In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus is told by the sorceress Circe that in order to make it home, he must sail between Scylla and Charybdis—Scylla being a six-headed sea monster that jutted out from a rock to devour one sailor per head, and Charybdis being a monstrous whirlpool that engulfed entire ships. The dilemma is that if Odysseus sails too close to Charybdis, his entire ship will be destroyed and all his crew will be killed, while if he sails too close to Scylla, six of his men will be killed and eaten. Odysseus chose to sail closer to Scylla, choosing to save the many and sacrifice the few.