For this post, I chose a musical adaptation on YouTube that is concise and accurate to the events of Scylla in Book 12. Scylla is not typically considered a villain but rather a monstrous antagonist. This source is essential to expressing a new narrative to the epic poem because it showcases Scylla’s emotions exceptionally well. Scylla is a maneater; she has no regard for Odysseus’ emotions, and the second she sees the ship, she leaps to attack. The music video does an excellent job showcasing her innate decision to eat as many men on board as possible. Scylla was one of the genuinely terrifying monsters of the Odyssey. Unlike the Cyclops or the Sirens, Odysseus cannot defeat her and has to suffer the loss of a few of his crew and consider themselves lucky to have escaped the twin perils of Scylla and Charybdis.
A lonely and misunderstood creature named Scylla lived in the depths of the Strait of Messina. She was not born a monster; she had once been a beautiful nymph favored by the sea god Glaucus. But her life took a tragic turn when Glaucus fell in love with another nymph named Circe. In a desperate attempt to win his love back, Scylla sought help from Circe, not knowing that the enchantress would transform her into a monstrous sea creature. As Scylla emerged from the waters, she discovered her grotesque form – six heads, each with rows of sharp teeth and a serpentine lower body. Her heart ached with despair, and her longing for Glaucus turned into bitterness. Scylla resided in the dark, rocky caves, away from the world above, for centuries. She had no choice but to feed on the passing sailors who ventured too close to her lair. She felt a deep sorrow for every life she took, but it was the only way she could survive. One day, a ship approached the strait as Scylla watched from her cave. Onboard, Odysseus and his weary crew navigated the treacherous waters. Fear and anticipation gripped her as they drew nearer. She had heard tales of Odysseus’s great wisdom and courage and wished that someone could see past her monstrous exterior to the heart within. As the ship sailed closer, Odysseus, with his keen eyes, caught sight of Scylla’s forlorn figure. He could sense the pain and isolation in her gaze. At that moment, he realized that she was also a victim of fate. As the ship passed, Odysseus ordered his crew to remain silent, showing a rare act of empathy. He recognized that Scylla was not an evil creature by choice but a tragic result of circumstances beyond her control. He hoped that by sparing her, he might bring a measure of peace to her tormented existence. With tears in her eyes, Scylla watched as the ship sailed away without causing her harm. She felt a glimmer of hope, a sense that perhaps not all humans were cruel and vengeful. From that day on, Scylla no longer saw herself as a monster but as a creature shaped by circumstances. She continued to live in solitude, but with the knowledge that there could be understanding and compassion in the world above. And in that fleeting moment of empathy, a connection between the sea monster and the wandering hero was forged, reminding them of the complexities of the human and the monstrous heart.
The new narrative that Scylla doesn’t know better than to attack when she sees men takes a very empathetic outlook if she genuinely doesn’t know any better. Scylla’s actions are not driven by malicious intent or a desire to harm humans. She is simply a predator acting on her instincts. In the story, she attacks passing ships because it is her nature, not out of personal malice or evil intentions. The video supports this claim because she sings in a melancholy yet natural tone. She has no clue who she’s hurting; she is just completing a natural instinct. So, while Scylla is a fearsome and dangerous adversary for Odysseus and his crew, she is not portrayed as a villain in the same way that human antagonists like the Cyclops Polyphemus or the suitors in Ithaca are. She is more a product of their natural and mythological world, and her role is to add complexity and challenge to the hero’s journey.