Charybdis
Strait's swirling terror
Charybdis is a sea monster from Greek mythology, depicted as a massive whirlpool that swallowed and regurgitated the sea three times daily.
She lay opposite the monster Scylla in a narrow strait, creating an impossible choice for sailors—hence the expression between Scylla and Charybdis, meaning caught between two equally dangerous alternatives.
Rotating fluid column
- maelstromViolent whirlpool or upheaval
- gyreCircular or spiral motion
- eddyCircular counter-current
- swirlRotating, curving movement
maw · turbulence · suction · engulfment · spiral · funnel · current · sinkhole
Six-headed mythical beast
- devouringEating greedily and quickly
- ravenousExtremely hungry, insatiable
- insatiableImpossible to satisfy
- voraciousExtremely eager to consume
maw · gluttonous · terror · horror · deadly · swallowing · gulping · disgorging
Six-headed mythical beast
- HomerAncient Greek epic composer
- OdysseusIthaca's long-wandering monarch
- IthacaIonian island, epic destination
- CirceMythical witch, island-dweller
Polyphemus · Calypso · Tiresias · Aeolus · Penelope · Telemachus · Poseidon · Athena
Fraught with danger
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
- hazardousLikely to cause injury
- dangerousApt to cause harm
- deadlyAble to cause expiration
menacing · ominous · inescapable · dilemma · no-win · unavoidable · doom · fate
Nature spirit or larva
- PoseidonGreek sea deity
- GaiaPrimordial earth deity
- ZeusGreek sky god
- transformationThorough change in form
punishment · cursed · immortal · daughter · divine · personified
vortex
Rotating fluid column
swirl · maw · turbulence · suction · engulfment · spiral · funnel · current · sinkhole · whorl
Scylla
Six-headed mythical beast
- devouringEating greedily and quickly
- ravenousExtremely hungry, insatiable
- insatiableImpossible to satisfy
voracious · maw · gluttonous · terror · horror · deadly · swallowing · gulping · disgorging · personification
Scylla
Six-headed mythical beast
- HomerAncient Greek epic composer
- OdysseusIthaca's long-wandering monarch
- IthacaIonian island, epic destination
Circe · Polyphemus · Calypso · Tiresias · Aeolus · Penelope · Telemachus · Poseidon · Athena · shipwreck
perilous
Fraught with danger
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
- hazardousLikely to cause injury
- dangerousApt to cause harm
deadly · menacing · ominous · inescapable · dilemma · no-win · unavoidable · doom · fate · sailors
nymph
Nature spirit or larva
transformation · punishment · cursed · immortal · daughter · divine · personified
Charybdissafe harbor
Protected place for vessels
calm seas · still waters · safe passage · sheltered cove · port