Charybdis (whirlpool): Difference between revisions
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In [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[mythology]], '''Charybdis''' was a dangerous whirlpool, lying on one side of a strait across from, but near, the sea monster [[Scylla (sea monster)|Scylla]]; both hazards are mentioned in many ancient Greek and Latin writings that involve sea voyages. Boats navigating the strait could avoid either monster but not both. From this came the saying "to be between Scylla and Charybdis", which implies that one can avoid immediate danger only by making an unwanted, long detour through uncharted waters. The saying corresponds (though not perfectly) to the English figure of speech "to be between a rock and a hard place". | In [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[mythology]], '''Charybdis''' was a dangerous whirlpool, lying on one side of a strait across from, but near, the sea monster [[Scylla (sea monster)|Scylla]]; both hazards are mentioned in many ancient Greek and Latin writings that involve sea voyages. Boats navigating the strait could avoid either monster but not both. From this came the saying "to be between Scylla and Charybdis", which implies that one can avoid immediate danger only by making an unwanted, long detour through uncharted waters. The saying corresponds (though not perfectly) to the English figure of speech "to be between a rock and a hard place". | ||
Revision as of 07:42, 14 May 2022
This article is about Charybdis. For other uses of the term Charybdis (whirlpool), please see Charybdis (whirlpool) (disambiguation).
In Greek mythology, Charybdis was a dangerous whirlpool, lying on one side of a strait across from, but near, the sea monster Scylla; both hazards are mentioned in many ancient Greek and Latin writings that involve sea voyages. Boats navigating the strait could avoid either monster but not both. From this came the saying "to be between Scylla and Charybdis", which implies that one can avoid immediate danger only by making an unwanted, long detour through uncharted waters. The saying corresponds (though not perfectly) to the English figure of speech "to be between a rock and a hard place".