Scylla and Charybdis were two sea monsters who lived in caves on opposite sides of the Straits of Messina, separating Italy and Sicily. These sea monsters devoured sailors from passing ships. Scylla , originally a beautiful nymph, had been loved by Glaucus. When Glaucus asked Circe to give Scylla a love potion, the jealous sorceress instead gave her poison that turned her into a monster with six heads, twelve feet, and heads of baying dogs surrounded her like a belt on her hips. Charybdis personified a dreadful whirlpool, sucking in and spewing out the sea three times a day.