Book XII: The singing Sirens and the terrors of Scylla and Charybdis
11/17/2011
Odysseus tells of their return to Aiaia to bury Elpenor and of Circe’s warning of the dangers to come: the Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, and Helios’s cattle. The men make it through the perils of the sea as predicted. On land however, when they run out of provisions, they eat Helios’s cattle despite promises to Odysseus. At sea all, except Odysseus, are killed as a punishment He is left adrift for nine days before landing on the island of Oygygia, Calypso’s home. Alcinoos and the other listeners are now up-to-date on the travels of Odysseus.
- Why should Odysseus be wary of the Sirens? What should they do to keep safe from them?
- Describe Scylla.
- What will Charybdis do if Odysseus’ ship gets too close?
- What secret does Odysseus keep from his men?
- Describe the demise of Odysseus’s shipmates? Is it his fault?
fe-tinka said,
November 17, 2011 @ 8:58 pm
1) Odyssues should be wary of the Sirens because the way they sing, it lures them toward them and then they die. To keep safe from that Odyssues covered his crew member’s ears with wax, and he ties himself to the last while he listens to the singing.
2) Scylla is a monster with six heads.
3) Charybdis swallowed the sea in whirlpool then spits it up again.
4) He knew that six of his crew members were going to die.
5) Yes it is his fault, Zeus thundered as he hurled a lightning bolt, he hit the hull, it filled with smoke, their ship whirled around a full circle and all of his men pitched over board.
Markyyy said,
November 17, 2011 @ 9:00 pm
1. Odesseus should be wary of the sirens because there is danger up ahead. I had to stopped up ears wit wax for my crew.
2. Scylla is a six headed fat body man-murdering eating monster.
3. She will suck them in and then vomits out brine then she sucks it back in ferociously.
4. The six of the men will get eaten by the man eating monster Scylla.
5. They all got hungry and tired so they ate the cattle, then Zeus send a thunderbolt and they all died except for Odesseus. No it wasnt his fault.
julian said,
November 17, 2011 @ 9:03 pm
1. Odysseus had to be wary of siren because only he could hear it, he had stopped up the ears of his crew with wax, and he alone listened while lashed to the mast, powerless to steer toward shipwreck.
2. Scylla is a six headed monster who eats sailors and whatever she could find.
3. It would suck up the black water and vomits out the brine three times a day and if they get caught in all that no one could save them.
4. The secrets that Odysseus kept from his men is that six of the will be eaten by Scylla so the rest of them could make it through.
5. All of his men were really tired and hungry from all the rowing and they all died because Odysseus fell asleep and his men killed a cow and died by Zeus.
kosta r said,
November 17, 2011 @ 9:04 pm
1. Odysseus should wary of the Sirens because when they start to sing and their ears arnt covered they will kill the men. The men should put wax in their ears and tie all the men to the mast with a lot of knots.
2. Scylla is a six headed flesh eating monster that lives in a cave, and that cave is the place were Odysseus needs to pass to get home but she ate six of the men from the ship.
3. It will swallow Odysseus’ ship in a whirlpool and spit it back up.
4. When they go in the cave were Scylla lives and Odysseus fails to tell the men that six of them wont make out of the cave.
5. They wernt suppos to kill the cattle but the men did but Odysseus didnt know about it because he was sleeping and then Zeus shot a bolting light and killed the crew. It is not Odessues fault because when he goes to sleep something really bad always happen.
Mikey said,
November 17, 2011 @ 9:05 pm
1.The sirens can sing a song that brings people’s ships to their doom. The way to prevent the sirens is to wax or close your ears or tie up to the mast so there is no way to go to the singing sirens.
2.Scylla is a murderous monster with six heads that ate six people of Odysseus’s crew.
3.If Odysseus’s ship got to close, Charybdis will swallow Odysseus in a whirlpool, then spits him up again.
4.The secrets that Odysseus held was that six men were going to be eaten and all going to die because of Zeus’s lightning bolt that destroyed the ship, only Odysseus survived.
5.Lightning from Zeus came and destroyed the ship. It wasn’t his fault because the crews weren’t supposed to kill the cattle.
stefan said,
November 17, 2011 @ 9:05 pm
1.The Sirens’ sweet singing lures the sailors to their doom. The sailors put wax in their ears to keep the singing from enchanting them.
2.Scylla is a six headed muderous beast who lives in a cave. It has twelve feet, all of them are deformed.
3.Charybodis swallows the sea and makes a whirl pool that sucks up anything in it’s way and then spits it back out.
4.Odyssues’s secret that he didn’t tell his men is that six of them will get eaten by Scylla.
5.The demise of Odyssues’s shipmates is that Zeus sent a tunderbolt on the ship. It wasn’t his fault because they were eating the cattle when Odysseus said that they should leave and go home quickly.
Varsanofy said,
November 17, 2011 @ 9:45 pm
1) Odysseus should be wary of the sirens because if they hear it they will nevermore draw near his wife his, his home or his infants and he will never share such joy again but if they wish to listen to their song they have to stand erect and have your men tie your hands and feet.
