Apr 13, 2023 7 min read Olympian Goddesses and Gods Coexistence

Marine God Charybdis. You Can Say "No" to Monsters

Sea Monster Charybdis does take "No" for an answer. But you might have to go through some things to get to the question. Good luck.

Content contains graphic descriptions of monstrous behaviour.

Festival Day - 24 April

Charybdis in Mythology

Sea monster Charybdis is mentioned in Homer's epic story Odyssey, the tale of Ithacan king Odysseus' sea voyage home after the siege of Troy city. Paired with another monstrous marine hazard, Scylla.

Somewhere between this monster pair was a safety zone. But finding that security was impossible for Odysseus and his crew, so Homer told.

The captain king planned to steer clear of Charybdis.

He headed for the rocks where Scylla lurked thinking better the six monstrous fanged heads she wielded, than the seething cauldron that sucked down to the dark blue sands of the ocean floor, deep below.

The crew gouged the wax from their ears, unroped Odysseus from the mast.

He forgot the sirens’ sweet song that had so possessed him, and he forgot Circe’s respectful advice on not to dress for battle in Scylla’s vicinity.

Six of his top crew were snatched from their stations and e...n.

God Charybdis Mythological references

Goddesses, Gods and You

What kind of Heaven do you expect. Soft fluffy paradise of eternity, or oblivion of nothingness? Out-of-body survival expert Margo Williams discovered a surprisingly simple system of management and afterlife recycling.

There are many goddesses and gods in the community. Speaking their name aloud evidently sends a signal; creates a link to wherever they are at any given moment. If it works for you as it worked for Margo, and they respond, be respectful but be yourself. Honesty and thoughtfulness are appreciated.

Sacrifice nothing but your time. Most of them seemed approachable and appreciated being remembered.

The ancient temples that still can be found in some places, although mostly broken, are huge monumental structures; impressive sacred spaces, their scale designed to impress, to be worthy of divine visitation.

However, it is not the size and splendour of any sacred space but the sincerity of the person seeking contact.

Photo image of Margo Williams in Africa — Margo Williams in Africa

"Monsters exist?" Nick Hammond asked out-of-body survivalist Margo Williams.

Charybdis Arrival and Appearance

"Not every God is human-shaped. Some don't respect or like humankind, so wouldn't want to look like us, I guess.

Homer described Scylla and Charybdis both as females but my guess is Charybdis is male. He didn’t appear on first invitation. I smelled his presence only, and heard a grunted:

"Unusual but good," he said.

Something sharp and quick as silverfish hooked me away to a sanded, stone-strewn beach.

An enormous kelp-covered figure towered high as a two-storey house. Kelp was caught dangling from a pair of horns, hung down over his face.

The beach was littered with bones, sk...s scattered among them. Five c.....s still were fleshed.

Flick of a claw, he (too monstrous to describe what he did) to me.

Panic and pain shock burst through me as I stared appalled at the damage, about to faint. He flicked a pointed tongue, licked me, and to my astonishment it closed up, completely.

Sl..h! Charybdis (far too monstrous to describe again) again. Then licked and sealed; then (tmtd) again. It was too painful to bear, too shocking to see. I fainted so many times but he kept bringing me back to consciousness.

"I am giving you strength," he slurred, tongue slickened with my (too monstrous to describe).

Something distracted him, he turned his huge seaweeded head away from me. So I took the opportunity to scramble painfully away through the sand. Hid behind a rock, curled into a ball so he wouldn’t see me.

Charybdis reached a monster scaled arm round and snatched me up. Held my legs and bashed me against the ground; the violence dislodged a long piece of kelp.

It dropped off his shoulder and unlucky for me, slapped around my neck.

So he grabbed it and pulled it tight around my t....t (tmtd). I lost consciousness again.

Monster Gotta Do What a Monster Gotta Do

Violently Charybdis shook me until I woke.

"You summon me. You pay me homage. You are the first to do so, therefore I expect a price." He claw-hoisted me up to his face. Vile-smelling, his scaled-skin sea-reptile body was a brown-yellow and grey mix; sore-riddled and stinking.

