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Scylla was the Princess of Megara, daughter of King Nisus who was invincible as long as a lock of red hair still existed, hidden in his white hair. King Minos of Crete attacked Megara but Nisus knew he could not be beat because he still had his lock of red hair. His daughter, Scylla, fell in love with Minos and proved it by cutting the red hair off her father's head. Nisus died and Megara fell to Crete. Minos killed Scylla for disobeying her father. She was changed into a seabird, relentlessly pursued by her father, who was a sea eagle.

Scylla is one of the two sea monsters in Greek mythology (the other being Charybdis) which lives on one side of a narrow channel of water. Traditionally this has been associated with the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily but more recently this theory has been challenged and the alternative location of Cape Skilla in north west Greece suggested. Scylla has the face and torso of a woman, but from her flanks grow six dog heads and her body below that sprouts twelve canine legs and a fish's tail. She was one of the children of Phorcys and Ceto known as the Phorcydes.

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus successfully navigates his ship past Scylla and Charybdis.

As retold by Thomas Bulfinch, Scylla was originally a beautiful nymphNymphs : For the use of the term "nymph" in biology, see nymph (biology . For the use of the term "nymph" in terms of fishing, see nymph (fishing . Hylas and the Nymphs by John William Waterhouse In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class. She scorned her many suitors and chose to live among the NereidsIn Greek mythology, the Nereids (NEER-ee-eds) are sea nymphs, the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris. They often accompany Poseidon and are always friendly and helpful towards sailors fighting perilous storms. They are associated with the Mediterranean S instead, until one day GlaucusIn Greek mythology, Glaucus ("shiny" or "bright" or "bluish-green") referred to several different people. Alternative: Glaukos God Glaucus was a Greek sea-god, the son of Anthedon and Alcyone. The story of his origin is told by Ovid, that he began as a mo saw and fell in love with her. Glaucus was a mortal fisherman who had previously been transformed by chewing a plant, gaining the form of a fish from his waist down. When Glaucus declared her love to Scylla she fled, taking him for a monster. Glaucus sought the help of CirceGreek mythology This article is about the goddess. Circe is also a chess variant; see Circe chess. Edward Burne-Jones In Greek mythology, Circe or Kirk was a goddess living on the island of Aeaea. Circe's father was Helios, the pre-Olympic titan of the Su, hoping that this witch could make Scylla to love him with her herbs, but Circe fell in love with Glaucus herself and asked him to forget Scylla. Glaucus rejected her request, declaring that his love for Scylla was eternal.

Circe was enraged by Glaucus' refusal, and turned her anger on the girl whom he loved. She went and poisoned the water which Scylla used to bathe with her magical herbs. When Scylla waded into the water, the submerged half of her body was transformed into a combination of fish joined with six ferocious dogs' heads sprouting from around her waist. The dogs attacked and devoured anyone who came near, beyond her ability to control, and Scylla fled to the shore of the strait to live there alone.

It is said that by the time AeneasAeneas or Aineas was a famous Trojan hero, son of Anchises and Aphrodite, father of Ascanius with Creusa, and one of the most important figures in Greek and Roman legendary history. In Homer's stories, he is represented as the chief bulwark of the Trojans' fleet came through the strait after the fall of TroyThis article is about the city of Troy / Ilion as described in the works of Homer, and the location of an ancient city associated with it. For other uses see Troy (disambiguation) and Ilion (disambiguation). Troy ( Greek Τροα Troia (, Scylla had been changed into a dangerous rock outcropping which still stands there to this day.