Journal Entry #5: Scylla and Charybdis

Dear Telemachus,

Odysseus and his men successfully made it past the dangers of the Singing Sirens and began to go to dangerous straits between Syclla and Charybdis. The instructions from Circe tell them to keep close to the cliffs of Syclla. A six headed monster, who is also Poesidion’s daughter, that takes one man for each of her heads from every ship that passes by her. The other option is to pass by Charybdis, who is another sea monster that creates giant whirlpools that will threaten the whole ship. Odysseus had the knowledge that he will lose six of his men to this monster and he choses not to tell his men. Odysseus made this decision because he does not want his men to panic and do something that could threaten others on the ship.

Odysseus is not one of the men that lose their lives to Scylla but this really shows and tests Odysseus’s character. Some gods believe that he should have told his men the dangers that were coming. It is good for Odysseus’s soldiers to know so that when the dangers come, they are more prepared and even less afraid. But, Odysseus is going to face Thrinacia, the island of the Sun, next and he was told to avoid it completely. However, the crew wants to stop there for the night so we will see if his crew will convince him.

Zeus