UTC

The following video produced by graphic artist Cento Lodigiani is a short snippet that quickly gives us one perception of Scylla in her monstrous form. It may not be an accurate representation of Scylla's descriptions in books, however this shows the audience that there are many variations of Greek mythology and people/artists may distinguish characters in their own ways.

kassidy — 2014-10-26 21:54:02 UTC