Skilla mythology. Skilla (Scylla), sea monster. Examples of the use of the word skill in literature

Homer's description

Rock Skills it rose high with a sharp peak to the sky and was forever covered with dark clouds and dusk; access to it was impossible due to its smooth surface and steepness. In the middle of it, at a height inaccessible even for an arrow, a cave gaped, facing a dark vent to the west: the terrible Skilla lived in this cave. Barking incessantly ( Σκύλλα - "barking"), the monster announced the surroundings with a shrill screech. In front of Skills twelve paws moved, six long flexible necks rose on their shaggy shoulders, and a head protruded from each neck; in her mouth, her sharp, sharp teeth gleamed in three rows. Having moved backwards into the depths of the cave and stuck out with her chest outward, she hunted down prey with all her heads, groping her paws around the rock and catching dolphins, seals and other sea animals. When the ship passed by the cave, Skilla, gaping all her jaws, abducted six people from the ship at once. Homer describes Skilla in such lines.

When Odysseus and his companions passed the narrow strait between Skilla and Charybdis, the latter greedily absorbed the salty moisture. Believing that death from Charybdis inevitably threatens everyone, while Skilla could grab only six people with her paws, Odysseus, with the loss of six of his comrades, whom Skilla ate, avoids the terrible strait

According to Gigin, below is a dog, above is a woman. She had 6 dogs born by her, and she ate 6 companions of Odysseus.

Like Odysseus, he happily passed Charybdis and Jason with his companions, thanks to the help of Thetis; Aeneas, who also had a way between Skilla and Charybdis, preferred to bypass the dangerous place in a roundabout way.

Geography

Geographically, the location of Charybdis and Skilla was confined by the ancients to the Strait of Messenia, moreover, Charybdis was located in the Sicilian part of the strait under Cape Pelor, and Skilla on the opposite cape (in Bruttia, near Regius), which bore her name in historical time (lat. Scyllaeum promontorium, ancient Greek. Σκύλλαιον ). At the same time, attention is drawn to the discrepancy between the fantastic description of the fabulous dangerous strait near Homer with the actual character of the Messene Strait, which seems far from so dangerous for navigators.

Interpretation

The rationalistic interpretation of these monsters is given by Pompey Trog According to the interpretation of Polybius, fishing is described at the Scyllean rock. According to another interpretation, Skilla is a fast-moving Tyrrhenian triere, from which Odysseus fled. According to the third interpretation, Skilla lived on the island, was a beautiful heterosexual and had parasites with her, with whom she “ate” (that is, ruined) foreigners.

In literature and art

There was Stesichor's poem "Skilla" (fr. 220 Paige), the praises of Timothy "Skilla"

Scylla (Σκύλλα) or Skilla, in Greek myth-making is a terrible sea monster that lived in a cave on a steep rock of a narrow strait and, together with Charybdis, destroyed sailing sailors and their ships. Scylla's rock rose high with a sharp peak to the sky and was forever covered with dark clouds and dusk; access to it was impossible due to its smooth surface and steepness. In the middle of it, at a height inaccessible even for an arrow, a cave gaped, facing a dark vent to the west: the terrible Scylla lived in this cave.

Glaucus and Scylla, 1582, Bartholomeus Spranger

Barking incessantly (Σκύλλα, in translation means barking), the monster announced the surroundings with a piercing screech. In front, Scylla had twelve paws, six long, flexible necks rose on her shaggy shoulders, and a head protruded from each neck; in her mouth were bright, sharp teeth arranged in three rows. Pushing her back into the depths of the cave and putting her chest out, she hunted down the prey with all her heads, groping her paws around the rock and catching dolphins, seals and other sea animals.

When the ship passed by the cave, Scylla, gaping all her jaws, abducted six people from the ship at once (Homer, Odyssey, XII 85-100, 245-250). Homer describes Scylla in such features. As for the genealogy of Scylla, Homer calls her mother the nymph Crateida, the daughter of Hecate and Triton. In other mythographic sources, Scylla is considered the daughter of Forkis and Hecate, or Triton and Lamia, or Typhon and Echidna, or Poseidon and Crateida. In the post-Homeric legends, Scylla is sometimes presented as a beautiful girl. Ovid says that in the beginning Scylla was a beautiful nymph. She spent all the days at sea with her friends, each time rejecting the love offered to her.

Once the sea god Glaucus fell in love with her, and the sorceress Circe, who herself was captivated by Glaucomo, disfigured her beautiful body out of jealousy for Scylla, turning its lower part into a row of dog heads (Ovid, Metamorphoses, XIII 730-737; 900-968).

