Charybdis facts for kids
Charybdis is a sea monster in Ancient Greek mythology. She was said to be a daughter of Poseidon and that when she breathed in and out, the sea would rise and fall. She was also the sister of Scylla, another famous sea monster.
The Sea Monster Charybdis
The sea monster Charybdis was believed to live under a small rock. This rock was on one side of a narrow channel. Across from her lived Scylla, another sea monster, inside a much larger rock. These two monsters were so close that sailors trying to avoid one would often get too close to the other. This is where the saying "between Scylla and Charybdis" comes from. It means you are stuck between two equally bad dangers.
Charybdis would swallow a huge amount of water three times a day. Then, she would spit it back out, creating giant whirlpools. These whirlpools were strong enough to drag a whole ship underwater! In some versions of the story, Charybdis wasn't a monster at all, but simply a very large whirlpool.
A later myth says Charybdis was the daughter of Poseidon (god of the sea) and Gaia (Mother Earth). She was very loyal to her father. She even helped him in his fight against his brother, Zeus, by flooding lands and islands. Zeus was very angry about the land she took. So, he cursed her. He turned her into a hideous monster that looked like a big bladder, with flippers for arms and legs. She also had an endless thirst for the sea. To quench this thirst, she drank the sea water three times a day, which created the dangerous whirlpools. She stayed on her rock, facing Scylla directly across the strait.
Experts believe the whirlpool created by Charybdis would have been about 23 meters (75 feet) wide to swallow Greek ships. Charybdis is often linked to the Strait of Messina. This is a narrow stretch of water off the coast of Sicily. There is a real whirlpool there, caused by strong currents. However, it is only dangerous to small boats in very bad weather.
Odysseus and Charybdis
The famous hero Odysseus had to sail through this dangerous channel. He faced both Charybdis and Scylla. Odysseus told his men to avoid Charybdis. This meant they had to sail closer to Scylla. Sadly, six of his men were lost to Scylla.
Later, Odysseus was stranded on a raft. He was swept back through the strait. His raft was sucked into Charybdis's huge mouth. But Odysseus was clever! He survived by holding onto a fig tree that grew on a rock above her lair. When Charybdis spit the water back out, his raft was released. Odysseus grabbed it and paddled away to safety.
Jason and the Argonauts' Escape
Another group of heroes, the Argonauts, also had to pass through this dangerous strait. They were lucky! The goddess Hera helped them. She ordered the sea nymph Thetis (who was Achilles' mother) to guide them. Thanks to Thetis, the Argonauts were able to avoid both Charybdis and Scylla without harm.
See also
In Spanish: Caribdis para niños