Another vomit-inducing putrid smell hung around his head. I saw why. The kelp frond loss had exposed a c....e caught on one horn. Grey and lifeless but staring wide with surprised eyes.

"You do not like what you see?" Charybdis sounded amused.

I, and the gored c....e were tiny in comparison to him. Charybdis tilted head in emphasis, the horn victim nearly slipped off.

"This mortal was reported d.....d. I upset his small boat. Fisherman...," he exhaled onto me, hot fish-stinking breath like fire-wind. It scalded.

Charybdis next expressed his opinion on the present state of land-sea coexistence. A sentiment echoed by all the sea Gods, truth to tell.

Charybdis Said He Was Being Gentle

I struggled and kicked to get out of his grip, so he threw me on the ground and stomped a huge foot half across my body, leaving my head and shoulders free.

I couldn’t move.

"I would have you stay here with me." Charybdis flicked his head, dislodged the c....e, sending it arcing over his back onto a rock.

The horns seemed to disappear inward, his big scaled body shrank in size, reduced to a relatively small seven feet tall; skin changed, too.

The monster transformed into a man. A very handsome man with perfect physique, green eyes, short curly hair. He gestured, elegantly.

"I change. Most of us can. Now will you stay?"

"No," I replied. "I have to work."

I Won't Do That. No.

Charybdis laughed, nastily, instantly transformed back into huge stinking monster. "Mortals fear me, and so they should."

He stomped around the beach, deliberately crunching everything on the ground, then stopped at the gored c....e that lay spread-eagled belly-up over a rock.

"When there are temples for me there will be none of this and I shall become gentle." He made that claim as he clawed a grey piece of (too monstrous to describe) from the (tmtd); softly it broke away like pulled pork.

Charybdis popped it into his mouth and ate, then tore away another piece and didn't even offer, he just tried to claw-force the rotting chunk between my teeth.

I sure struggled, head turned and teeth clamped very very tightly.

In temper he threw the piece down, butted me away and grunted. "You’d better return. I am satisfied."

I backed away, trying not to step on anyone’s remains.

"Next time do not keep me waiting so long.’" Charybdis gestured, waving a stringy piece of b..e. "I have already given you power, and strength in mind and body but I also give you my gift of the gratitude of great Charybdis."

For the briefest of brief moments, again monster transformed quick as a blink into handsome curly-headed god. He grinned. "No mortal has ever had that. Now, go."

I heard a small whisper, as if he was embarrassed to add, "Bless you."

Origin Story

Science now reminds us that land-inhabiting humans all are children of the ocean, originally simple single-celled marine life that hundreds of millions of years ago formed into fish.

And then crawled out of the water, took to the trees and eventually evolved into apes.

Those that best managed to survive and thrive are still here today, dominated by the species Homo Sapiens. The good, the bad and the beautiful.

All life on earth originated in the ocean. Science tells us God had nothing to do with that. It was a miraculous random happening on a planet that just happened to be not too close and not too far away from a star, for life to flourish.

We are a lucky accident, not a design. And perhaps that is why church congregations on the Isle of Wight are smaller in number than they were a hundred years ago.

Available now is a God-free explanation for why we all are here.

Sea Monsters? Plenty of those are scooped up from the ocean at every depth. Mostly not so big as Charybdis.

Perhaps people are happier now knowing God isn’t watching. But Charybdis is there and thereabouts among the waves and currents, and does pay attention.

All Life is Precious

Despite the ocean Gods’ frustration and dismay at human behaviour, the message I understood from encounters with marine Gods and Monsters is that life is precious.

All life on earth is valued equally, and that covenant includes even the smallest life-forms: sand-worms, cockles and kelp.

Just as there are Gods assigned to the oceans, others have responsibility for land-based existence including us; who care that we survive and thrive in this lucky accident called life.

And dangerous monsters come and go and prosper among the human community. Far less discriminate in their cruel life-taking than Charybdis.

The ocean Gods didn’t much talk about how they all happened to be in the water, or why some prefer such monstrous form. They just want it cleaned and spared our cruelty.

Thank you for your company on this short introduction to god Charybdis. If you would like to know more about Margo Williams' experiences and suggestions for how to survive in the hereafter read this book. Now available from Amazon.