希腊神话：Scylla vs Charybdis （斯库拉与卡律布狄斯）
About Scylla and Charybdis: （斯库拉与卡律布狄斯）
In Greek mythology, Scylla [ˈsɪlə] and Charybdis [kəˈrɪbdɪs] are two deadly sea monsters inhabiting opposite sides of a narrow strait, symbolizing an inescapable dilemma—choosing between two equally perilous options.
- Scylla: Originally a beautiful nymph transformed into a six-headed, twelve-legged monster with a belt of snarling dog heads. She dwelled on a cliff, snatching sailors from passing ships.
- Charybdis: A massive, ship-swallowing whirlpool (personified as a sea monster) that sucked in water three times a day. She was once a daughter of Poseidon, cursed by Zeus for flooding lands.
Scylla-Charybdis （原图存档）
The pair famously appear in Homer’s Odyssey, where Odysseus must navigate between them, losing six crew members to Scylla to avoid losing his entire ship to Charybdis. The phrase “between Scylla and Charybdis” has become a metaphor for facing dual dangers where avoiding one risks falling victim to the other.
Geographically, they are often linked to the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy. Their myth also inspired later literature, philosophy, and idioms about impossible choices.
在希腊神话中，斯库拉和卡律布狄斯是两位盘踞于狭窄海峡两侧的致命海怪，象征“进退两难”的困境——必须在两个同样危险的选择中做出决定。
- 斯库拉：原为美丽宁芙，后被诅咒为六头十二足、腰间环绕咆哮狗头的怪物，栖息于悬崖，袭击经过的船员。
- 卡律布狄斯：巨大的吞噬船只的漩涡（拟人化为海怪），每日三次吸入海水。她曾是波塞冬之女，因淹没陆地被宙斯惩罚。
二者最著名的出场见于荷马史诗《奥德赛》：奥德修斯为穿越海峡，被迫牺牲六名船员以避开卡律布狄斯，保全整艘船。短语“介于斯库拉与卡律布狄斯之间”从此成为形容“两害相权取其轻”的经典隐喻。
地理上，它们常被关联至意大利与西西里岛之间的墨西拿海峡。这一神话也启发了后世文学、哲学及关于艰难抉择的谚语。
