One of our fourm members Mark Feilds posted that he feel that Chrabdyss and scylla could have come from the inspiration from strabo's channel. As a matter of fact, when I read Brittlestone's illustrated book, that is exactly what i began to imagine. I appreaciate how Brittlestone navagated us through the channel. And to those who are fimilar with Kefalonia know that it is a "moving -island" meaning at many times the earth trembles from the earth shaker posidon or and more commonly, small undetecable tremmers shake the mountain tops just enough to send a barrade of loose rocks, some big, most small, fromm the heights. Interestinly enough I was in Kefalonia in the summer of 2005. It was mid day and I was heading down to an amazing beach, Myrtos. As I neared to the furthest, side of the beach where resides a cave underneath a massive steeply cut hill/ mountain, A rugged limestone rock about the size of of a shoe chashed down with force on the pebbely shore. The loud shuffiling boom had quickly got my attenrtion (I was only 10-15 feet from it). I had thought, at first, that a child was throwing rocks--the amature I was! Suddenly, sevearl faint screams of panic and shuffiling of feet on the pebbily shore triggered me to look up. a dozen or so more rocks were raining on the beach, however, these were much smaller--like golf balls or moth balls. I ran as fast as i could away and toward the water!! What a terrifing experience: no warning. You really do feel so vulnerable.

Now just imagine Brittlestone navagational story through strabo's channel, sandwitched between two towering mountains--trapped moving at 2 knotts. I am sure my father would tell me not to sail between if it existed.

That's an interesting link, between earthquake tremors and rockfalls in the region generally, and the "Scylla & Charybdis" descriptions. Where did Mark F. post this, Kefalas? I'll go looking myself, but I am new here and may not find his posting easily in the forum structure, so I'd appreciate your pointer.

I am a San Francisco native, and I've spent a lot of time in "earthquake country" in various places -- Guatemala, Nicaragua, Japan, Greece -- and so I can attest: "fear of falling rocks" plays a large subconscious role in everything that goes on, in such places, including the imagery used in local literatures. Most San Francisco writers work the theme in, somewhere; most in the other places do too, I would guess.

In Strabo's case much depends on his precise description, if the link to Paliki is to be made -- anything too general could be located anywhere in the Mediterranean. But in the book's Strabo chapter (#6, p. 48ff) his accuracy about remote Britain is pointed out, implying accuracy elsewhere, and he seems very precise in describing the location of his "channel": "Where [Kefalonia] is narrowest it forms an isthmus so low-lying that it is often submerged from sea to sea" (p.52) -- seems little doubt he meant Paliki.

How hot does it get, on Kefalonia in the summertime? I'd like to see that Myrtos beach you describe here, someday, but my wife doesn't like hot weather...

Tim Severin, who wrote The Ulysses Voyage, proposed Cape Skilla on Lefkas/Levkas as the area for Scylla and Charybdis.

Geographical names reflect the story. A mountain cave holding a Chapel to St Anthony (Mt Lamia if memory serves - Lamia a many head monster of myth?!)
The mountain is above a narrow channel, which was reported by the Royal Navy (again if memory serves), to contain tidal whirlpools. These whirlpools were unique in that the area, unusually, enjoyed 3 tides per day. Reflecting the description of Charybdis, 3 times sucking down, 3 times spewing up.....


A highly recommended book.


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I also posted in a different thread the possibility that the Strabo channel might also have inspired the Clashing Rocks myth.

Although Tim Severin does find a lovely candidate for this. Two rocks seemingly stuck together.

I tried to find an image online...failed.

I seem to remember Scylla & Charybdis having been the Straits of Messina -- no idea where I saw that, some Mezzogiorno or Sicilian reference I suppose.

I've never sailed those. But on the map I do see "Scilla", the Calabrian town at the northeast corner of the Strait. Any whirlpools up there?