Charybdis is the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia. Zeus struck her with a thunderbolt for flooding lands, transforming her into the deadly whirlpool monster.
Circe advised Odysseus to choose the strait of Scylla over Charybdis, warning that while Scylla would take six men, Charybdis could swallow the entire ship.
Odysseus steered his ship past the twin dangers of Scylla and Charybdis in the Odyssey. Scylla snatched six of his men from the deck, while Odysseus chose her cliff over the deadly whirlpool of Charybdis on Circe's counsel.
Thetis and the Nereids guided the Argo safely between Scylla and Charybdis during the Argonauts' return voyage, steering the ship through the twin perils without losing a single crew member.
During the Voyage of the Argo, the Argonauts navigated the strait of Charybdis on their return from Colchis, guided safely through the deadly whirlpool by divine intervention from Hera and the Nereids.
Zeus struck Charybdis with a thunderbolt for flooding his lands on behalf of Poseidon, transforming the greedy naiad into the monstrous whirlpool that devours ships in the Strait of Messina.
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