“‘Don’t be there
When she sucks it down. No one could save you,
Not even Poseidon, who makes the earth tremble.
No, stay close to Scylla’s rock, and push hard.
Better to mourn six than the whole crew at once.’
Thus Circe. And I, in a panic:
‘I beg you, goddess, tell me, is there
Any way I can escape from Charybdis
And still protect my men from the other?’
And the goddess, in a nimbus of light:
“There you go again, always the hero.
Won’t you yield even to the immortals?”
The passage above contains much of the goddess Circe’s warning to Odysseus about impossibility of contending with Scylla, the six headed leviathan who is guaranteed to snatch up six of his men. Understandably, Odysseus asks for a way to avoid both Scylla and Charybdis, and save his crew. Circe then lightly rebukes Odysseus for his boldness in asking for a way to trick the immortals. “There you go again, always the hero. Won’t you yield even to the immortals?” Of course not! How could Circe ever think so? Odysseus’s entire journey is a testament to his sheer willpower, and his unwillingness to ever throw in the towel until he has spent all of his physical and mental capabilities. Furthermore, this conversation takes place after Odysseus returns from Hades, the Land of the Dead, something that no mortal has done beforehand. Herein lies a key binary that is prevalent throughout Homer’s Odyssey; the different statuses of the mortal and immortal, the human and the god, drives this story.
Still, Circe’s prophecy was spot on, and Odysseus was obliged to watch as six good men from his crew were violently gobbled up by Scylla. However, though this is only one of the many times in the narrative where the divine copy the practices of mortals, the extent of the following imitation is noteworthy. In the beginning of the passage, Circe’s words add flavor to the seemingly exacting distinction between man and god: “No one can save you. Not even Poseidon, who makes the earth tremble”. Here is a direct challenge to the hierarchical world of the gods. Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, whose power is second only to his brother Zeus, is unable to contend with a relatively minor goddess in her own domain. The only way Circe’s statement makes sense is if the Greek gods are viewed in anthropomorphic terms. The entire idea of a hierarchy of immortals is reflective of the hierarchical society of mortals, even down to the nitty-gritty details! Consider that historically, kings have granted certain individuals the ability to do as they please within their prescribed spheres of influence. Lords had their own castles, and warriors were allowed more freedoms than the general population. Thus, it was not uncommon for rulers to have a degree, however slight, of checks to their own power. For Poseidon to be unable to control Charybdis was something worth pointing out, just like in ancient Greece, somebody who had sway over the king was important, and worth mentioning.
This (strong!) post makes me wonder–how do *monsters* trouble the distinction between gods and men (and women)? You don’t touch on it directly, but Scylla seems to combine elements of both mortal (directly kills people; needs earthly food; very much embodied) and immortal (not human, unkillable, etc). A fascinating new category of being.
This was a great point, you’re definitely on to something here. Somewhere in the text Zeus and Poseidon are talking, and Poseidon mentions not wanting to incite Zeus’ temper. I think part of this is also that the gods appear to have a sort of respect for each other and all other magical/mythical creations.
This post also brings up the binary of fate and free will, and the passage incorporates a bit of both elements. Odysseus is told that his fate is to cross between Scylla and Charybdis, and he and his men will undoubtedly face peril that not even Poseiden could prevent in his own realm if he were willing. However, Odysseus is given the freedom to choose between likely losing himself and all of his men by getting caught in Charybdus’s whirlpool, or definitely losing six men to Scylla.