Circe & Scylla: a small study of their myth-inspired dynamic.
Alternatively: a Scylla appreciation post and small dissertation on how she, at the end of the night, is the sole winner of the feud.
Given the subtext behind every conversation between Melinoë and Circe about Scylla, it’s safe to say that Supergiant chose Ovid’s latter rendition of Scylla’s origins rather than Ye Olde Homer one in which she was born a monster and simply was a representation of natural disasters at sea.
This means that Scylla’s curse was completely unwarranted and undeserved.
In that rendition of the myth, Circe turned Scylla into a horrible man-eating monster because she was this beautiful nymph who had garnered the affections of mortal-turned-god Glaucus, whom Circe was in love with. Glaucus went to Circe for a love potion after Scylla rejected him (nymph girl literally ran away from him lmao, more on that later) and, when Circe failed to sway his affections, she cursed Scylla out of jealousy and spite:
Rage filled the goddess' heart. She had no power nor wish to wound him (for she loved him well), so turned her anger on the girl he chose. [Ovid, Metamorphoses 14. 1 ff (trans. Melville)]
Now, how does this translate into Hades 2?
The game itself turns this around and faults Scylla for what happened.
And I say that simply because of Circe’s Arcana card:
Just look at the pigs behind Circe. Look at their expressions.
They look sad... sad on Scylla’s behalf.
Probably because they’re not pigs at all, but rather sailors that were turned into pigs upon arriving at the Isle of Aeaea. (I mean, one can totally interpret this as them being afraid of Scylla and hiding behind Circe for that reason, but I personally don’t feel that vibe here.)
(Also Scylla is so skrunkly there. The way she holds onto her hair-turned-tentacle is so... aaaa. Baby girl <333)
Nothing about this card says “yes, Circe is in the right for this, hah, take that, Scylla, you deserve this through and through.”
Other than that, the whole game blames Scylla for her curse. The first instance of this can be found in Scylla’s Book of Shadows entry:
A witch cursed her, you know; to look the way she is, though not to be. Her disposition is of her own choice. But her dislike for witches is worthy of note. She has a partnership with other loathsome daughters of the deep; but they can sing, you have to give them that.
Mind, the Book of Shadows can be seen as untrustworthy and biased as it was written by Hecate and other fellow-minded people, so there is that. But still. Bit of a rough start for Scylla here.
It doesn’t help that Melinoë hates her almost on sight and is largely unsympathetic towards her despite being a very very closeted fan. You can tell she’s Circe’s unofficial niece by how much she hates on Scylla for practically no reason lol.
Circe, too, lies the blame of it all on Scylla, as one would expect. Let’s see some of her quotes when talking about her with Melinoë, shall we?
“[...] I grew up underneath the sea, and Scylla I remember from my youth. Always yelping about this or that! Was deafening!” (Now me, personally, I like to headcanon Scylla with ADHD on top of being a diva, which makes this both funny and sad. Your Honour, she was just a gal.)
“Oh, what an interesting Book that must be! I do not curse, poppet.” (She says, whilst a pig with a sailor tattoo meanders about, lmao.) “My practice is about revealing the true nature of a thing. When last I checked, Scylla had made hers clear.” (Melinoë does a fair bit of victim blaming throughout the game, but good gods is Circe the final boss of victim blaming lol.)
“I’ve been thinking, poppet, if that Scylla has been posing problems for you during your descent, perchance I can be of some benefit?” (1.- saying that Scylla sounds quite dismissive and almost dehumanising, which, checks out, given what Circe is known for. 2.- as if cursing her once wasn’t enough, she wants to have another go at her. Funny how she never offers this kind of help with any other boss, be they underworld or topside. Funny indeed.) (I actually have a whole ass AU in which Mel follows through with Circe’s petition and it kickstarts an enemies to lovers slowburn with a redemption arc on Mel’s behalf and Mel actually learning of their story properly and becoming disillusioned with Circe and the gods as she tries to fix her mistake, thus truly becoming the Agent of Change. Meanwhile Prometheus up in Olympus is like “fiiiinallyyyyy.” Hopefully one day I’ll get to write it down and deliver the romance that we deserved but were never given. Anywho!)
>> “She shall no longer pose a threat. Whilst the influence of Night is strong, claim one of Scylla’s precious Pearls, and declare: May your ambitions drown. Consider it, at least?” (Need I say anything here? The ominousness dripping from her voice as she enunciates the curse is... yeeeahhh...)
And, lastly, when Melinoë refuses to curse her because she has a conscience and, again, is a very very closeted fan of SatS:
>> “Hence the reason I suggested we subdue her. But you’ve no taste for such enchantments, I see...” (The usage of subdue, given their story, is nasty. The emphasis on it doubly so.) “Which means you passed another test, hahaha! Congratulations, poppet!” (Welcome to How to Save Face 101, everybody, my name is Circe and I shall be your teacher this year! :D If this were the current era, she’d have called it a little social experiment for Mel to tackle on.)