2) Scylla is a six headed monster.
3) Charybdis will swallow the sea in a whirlpool and spit it back out.
4) Odysseus told his men about the sirens but he did not tell them about Scylla.
5) Back at sea Zeus sent a thunderbolt that smashed the ship and it was not odysseus’ fault.
Alex said,
November 18, 2011 @ 12:33 am
1) Odysseus is wary of the sirens becaue who sweet singing lures sailors to their doom.They should stop up their ears.
2) Scylla is a big flat monster that has twelve feet and six long necks.
3) If Odysseus will get to close Charybdis will suck their ship then crush it and then spit them out in to the water.
4) Odysseus didn’t tell his crew that Scylla kills some of the crew but he did tell them about the sirens.
5) All of his men were really tired and hungry from working on the ship and ate the Zeus sent a thunderbolt that smashed the ship. Only Odysseus survived, washing up on the island of Calypso.
mia :) said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:34 pm
1)Odysseus should be suspicious of the Sirens because of the danger. Anything to do but not hear the sirens.
2)Scylla is a monster, she has twelve feet and all of them deformed , and six long necks: on each vicious head with three rows of abundant, close set teeth, replete with black death.
3)Charybdus will suck up the black water if Odysseus gets too close to the cliff.
4)His secret from his men was that Scylla will eat them.
5)The mast fell back and hit the hellsman’s head; it crushed its skull, like a diver his spirit left his bones. All of Odysseus’ men fell overboard; like sea crows they were borne by waves around our black-bowed craft.
fe-tinka said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:35 pm
for number 5, I meant no, it’s not his fault.
Maxyyy said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:35 pm
1. Odysseus should be wary because if not whoever listens to sirens voice he will forget about his wife, his home, his infants and he’ll not share such joys again. They should plug their ears.
2. Scylla is a big fat monster with six heads.
3. Charybdis will suck in Odysseus ship crush everything then will spit everything out with no one alive.
4. Odysseus does not tell his men about Scylla because they would stop rowing if they knew six of the crew members will be eaten for sure.
5. His shipmates ate Hyperion’s best cows. I think it’s not Odysseus fault because he told him not to, and they betrayed him, plus he wasn’t there.
mia :) said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:36 pm
Nice answers Kosteek!
Suzanne said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:37 pm
Odysseus seems to have all the luck compared to his shipmates. It’s like a song with a lyric about shipmates of fools and then Odysseus’s blameless because he fell asleep! Odysseus is for sure blessed by the gods on this adventure, but why? Why do they like him so much? Any ideas?
kosta r said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:37 pm
Well thank you Mia-Mia
J said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:37 pm
Mark – Why did you write I instead of Odyssueus.
Firce said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:38 pm
1.Its sweet singing lures sailors to their doom.Odysseus had filled up the ears of the crew with wax.
2.she has six big murderus heads and killed six of odysseus men.
3.Swallow the ship into the sea in a whirlpool, then spits it up again.
4.Sylla the six headed creature will eat six of his men and it would be anybody.
5.At sea Zeus sent a thunderbolt that smashed the ship and only Odysseus survived.
Varsanofy said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:39 pm
Fetina, it is not oddysseus’ fault that his crew died
Suzanne said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:39 pm
I think it might be Odysseus’ fault! What was he doing sleeping?
mike said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:39 pm
Alex- nice job explaining scylla
Firce said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:40 pm
mike- Thanx for the help dude
Firce said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:40 pm
vars——————= not smart jk
Maxyyy said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:41 pm
suzanne- its not his fault that a goddess brought him sweet sleep, sweet sleep is like a time of the life
fe-tinka said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:41 pm
Varsonofy- I know it’s not. I got it wrong.
Suzanne said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:42 pm
Fetina – I think your opinion rocks! Defend yourself – don’t let Vars think he’s right!
Arsen said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:41 pm
1. Odysseus should be wary of the sirens because their sweet song lures the sailors to their doom like crash into the rocks also it makes them forget their life and they feel powerless. They should close their ears with something so they can’t hear them sing to them and pass them and only Odysseus can hear their song while being tied up to the mast so he couldn’t steer.
2. Scylla is a monster that has twelve feet all of them deformed, and six long necks on each a vicious head with three rows of abundant, close-set teeth, replete with Black Death, half her body is kept deep in a cavern which is her home.
3. Charybdis will swallow the ship into a whirlpool and will spit it out which would break into pieces and they would all die which is very bad.
4. The secret that Odysseus kept from his men was that if they go really close to the cliff where Scylla lives that six of them would die or should I say get eaten by the six heads of the Scylla.
5. The demise of Odysseus’s shipmates was that he told them not to kill and eat the cattle of the sun but they didn’t care what he said anymore and so they sacrificed the cattle. It is not his fault because he tried to tell them but they were too stubborn to listen.
mike said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:42 pm
mia- how do u know scylla is a she?
