Χάρυβδις
Charybdis
Translated by Jennifer Benedict13 Jul 2000Vetting: high11 revisions
Translation
It sucks up the sea around Gadeira1 and furiously spirals around again. It is said that it all leads down to chaos and destruction.2
Priscus says about Charybdis: "They sail by Sicily in front of Messene and by the strait of Italy where Charybdis [is], [and] with tempestuous winds coming upon them, they sank, men and all."3
Charybdis and Scylla, lying in a narrow place, are subject to the currents of the oceans and sink those sailing past. There Odysseus lost all his companions with the ships; he himself was carried away hanging on to a board in the currents of the sea. For some Phoenicians saw him floating in the waters and took him up and led him naked into Crete before Idomeneus. He entertained him for the winter season and then sent him to Phaiakia, which is now called Corcyra; and they sent him off with two ships and companions.4
Priscus says about Charybdis: "They sail by Sicily in front of Messene and by the strait of Italy where Charybdis [is], [and] with tempestuous winds coming upon them, they sank, men and all."3
Charybdis and Scylla, lying in a narrow place, are subject to the currents of the oceans and sink those sailing past. There Odysseus lost all his companions with the ships; he himself was carried away hanging on to a board in the currents of the sea. For some Phoenicians saw him floating in the waters and took him up and led him naked into Crete before Idomeneus. He entertained him for the winter season and then sent him to Phaiakia, which is now called Corcyra; and they sent him off with two ships and companions.4
Greek original · Adler’s text
Χάρυβδις· ἡ ἀναπινομένη θάλασσα περὶ τὰ Γάδειρα καὶ πάλιν ῥαγδαιοτέρως ἐπαναστρέφουσα. εἴρηται δὲ πᾶν τὸ εἰς χάος καὶ ὄλεθρον κατάγον. Πρίσκος δὲ λέγει περὶ Χαρύβδεως· παραπλέουσι δὲ τὴν Σικελίαν πρὸς τῇ Μεσσήνῃ κατὰ τὸν πορθμὸν τῆς Ἰταλίας, ἐν ᾧπερ ἡ Χάρυβδις, πνευμάτων ἐπιλαβόντων δυσαῶν, αὐτοῖς ἀνδράσι κατέδυσαν. ὅτι Χάρυβδις καὶ Σκύλλα, ἐν στενῷ τόπῳ κειμένη, ὑποδέχεται τὰ τοῦ ὠκεανοῦ ῥεύματα καὶ τοὺς παραπλέοντας βυθίζει. ἐκεῖσε Ὀδυσσεὺς πάντας τοὺς ἑταίρους μετὰ τῶν πλοίων ἀποβαλὼν αὐτὸς μόνος περικαθίσας σανίδι ἐν τοῖς ῥεύμασι τῆς θαλάσσης ἐφέρετο· τοῦτον γὰρ ἑωρακότες τινὲς Φοίνικες ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι πλέοντα, ἀναλαβόντες ἤγαγον ἐν Κρήτῃ πρὸς Ἰδομενέα γυμνόν. τοῦτον ἐξενοδόχησε τῇ ὥρᾳ τοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ ἀπέπεμψεν εἰς Φαιακίαν, τὴν νῦν λεγομένην Κέρκυραν· οἱ δὲ πέμπουσιν αὐτὸν σὺν δυσὶ ναυσὶ καὶ ἑταίροις.
Betacode
*xa/rubdis: h( a)napinome/nh qa/lassa peri\ ta\ *ga/deira kai\ pa/lin r(agdaiote/rws e)panastre/fousa. ei)/rhtai de\ pa=n to\ ei)s xa/os kai\ o)/leqron kata/gon. *pri/skos de\ le/gei peri\ *xaru/bdews: paraple/ousi de\ th\n *sikeli/an pro\s th=| *messh/nh| kata\ to\n porqmo\n th=s *)itali/as, e)n w(=|per h( *xa/rubdis, pneuma/twn e)pilabo/ntwn dusaw=n, au)toi=s a)ndra/si kate/dusan. o(/ti *xa/rubdis kai\ *sku/lla, e)n stenw=| to/pw| keime/nh, u(pode/xetai ta\ tou= w)keanou= r(eu/mata kai\ tou\s paraple/ontas buqi/zei. e)kei=se *)odusseu\s pa/ntas tou\s e(tai/rous meta\ tw=n ploi/wn a)pobalw\n au)to\s mo/nos perikaqi/sas sani/di e)n toi=s r(eu/masi th=s qala/sshs e)fe/reto: tou=ton ga\r e(wrako/tes tine\s *foi/nikes e)n toi=s u(/dasi ple/onta, a)nalabo/ntes h)/gagon e)n *krh/th| pro\s *)idomene/a gumno/n. tou=ton e)cenodo/xhse th=| w(/ra| tou= xeimw=nos kai\ a)pe/pemyen ei)s *faiaki/an, th\n nu=n legome/nhn *ke/rkuran: oi( de\ pe/mpousin au)to\n su\n dusi\ nausi\ kai\ e(tai/rois.
Notes (4)
- See generally OCD(4) s.v. (p.307). For Scylla see sigma 709.↩
- 1Present-day Cadiz, in SW Spain: gamma 7. (But NB, as the rest of the entry shows, this locates Charybdis far too far to the west.) ↩
- 2From the scholia to Plato, Letter 7, 5345D. Likewise or similarly in other lexica. ↩
- 3Priscus fr.24 FHG (4.102), now 48a Bornmann, still 48a Carolla. The fragment is unplaced. ↩
- 4From an ancient (and not very competent) summary of Homer, Odyssey; similarly in late historiography, e.g. John of Antioch Historia chronica fr. 48.2 Roberto (110-111).
References
U. Roberto, ed., Ioannis Antiocheni Fragmenta ex Historia chronica, (Berlin 2005)
Linked from6 entries
- α1961Ἀναμετρήσαιμιmight I measure out[Used] with an accusative. [Meaning] might I cross over. "[...] never to sail away to Rhegium nor to measure out so much sea."
- α2057Ἀναρροιβδεῖνto slurp up[Meaning] to suck up.
- αι349ΑἰσχίνηςAeschines, Aischines, AiskhinesThe son of Lysanias. This man went to Dionysios in Sicily on account of money. And Plato is said to have compassed Charybdis three times on account of Sicilian lucre. Aristippos of Cyrene and Helikon from Cyzicus and…
- β590ΒυθίζωI cause to sink[Used] with an accusative.
- δ85Δασπλῆταfrightful, hellish, horrible[Meaning] her approaching for evil. In the Epigrams: "for I cower at hellish separation from you as before the bitter night of Acheron." For the Fury [is] hellish.
- δ1594Δυσαῶν ἀνέμωνof tempestuous winds[Meaning] of [ones] blowing vigorously. "With tempestuous winds coming upon those men, they sank".
Neighbouring entries
Revision history11 revisions · last 16 Aug 2026
- added bibliography n.4 — Ronald Allen
- augmented n.3 — Ronald Allen
- coding — Catharine Roth
- updated a ref — David Whitehead
- updated a ref — David Whitehead
- tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- modified translation — David Whitehead
- expanded n.1, at the suggestion of Nicholas Fincher — David Whitehead
- added notes and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Jennifer Benedict