Scylla and Charydbis are two of the many perils that Odysseus faces in his journey home in The Odyssey by Homer.
In Book X, Odysseus and his sailors landed on Aeaea, the land of the sorceress Circe. Although Circe turned Odysseus' men into pigs, Hermes gave Odysseus the herb moly which enabled him to resist the transformation. After Odysseus slept with Circe and persuaded her to free his men from her spell, Odysseus and his sailors stayed for a year on her island.
In Book XII, Odysseus and his sailors leave the island. Standing on the shore, as the mariners are about to leave, Circe gave Odysseus advice about the perils lying in wait for him.
She described the whirlpool Charydbis as sure destruction for ships, and suggested that he steer close to Scylla, who would only grab six sailors from the ship; although Scylla would eat those six sailors, the ship and the rest of the crew would survive. Odysseus followed Circe's advice, preferring to sacrifice six men to sacrificing his own life and that of his entire crew.
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