Odysseus sacrificed six men to Scylla as a grim, strategic decision, guided by the advice of the sorceress Circe, to prevent the far greater catastrophe of losing his own life and his entire crew to the deadly whirlpool of Charybdis. This was a calculated choice to ensure the survival of the majority.
The Perilous Passage: Scylla and Charybdis
As Odysseus and his crew navigated their perilous journey home, they faced an unavoidable passage between two monstrous entities: Scylla, a six-headed beast, and Charybdis, a colossal whirlpool capable of swallowing entire ships. Both presented an existential threat, and there was no known way to bypass them completely.
Circe's Strategic Counsel
Before Odysseus embarked on this treacherous leg of his journey, the goddess Circe provided him with crucial, albeit horrifying, advice. She strongly urged him to steer his ship closer to Scylla rather than Charybdis. Circe’s counsel was based on a stark reality:
- Scylla's Threat: Scylla was destined to seize and consume six men—one for each of her heads—as the ship passed. While a terrible loss, this would be a contained sacrifice.
- Charybdis's Threat: Charybdis, on the other hand, would devour the entire ship and all its occupants, leaving no survivors.
Circe's guidance highlighted that it was "better to lose six men than risk his own life and his entire crew."
Odysseus's Grim Decision
Faced with an impossible choice between two terrible fates, Odysseus ultimately agreed with Circe's assessment. He understood that while the loss of any crew members was deeply painful, choosing Scylla offered the only viable path to continuing their journey and preserving the lives of the remaining crew and himself. This agonizing decision was a testament to his pragmatic leadership, prioritizing the survival of the many over the attempt to save all, which would have inevitably led to the demise of everyone. He prepared his men for the inevitable, heartbreaking loss as they approached the monster's lair.
