Polyphemus
creaturePolyphemus was the one-eyed giant Cyclops, son of Poseidon, who trapped Odysseus's men in his cave and ate six of them before Odysseus blinded him and escaped.
The Myth
Odysseus and his crew entered Polyphemus's cave and were trapped when the giant rolled a boulder across the entrance. Each evening Polyphemus ate two men. Odysseus devised a plan: he called himself "Nobody," got the Cyclops drunk on wine, and drove a sharpened stake into his single eye. When Polyphemus screamed for help, the other Cyclopes asked who was hurting him. "Nobody!" he cried, and they left. Odysseus escaped by clinging to the bellies of sheep. But he foolishly taunted Polyphemus and revealed his real name, allowing Poseidon to curse his voyage.
Parents
Poseidon and the nymph Thoosa
Children
Galatus (by Galatea, in some versions)
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Cyclops's single eye may originate from ancient Greeks finding dwarf elephant skulls — the large central nasal opening looks like a single eye socket.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
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