Charybdis is the name of a giant whirlpool that lives on the edge of an island called Sicily. It sucks in anything nearby and drowns it, which makes it a particularly dangerous place for sailors to be.
Odysseus is able to escape Charybdis by having his men tie him to the mast of their ship, so he can avoid being sucked in and drowned. His men also stuff their ears with wax so they don’t hear her calling out to them or trying to pull them in with her.
Eventually, Odysseus’ men use their oars to row away from Charybdis, using a large piece of wood as well as their oars to block her from pulling them in any further (she has no mouth). They are also able to use this same piece of wood as something like a club when they hit it against rocks on shoreline, which causes Charybdis great pain.
