Greek mythology
Charybdis
The whirlpool that swallows the sea three times a day
- Mythology
- Greek mythology
- Parents
- Poseidon
- Group
- Monsters
- Appears in
- The Odyssey
- Places
- Strait of Messina
Listen to “The Odyssey” in the app
Charybdis is a daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, cursed by Zeus into a vast maw beneath the strait. Three times each day she drinks down the sea and belches it forth, churning a whirlpool that drags whole ships to ruin. She lurks opposite the cliff-monster Scylla, so that sailors who flee one are devoured by the other; Odysseus survives her only by clinging to a fig tree until his wrecked keel floats back up.
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The Odyssey
Chapter 1
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Frequently asked questions
- Who is Charybdis?
- Charybdis is a daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, cursed by Zeus into a vast maw beneath the strait. Three times each day she drinks down the sea and belches it forth, churning a whirlpool that drags whole ships to ruin.
- Which mythology does Charybdis belong to?
- Charybdis belongs to Greek mythology.
- Which stories does Charybdis appear in?
- Charybdis appears in The Odyssey, told as chaptered audio dramas in MythologyNow.
Cite this page
APA
MythologyNow. (2026). Charybdis. https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/charybdisMLA
"Charybdis." MythologyNow, 2026, https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/charybdis.Chicago
MythologyNow. "Charybdis." Accessed 2026. https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/charybdis.Listen to the stories of Charybdis
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