"Being between Scylla and Charybdis is an idiom deriving from Greek mythology, meaning having to choose between two hazards. Scylla and Charybdis were mythical sea monsters noted by Homer in his book The Odyssey .Greek mythology sited them on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Scylla was rationalised as a rock shoal - described as a six-headed sea monster - on the Italian side of the strait and Charybdis was a whirlpool off the coast of Sicily. They were regarded as maritime hazards located close enough to each other that they posed an inescapable threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis meant passing too close to Scylla and vice versa.".