Scylla is known to be a terrifying siren, and one of Odysseus’ toughest obstacles in The Odyssey. The image I selected depicts a sea creature with 6 scaly heads, almost dragon-like. Right under her 6 additional heads, Scylla appears to have medium-length wavy hair. Although the coloration of Scylla is entirely a dark gray, she has red pigment just below her mouth. As someone investigating this image, I am led to believe this is blood, not only because of the color but also the way it drips down her mouth. Additionally, the colors in this image are all very dark, besides the sky. Sitting below Scylla, is a dark-teal body of water with swaying and crashing waves. The detail of the waves and the water gives the reader a better understanding of how treacherous and intense the Straight of Messina was to navigate. In terms of Scylla’s physical appearance, she has tentacles sticking out of the water, almost looking like thick, curvy branches jutting out. This goes to show how monstrous Scylla really is. Her 6 heads, her tentacles, and her ability to churn the water to make it virtually impossible for sailors to escape her unscathed.

In Book 12, we are introduced to the story of Odysseus and his men sailing through the Straight of Messina, in between Sicily and Italy. Before embarking on this precarious portion of the journey, Odysseus was warned about the dangers of Scylla, the sirens, and Charybdis and how they are unfathomable, unholy monsters few people escape from. After conducting research about Scylla, I learned that she was a previous lover of Poseidon, the God of the Sea. After Poseidon’s wife, Amphitrite, found out about Scylla and Poseidon’s affair, Amphitrite reshaped Scylla into the horrific sea monster she is by using poisonous bath salts. Ultimately, I don’t believe Scylla is a monster. As creatures, we all crave to feel love from the people we care the most about. This is no different for Scylla. Because Scylla was unable to get the love she craved from Poseidon, and was ultimately tricked by Amphitrite, I believe Scylla feels envious of travelers being able to go home to their loved ones.

Overall, the way Scylla is depicted in the Odyssey is very negative and terrifying. This is evident when Wilson writes, “No sailors ever pass that way unharmed” (Wilson, Page 304, Line 98). This quote illustrates the unbridled terror Scylla bestows over people. More specifically, before sailors and their crews reach the Straight of Messina, they already have a preconceived notion of who Scylla is, her powers, and her ability to kill. However, this shows how her image has been manipulated in a way to make her appear to be a heartless destroyer, when in reality, she’s this scorned person who has been cursed to live a life she never wished for. This is similar to many other women in literature, especially Greek literature during this time. Most women in literature aren’t given an opportunity to show their intelligence, like men are. In fact, women aren’t written to be complex, they’re written to be simple. “But while our frightened gaze was on Charybdis, Scylla snatched six men from the ship – my strongest, best fighters” (Wilson, Page 309, Lines 244-246). This demonstrates how intelligent Scylla really is, rather than her being a one-dimensional monster.