Scylla and Charybdis, Roger Payne

According to another legend, this transformation of a beauty into a monster was completely Amphitrite, who, noticing that Poseidon was seduced by the beauty of Scylla, decided in this way to get rid of her dangerous rival. For the kidnapping of the Geryon bulls from Hercules, Scylla was killed by the last, but was brought back to life by Forkis. Virgil mentions several Scyllas, which, among other monsters, inhabit the threshold of Tartarus. In works of art, Scylla was depicted as a monster with a dog's head and two dolphin tails, or with two bogey heads and a dolphin's tail.

Geographically, the location of Scylla and Charybdis was confined by the ancients to the Strait of Messenia, and Charybdis was located in the Sicilian part of the strait under the Pelorian cape, and Scylla on the opposite cape in Brutia, near Regius, which in historical time bore her name (in Greek, Σνύλeλαιο ... At the same time, attention is drawn to the discrepancy between the fantastic description of the fabulous dangerous strait near Homer with the actual character of the Messene Strait, which seems far from so dangerous for navigators.

Skilla (Scylla), Greek - a sea monster with six canine heads (with three rows of teeth in each mouth) and twelve legs, as well as one royal daughter.

The parents of the monstrous SKILLA were usually considered the sea god Forkis and the goddess of violent waves Crateid or the hundred-headed giant Typhon and his wife Echidna. It is not clear whether SKILLA was so ugly already at birth - with the ugliness of her parents, this would be quite natural. However, some authors say that SKILLA was once a beauty, and the wife of Poseidon, who envied her beauty, or a sorceress turned her into a monster (because SKILLA bathed in her bath with infusions of magical herbs).

SKILLA lived in a deep cave on the coastal rock of the strait, in which the terrible Charybdis lay in wait for the sailors. SKILLA also tried not to miss a single ship, with each of her six heads she captured a sailor and immediately devoured her victims; she did not disdain dolphins, seals and other marine life either. those returning from Colchis with the golden fleece managed to sail past SKILLA without loss, just as later Aeneas; Odysseus twice sailed past SKILLA, but on the first pass she stole six companions from his ship. When Geryon sailed past SKILLA with herd, she stole one ox from him. For this, Hercules killed SKILLA, but the sea god Forkis resurrected her, and she again took up the old. In ancient times, her place of residence was considered a dangerous rock in the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Calabria. In Calabria, on the shores of this strait, and now there is a town of Scilla.

The second SKILLA was the daughter of Nis, the king of the Sicilian Megara (see in the article "Nis").

However, it was the first SKILLA that was invariably accompanied by its neighbor Charybdis that was imprinted in our minds. "To be between Scylla and Charybdis" means "to be between two equal dangers." (A variant of this expression: "Who wants to avoid Charybdis, goes to Scylla.")

Skilla (ancient Greek Σκύλλα, in Latin transliteration Scylla, Latin Scylla) and Charybdis (ancient Greek Χάρυβδις, the transcription of Charybdis is acceptable) - sea monsters from ancient Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis are two monsters of the Sicilian Sea that lived on both sides of the narrow strait and destroyed the sailors that sailed between them. They are the ruthless embodiment of the powers of the sea.

Once beautiful nymphs, they were turned into monsters with six heads, with three rows of teeth in each head, with ugly long necks.

These roaring, rumbling monsters swallowed the sea and spat it back out (the personification of the terrible whirlpool, the opening of the sea abyss). Being between Scylla and Charybdis means being in danger at the same time from different sides.

A beautiful nymph lived in Greece for a long time - a sea goddess named Scylla. The girl was so beautiful that not only the sailors who sailed on the sea but also the sea gods looked at her. The bogiyan herself lived at the same time on an island, where she swam in a wonderful forest lake.

The god of fishermen, Glaucus, looked at her. This was the end of the beauty's normal life. The fact is that Glauka also loved the witch Circe, who had fun by transforming people into animals. She poisoned the lake on the island of Scylla. and when the girl dived into the waters of the lake, she surfaced already scary monster -multi-headed dragon-dog. Seeing her reflection in the sea, she lost her mind, climbed onto a rock, and began to devour sailors passing by on ships. By the way, those whom Scylla did not eat was devoured by Charybdis. Charybdis is such a sea demon, or rather a demoness. No one saw her, but everyone saw the whirlpool, which creates a charybdis when he pulls in the ships with his mouth, with whose people Scylla was not fed enough ...

Charybdis - a terrible sea monster from Greek mythology, was considered the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia.

