Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is an adaptation of one of the most famous stories ever told, and, since that tale is steeped in Greek mythology, naturally the film has its fair share of unusual creatures.
Below, we’ve rounded up seven monsters from Greek mythology that appear in the film, so you can get up to speed at a glance. That means there are spoilers for The Odyssey below, so turn back now if you’re not up to date.
For even more, check out our The Odyssey review or our beginner’s guide to the Odyssey for everything you need to know about Homer’s story.
The Odyssey monsters explained
The Cyclops
Odysseus and his crewmates meet the terrifying Cyclops in a cave. They get trapped inside with the creature, a one-eyed giant, and the Cyclops begins eating the men in a nightmarish sequence. Odysseus and his crew blind the Cyclops while he’s sleeping and escape from him by strapping straw to their backs, so he can’t feel the difference between them and his sheep. However, the Cyclops is a son of Poseidon, the sea god, meaning Odysseus and his crew face the ire of a powerful foe.
Calypso the Nymph
Now, Calypso is of course not a monster in the traditional sense, but, since she’s a mythic figure, we’re including her here. Calypso is a nymph, who, in Greek mythology, is the daughter of the Titan Atlas (he holds up the sky on his shoulders). She keeps Odysseus as a captive on her island by feeding him a lotus flower that makes him forget his mission to return home.
Laestrygonians
The Laestrygonians are towering, giant, armored warriors who are also cannibals. They chase Odysseus and his crew and kill plenty of them, destroying one of their boats, too.
Circe the Witch
Like Calypso, Circe isn’t a monster or a creature – but, as a magical being, we’re including her in our list. Circe is a powerful witch posing as a regular woman. In Greek mythology, she’s the sister of Aeëtes, King of Colchis, and a prominent figure in the tale of Jason and the Argonauts, and the sister of Pasiphaë, the mother of the Minotaur (the beast slain by the hero Theseus in the labyrinth). In the film, Circe uses her powers to turn Odysseus’s men into pigs. Odysseus, though, wises up to her power and gets her to change the men back by threatening her sister, who has been transformed into a crow.
Sirens
The Sirens look like women, live in the ocean, and have hypnotic voices that lure sailors to their deaths. Odysseus makes his crew plug their ears with wax to avoid their deadly voices, while he himself is tied to the ship’s mast so he can hear the Sirens’ song without leaping into the water and drowning himself.
Charybdis
Charybdis isn’t strictly a creature in the film, but is instead a whirlpool in the ocean – sometimes in Greek mythology, however, Charybdis is depicted as a monster that creates its own whirlpool by swallowing and expelling water. Charybdis is located very close to the monster Scylla, which means travellers must choose between facing one or the other on either side of the strait, knowing it’s certain doom either way. Odysseus lies to his crew to get them to choose the route that passes by Scylla, since that will minimize casualties.
Scylla
Scylla is a sea monster that resides close to Charybdis, on the other side of the strait. Scylla lives on a giant rock and eats sailors who pass too close. Since she eats just six soldiers, Odysseus decides to manipulate his crew into choosing this path, which angers the survivors. In some myths, Scylla was originally a nymph who was turned into a monster after her bathing waters were poisoned (and, in one version, Circe was the poisoner).
The Odyssey is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies, or our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan films.
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