Research Topic

Title: The Story of Nisus and Scylla

War against Megara

 Minos, son of Zeus and Europa, attacks the kingdom of Megara in the Corinthian Isthmus (An ally of
Athens).
 Megara’s king, Nisus, had a lock of purple hair. As long as the purple lock was kept on his head, his
kingdom could not be overtaken and he could not die.
 The war goes on for over 6 months and it looks like neither side will ever win.

Scylla- Daughter of Nisus

 Scylla goes to the tower of the castle every day to watch the battles. The war has been going on for so
long that she has learned the names of the enemies’ captains and their armour.
 Scylla falls deeply in love, with Minos, the leader of the Cretan army. She even compares his beauty and
skill to Apollo.

Internal Struggle
 Scylla starts thinking up ways as to how she can be with Minos. She even considers offering herself as a
hostage to him. Eventually, she realizes that she could give him her father’s country as a dowry of
marriage.
 However, Scylla doesn’t want to win her love over through treason. But soon she is convinced that her
father is losing the war and better to end it without more bloodshed.

Scylla’s Mistake
 Thinking that this will make her the mistress of Minos, Scylla cuts off her father’s purple lock while he
is sleeping, thus killing him.
 She goes to Minos’ camp and offers him “her fathers’ life”, or the lock, and says that “love has led me to
do this”. All that she wants in return is Minos.
 Her plan backfires for Minos shrinks away from her gift and exclaims “May the gods cast you out, and
earth and ocean reject you, infamous daughter of our time!”

Megara Is Conquered
 Although Minos rejects the gift, he takes full advantage of Scylla’s actions by conquering Megara.
 After imposing his laws, Minos gets ready to set sail back to his home. He of course plans to leave
Scylla behind.

Scylla’s Plan
 When Scylla sees that she will not be rewarded, she begins to yell at Minos. She cries out that his
parents were not really Zeus and Europa for they are incapable of having a monster like him for an
offspring.
 Because of her actions, Scylla can no longer live in Megara; and since Minos has forbid her from Crete,
she has nowhere to go. Because of this, she decides to go with Minos whether he likes it or not.

Conclusion
 When she sees Minos leaving without her, she jumps into the water and clings to the stern of the boat.
  Her father, who has now been turned into an Osprey, or a sea hawk, sees his daughter and attacks her
with his beak.
 Scylla loses her grip and begins to fall into the water. However, a god taking pity turns her into a ciris to
save her from drowning.
 From that day on, the sea hawk attacks the ciris whenever they are near each other, in vengeance of the
ancient crime.
 In different versions of the story, Minos ties Scylla to the stern with her head in the water so she drowns.
 In another version, Scylla is transformed by Circe into a sea monster with tentacles and creatures
growing from her middle. She forever lives in a cave and eats sailors who pass her by.

Reference:
https://slideplayer.com/slide/3998349