Many believe that Charybdis is a huge whirlpool than an animal. But if this is an animal, then it is clearly an invertebrate.

Interesting Facts:
In Konchalovsky's film Odysseus, Scylla looks like a multi-headed dragon, and Charybdis is like a giant mouth that swallows ships.
"Scylla" in Greek means "barking"

In the Adriatic Sea there is a shrimp of the same name.
Also in some fantastic works of domestic authors there are multi-headed space animals with the same name.
Virgil mentions several Skills, which, among other monsters, inhabit the threshold of Tartarus.

In the story of the Strugatsky brothers, the Distant Rainbow "Charybdis" is the name of the mechanism (device on caterpillars) that absorbed the energy of the Wave - a cataclysm caused by the experiment of physicists.

In the Adriatic Sea, there is also a network of Scylla rock (according to legend, it was on it that Scylla lived).
On par with Medusa the Gorgon Scylla is one of the monsters in the game "Castelvania"

The origin of Scylla and Charybdis

According to the description in Homer's Odyssey, Scylla's rock rose to the very sky and was always covered with dark clouds and dusk; climbing it was impossible because of the smooth surface and steepness. In the middle of the cliff, at a height inaccessible for an arrow, there was a gaping cave facing the entrance to the west: the terrible Scylla (Skilla) lived in this cave. Barking incessantly, the monster filled the surroundings with a piercing screech. In front of Scylla twelve slender paws moved, six long flexible necks rose on her shoulders, and a head stuck out on each neck; in her mouth, her sharp, sharp teeth gleamed in three rows. Having put all six heads out of the cave and twirling them, Scylla tracked down prey and caught dolphins, seals and other marine animals. When a ship passed by the cave, Scylla, gaping all her mouths, at once kidnapped six people from the ship. “… This smooth cliff, as if hewn by someone. They rummage around on a smooth rock and grab fish under it. "

“Know this: not a mortal evil, but the immortal Scylla. Ferocious,

Terribly strong and wild. Fighting her is impossible.

You can't take it here by force. Only one escape is in flight. "

Don't come close! The Farmer himself would not have saved you here! " ... In general, in the ancient Greek epic, Charybdis was the personification of the representation of the all-consuming deep sea. Sometimes under it a sea deity or a monster living in Charybdis was depicted. The origin of Scylla and Charybdis

In ancient Greek mythology, Scylla (Skilla) and Charybdis were sea monsters. According to Homer's Odyssey (c. VIII century BC), Scylla and Charybdis lived on different sides of the sea strait on a rock (Scylla) and under a rock (Charybdis) at an arrow's flight distance from each other. IN antique times the location of Charybdis and Skilla was most often associated with the Strait of Messina, 3 to 5 km wide between Italy and Sicily. Various ancient Greek authors considered Scylla to be the daughter of Forkis and Hecate, Forbant and Hecate, Triton and Lamia, Typhon and Echidna, Poseidon and the nymph Kratayida, Poseidon and Gaia, Forkis and Kratayida. Homer called her mother Kratayida, daughter of Hecate and Triton. Akusilai and Apollonius called Scylla herself, the daughter of Fork and Hecate, Kratayida. Charybdis was considered the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia.

According to the description in Homer's Odyssey, Scylla's rock rose to the very sky and was always covered with dark clouds and dusk; climbing it was impossible because of the smooth surface and steepness. In the middle of the cliff, at a height inaccessible for an arrow, there was a gaping cave, facing the entrance to the west: the terrible Scylla lived in this cave (Skill Barking incessantly, the monster filled the surroundings with a piercing screech. In front of Scylla twelve slender paws moved, six long flexible necks rose on her shoulders, and a head stuck out on each neck; in her mouth, her sharp, sharp teeth gleamed in three rows. Having put all six heads out of the cave and twirling them, Scylla tracked down prey and caught dolphins, seals and other marine animals. When a ship passed by the cave, Scylla, gaping all her mouths, at once kidnapped six people from the ship.

