Historiae Romanorum
Polyphemus
Polyphemus is a Cyclops.
He is a son of Poseidon and a
nymph. He lived on Sicily with the other
Cyclopes.
When Odysseus sailed to Sicily, he and twelve of his men explored the island. They found a large cave filled with cheese and lambs. His men wanted to take the food and leave, but the curious Odysseus wished to stay and see the man who lived there. Relying upon the laws of hospitality, they remained in the cave and waited for its owner to return.
The cave belonged to the Cyclops Polyphemus. When he returned, he rolled over the entrance a huge boulder, which served as a door. The Greeks attempted to hide, but Polyphemus saw them. Odysseus explained who he and his men were, and asked that he follow the laws of hospitality. Polyphemus said that Cyclopes did not live by laws, and then ate two of Odysseus's men. He then went to sleep. The Greeks could do nothing. If they killed the monster, then they would be trapped in the cave, since the could not hope to move the boulder.
The next morning, Polyphemus awoke and ate two more Greeks. He then left the cave, rolling the boulder back into place as he departed. During the day, Odysseus devised a plan. When Polyphemus returned that night, he once again ate two more Greeks. Odysseus then gave him some wine, which he had obtained earlier from Maron. Unused to wine, Polyphemus was soon drunk. Odysseus introduced himself as 'Nobody.' In return for the wine, Polyphemus promised to eat Nobody last. He then vomited up his previous human meal and passed out.
While the Cyclops was sleeping,
Odysseus and his men heated
a huge stake in the fire, with which they then blinded Polyphemus.
Polyphemus screamed out in pain and cried to his friends in pain. When
they approached the cave and asked what was wrong, he said 'Nobody is killing
me!' The other Cyclopes
then went away. Polyphemus removed the boulder from the cave and sat near
the entrance, hoping to catch the Greeks as they attempted to flee.
To fool the blind giant, the Greeks did not try to flee, but instead they tied together the sheep in groups of three. The remaining men then hid underneath. The next morning, Polyphemus allowed the sheep to leave, feeling only the tops of them to check for the Greeks. Once out of the cave, the Greeks let go of the sheep and ran to their ship. Once at sea, Odysseus began to taunt Polyphemus. Polyphemus made his way down to the beach, and began hurling huge rocks at the ship. The men had to row for their lives to escape the island alive.
From Odysseus's taunting, Polyphemus learned his true name. He prayed to his father Poseidon to cause trouble for the hero on his return voyage. It was because of this that encountered so many problems during the rest of his journey.
Source(s):
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Homer. Odyssey.