Between Scylla and Charybdis know many about existence of danger to appear. However the sense of this familiar expression is revealed completely only at the appeal to sources of data on carriers of mysterious names — the classical poem by the Ancient Greek poet Homer "Odyssey", antique to mythology and the epos.
The episode about a meeting with Scylla and Haribda is in the 12th song of the poem ""Odyssey"". As a basis for the narration about wanderings of the tsar of Ithaca the Odyssey as researchers of creativity of Homer consider, antique folklore, loans from fairy tales and myths of other people of the world and stories by travelers seafarers served.
For conquerors of sea open spaces the Strait of Messina, and today separating the island of Sicily from the continental territory of Italy was one of difficult places in overcoming. Width it in the bottleneck is about 3 kilometers, and the natural line of the coast on both sides, reefs and the found small whirlpools illustrate the dangers trapping seamen in this region of the Mediterranean Sea. To be fair it is necessary to notice that the mythological danger of pass across the Strait of Messina is not true — waters quite quiet here.
Danger the first — Scylla
From the continent, in the Italian province of Calabria, Scylla — the high rock rock towers. Today it is in borders of the small picturesque town resort of the same name known also as Sheelah (in Italian Scilla), at her top — the medieval castle. Under this rock the wooden ships of ancient seafarers were wrecked on reefs. Myths of Ancient Greece narrated about the furious devourer of all living on the rock live, and the origin and Scylla's appearance are described more than in ten mythological options. A part of legends was reflected in the poem by Homer ""Odyssey"" in shape of the twelve-armed barking monster with six dog heads (in Greek a name of a monster means "barking") devouring 6 victims at once.
Danger the second — Haribda
On the contrary, is closer to the Sicilian coast, the ships were waited by other danger — the terrible whirlpool set in motion three times a day by the water goddess and which was at distance of flight of an arrow from Scylla. So great Homer describes the second danger, not especially going into details. And here in the "Short dictionary of mythology and antiquities" of M. Korsh for the first time published in 1894, Haribda — other monster living opposite to Scylla under a big fig tree. A part of myths of ancient Greeks narrates about emergence of an insatiable monster of Haribda from Poseidone and Gei's union. In the beginning living on the land, it was dumped to the sea abyss by Zeus in punishment for eating up of the stolen cows from Gerion's herd. Gluttonous Haribda continued to fill a womb, three times a day swallowing water and everything that was on its surface. Fortunately, whirlpools of similar power at coast of Sicily in fact are also absent.
The difficult choice from two dangers
In the poem by Homer Odysseus appears in the close place of the passage during Haribda's "feast". Knowing about features of monsters, the smart tsar of Ithaca sacrifices six satellites, having turned a ship wheel towards six-headed Scylla. Otherwise insatiable Haribda would tighten during the whirlpool which is coming to an end in her stomach, the ship with all team. So bright images of at the same time imminent dangers could not but be remembered to mankind. The familiar expression "to appear between Scylla and Charybdis" there is a set of centuries and describes a difficult situation with a difficult choice of an exit from it. Expression not so often as not absolutely corresponds to colloquial style of communication is used. At communication in colloquial style, most likely, analogs of a familiar expression will be remembered: to be between two fires, to appear between the devil and the deep sea, to get out of the frying pan into the fire. But it should be noted the fact that broader sense disappears in literary option: having appeared between Scylla and Charybdis, it is necessary also to make a compromise, to choose smaller of the evils, having offered a part something valuable or necessary.