Varsanofy said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:42 pm
Kosta- good job on number 5 dood, you explained it reul good
katya(: said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:43 pm
1. Odysseus should be wary of the sirens because Circe told him that if any man heard their songs. They would forget about their journey, home and children and would just lie around and die on the Sirens Island. He was told that only he could hear their song but the crews` ears should be covered with wax and Odysseus bound to the mast with thick ropes and hard knots. If Odysseus was going to ask them to let him go they were suppose to tie more ropes around him.
2. Scylla is a monster that has a voice like a newborn whelp and has twelve feet and all of them deformed, six long necks and on each neck, a vicious head with three rows of abundant, close-set teeth.
3. Charybdis sucks up water and if they get close, she will suck up them and crush the boat into pieces.
4. The lie that Odysseus keeps from his men is that on the other side of Charybdis lies a monster that will eat six of them.
5. The crews demise was that they ate the cattle that they were told not to by Odysseus and they were freid by Zues`s lightning bolt. It was not Odysseus`s fault because he told them not to and it`s not Odysseus’s fault that he fell asleep.
kosta r said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:43 pm
I think that the gods like Odysseus. He did a lot of stuff For them and now he just wants to go home and the gods are helping him to get home safe to his family.
mike said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
steve- wat do u mean by the feet are deformed?
Firce said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
Both not wrong not right middle vars – fetina
Varsanofy said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
Fetina- im your fav cousin, if i was you i would totally listen to him
faliley said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
1. Odysseus should be wary of sirens because if they lisen to their sweet singing lures it would bring them to their doom. They should cover their ears so they won’t the sirens singing.
2. Scylla has 6 heads it’s a big ugly monster.
3. If Odysseus gets to close Charybdis will swallow the sea into a whirlpool then spit it back out.
4. Odysseus kept a sercet from his crew about Scylla, that she would kill some them.
5. Odysseus crew were tired and hungry so they eat the cattle which they should have sacreficed for zeus, and for that zeus sent a lighting bolt into their ship and killed them all except for Odysseus, no i do not think its Odysseus fault that all of them die.
Arsen said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
suzanne- it is not his fault!!!!!!!
elesey said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
1) Odysseus should be wary of the Sirens because their singing enchants men if their ears aren’t covered. The men must fill their ears with wax and tie themselves to the mast to protect themselves from the Sirens.
2) Scylla is a 6- headed monster that eats six of Odysseus men because he had to pass by her cave ib order to get home.
3) Charybdis will suck up the sea in a whirlpool and spit it back out. If Odysseus’ ship gets caught in the whirlpool then they will never come back up again.
4) The secret that Odysseus keeps from his crew is that Scylla would eat six of his men so that the rest of them can pass through.
5) When Odysseus falls asleep after steering for nine days, Odysseus’ hungry men ate cattle and Zeus hit the ship with a lightning bolt, killing everybody except Odysseus. It was Odysseus’ fault because he didn’t trust anyone else to steer, which resulted in him falling asleep.
Vara(: said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
1) Odysseus should be wary of the sirens because the Sirens are three dangerous bird-women, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. So Odysseus needed to avoid them so as to not run aground. To keep themselves safe the crew put wax into their ears to block out all sounds, but Odysseus was tied to the mast with lots of rope.
2) Scylla is a sea monster described as voice indeed is no greater than the voice of a new-born whelp, her voice is murderous-a monster who can only bring dispair- even the gods would shun the sight of her. She has twelve feet-and all of them deformed-and six long nrcks: on each a vicious head with three rows of abundant, close-set teeth, replete with black death.
3) Charybdis will ferociously suck them in with the vomit she spits out, if they get too close to her.
mike said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
i agree with o\kosta about the dogs
Yakov Kuzmin said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:45 pm
1. Odysseus is to be weary of the sirens becuse sirens lure sailors to their doom.
2. It is a six headed deformed dragon.
3. Charybdus will suck their boat in if they get too close.
4. The secret is that Scylla will snacth six of Odysseus’s men and more if they stand to fight them.
5. The mast destroyed his ship and all of Odysseus men died.
katya(: said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:45 pm
miss suzanne it isn`t Odyssues fault because he made them promise and they broke their promise!!!
Markyyy said,
November 18, 2011 @ 8:46 pm
Ohh oppsie i meant Odesseus, good eye bro
danno said,
November 19, 2011 @ 12:20 am
1. Odysseus should be wary of the sirens because they are very entrancing and can lure you to them by singing to them. They should plug their ears with wax so they cannot hear the sirens singing.
2. Scylla is a six headed monster who lives on a very high cliff. She pops hear head out of the cave when ships pass so she can feast on the humans.
3. Charybdis swallows the water and spits it right back and if it did that to Odysseus ship it will get destroyed.
4. Odysseus knew that six of his men were going to die by Scylla the man-eater but he didn’t tell his men.
5. It might be or it might not be Odysseus fault but he did fall asleep because he was tired and he fell asleep and his crew ate the cattle which they were not to touch and so Zeus punished Odysseus crew by throwing a thunderbolt at their ship and only Odysseus survived.