>> “Of course if Scylla should become a greater threat, hm... do seek me out.” (She wants to curse her again SO BAD lmaooo. She’s practically calling dibs on her.)
Basically, the moment Circe hears Scylla is still around and happy and thriving, she wants to get rid of her again. Snuff out her ambitions and leave her a former shell (ba dumm tss 🥁) of herself one more time. Scylla being in Melinoë’s way is just the perfect excuse for her to do just that.
Scylla clearly resents Circe, as per the one conversation with Melinoë in which they talk about her:
Mel: Are you familiar with the enchantress Circe? She mentioned that she knew you in her youth... though, I’m uncertain if you were on friendly terms.
Scylla: The enchantress Circe, no that doesn’t ring a bell! The only Circe I knew was the talentless pathetic little runt of the littler of Helios himself! What has this other Circe got to say?
Mel: She gave me the impression you were always rather boisterous, even back then. Perhaps already practicing the kinds of songs you think shall bring you fame.
Scylla: It’s no secret I always knew what I wanted to be, lady. Always knew what I was meant to be! Circe and so many others... <scoff> all they ever did was get in my way! Same as you.
Considering everything that’s been mentioned here, it’s no wonder that she’s so flippant about Circe (that + her overall diva personality). So, naturally, she wants to belittle Circe and her influence on her as much as possible (Coral Crown: gods and witches cannot tame me / curses are my endless muse) so she reacts that way, which is funny because she is actually a bit insecure about her current appearance.
Scylla: Oh hey gals, guess who!? It’s the one that got away, that’s who! Mm, something you ought to know about me, lady... is once I catch 'em... I never let 'em go. (Personal headcanon n°2: Scylla is the biggest lesbian this side of the sea, that’s why she didn’t like Glaucus in the first place. Lesbian + diva + ADHD = got fucked over just for existing.)
Mel: That comes as no surprise to me at all. Some sea creatures are famously clingy. Barnacles, chlams...
Scylla: I am not a chlam!! You take that back. I’ll make you take that back!
And speaking of her appearance... FINALLY! The reason I made this post in the first place!
Circe is such a hater that not only is the shell motif a twisted version of Aphrodite’s origin, being born from sea-foam and having ridden on a shell till she reached Paphos, Cyprus, but her real body, which can be seen during her scream attack, is... actually kind of hilarious.
Maybe it’s the perspective, but her real body is kinda tiny. More on par with Melinoë’s height, even. Not to mention that it looks like a shark that is standing upright, which is so derpy.
I don’t know why, but I find it rather cute, to be honest. Yes, even with the screaming mouth beneath it. Probably doesn’t help that Scylla is my favourite character and that I love her to bits lmao.
And, judging by what I’ve seen in forums and the like, Scylla is one of the fanbase’s favourite characters AND boss fights by a mile. Which is, to me, perfect.
Scylla is, all around, as a character and a boss fight, perfect.
So, just imagine being Circe for a moment.
Imagine being Circe and having the love of your life “stolen” by this beautiful blabbermouth of a nymph, so you curse her. You curse her real bad and turn her into one of Greek mythology’s most gruesome and feared monsters for aeons. You then forget about her, until you find out through your adoptive niece figure that she’s slinked down into the ocean (Headcanon n°3: Poseidon yoinked her down from her rock in the Strait of Messina because he didn’t want to risk her joining Chronos’ forces... A+ for effort, Unkie Poseidon. When you try your best but you don’t succeed 🎶) and has formed a band with some Sirens and is happy and thriving and sort of famous. That Odysseus, your ex-lover with whom you have a bit of lingering bad blood due to everything that happened between you two, (that’s another iffy topic for another day) is a most ardent fan of the band. Of Scylla. You don’t know this, though, but this much is true. Not only that, but even your adoptive niece figure secretly likes the band, Scylla’s songs, and has their wall-scroll in her tent (kissing is less gay than whatever these two have going on. Dang, who said that?)
So you try to curse her again, only your adoptive niece figure doesn’t do it because she’s a very very closeted fan, so you gotta smile and say haha! It was just a social experiment, poppet! And you passed! Haha! Ha...
Imagine being Circe and knowing that, despite everything, nothing has changed and Scylla is still better off than you. That no matter what you throw at her, what you’ve thrown at her, she continues to come out on top.
You’re so obsessed with me / not that I can blame you for it / I would be too / if I were you
That’s why you’re jealous of me / not that I can blame you for it / I would be too / if I were you