“… This is smooth to the cliff, as if hewn by someone. There is a gloomy cave in the middle of the cliff. It is turned by the entrance to the darkness, to the west, to Erebus. Direct your ship past her, noble Odysseus. Even the strongest shooter, aiming from the ship with a bow, The hollow cave could not reach with his arrow. The scary snarling Scylla lives in a rock cave. Evil monster. There is no one who would, having seen her, I felt joy in my heart - even if God had faced it Scylla has twelve legs, and they are all thin and liquid. Long six twisting necks on the shoulders, and on the necks On a terrifying head, in each mouth in three rows Full of black death, abundant, frequent teeth. In a den with a floor, she sits with half of her body, Six heads protrude outward over a terrible abyss, They rummage around on a smooth rock and grab fish under it. " Hyginus (64 BC - 17 AD) in Myths depicted Scylla from below as a dog, and above as a woman. In works of ancient Greek art, Scylla was often depicted as a monster with a dog's head and two dolphin tails or with two bogey heads and a dolphin's tail. Virgil mentioned several Scyllas who inhabited the threshold of Tartarus. According to Homer, Scylla was immortal and very strong. “Know this: not mortal evil, but immortal Scylla. Ferocious, Terribly strong and wild. Fighting her is impossible. You can't take it here by force. Only one escape is in flight. " In some legends, Scylla was represented as a beautiful girl - the beloved of either Glaucus or Poseidon himself. According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, the sorceress Kirka, out of jealousy for her, poisoned the water when Scylla was bathing, and Scylla became a ferocious beast, and its lower part turned into a row of dog heads. According to the "Acts of Dionysus" Nonnus (4th-5th centuries AD), this transformation of Scylla was accomplished by Amphitrina.

Homer's charybdis has no individuality, although he attributes it to a sea deity: it is just a sea whirlpool that absorbs and erupts sea water three times a day: “no one has seen it. Charybdis is hiding under water, the gigantic mouth is wide open, and the waters of the strait are poured into the black hole with a roar. "

“A fig tree with lush foliage grows wildly on the rock.

Directly below her from the Charybdis divine black waters

They rage terribly. Three times she absorbs them a day

And spews three times. Look: when it absorbs -

Don't come close! The Farmer himself would not have saved you here! "

In general, in the ancient Greek epic, Charybdis was the personification of the representation of the all-consuming deep sea. Sometimes under it a sea deity or a monster living in Charybdis was depicted.

There is a Greek proverb, which is translated into Russian as "Running from Charybdis I came across Scylla." This proverb means that trying to avoid one danger, a person may face another, more terrible. In Greek mythology, a creature called Scylla was unique (present in the singular) and lived close to another creature -. Both creatures were extremely dangerous and voracious and both belong to sea monsters.

Scylla is a unique creature, somewhat similar to a hydra. But the size of Scylla is much larger. According to various versions, Scylla was loved by different heroes or Gods, became an object of jealousy, which is why other women poured poison into the place where she bathed, but instead of death, Scylla acquired her appearance. Terrifying and disgusting appearance.

And this appearance consists in the fact that the previously beautiful Scylla became a real monster with an attractive bait. It is often mentioned that Scylla retained a part of the human body (usually the upper half), and the lower part is hidden by water. And the bottom part just gives out the monster. These are several tentacles or other limbs that end with the heads of dogs (in the classical version of myths) or the heads of snakes, or even human (in later versions of their interpretation). The number of limbs is unchanged - there are always six of them. However, the other part of the description of Scylla is unchanged - its enormous size. Indeed, the female half is visible from afar and this is a harbinger of trouble for sailors, but many are attracted to the monster like a magnet. Scylla is able to bite in half with her head alone.

Due to the fact that Scylla was poisoned, hatred for people in her is very strong. She could conceal anger only against her poisoner, but under the influence of the poison her mind became clouded and the human part of the monster does not have any functions at all (does not speak, does not move and does not think - she simply does not exist), all the will and the whole mind of creatures is concentrated in the limbs and their crowning heads. Actually, these heads determine the danger of the scilla - they simply destroy everything that is within their reach, but at the same time they are content with a single prey.

Habitat and meeting people

According to myths Ancient Greece Scylla is inhabited in the Strait of Messina at an arrow's flight distance from Charybdis, which is also mentioned in myths next to her. Many seafarers have ended their lives in the mouths of this terrifying monster. The Greek heroes - Odysseus, Aeneas and Jason also had a chance to encounter this creature. Each hero experienced this meeting in his own way.

Odysseus, when meeting with Charybdis and Scylla, considered that it was better to lose six soldiers than all and turned the ship towards Scylla. Six soldiers were seized by the heads of the monster, and while they were making their terrible meal, the ship passed the dangerous strait.

Jason, managed to avoid meeting with terrible monsters, because he was the favorites of the gods. At that time, the sea Goddess Thetis came to the aid of him and his companions, who pacified both monsters and led the Argonauts along a safe route.

Aeneas, however, simply chose to avoid meeting with monsters and chose a different path to achieve his goal. Thus, he saved himself and people who were loyal to himself.