What did the Cyclops do in the Odyssey?

Polyphemus is a mythological one- eyed giant creature existing in the classic poem “The Odyssey” created by Homer. Polyphemus who is better known as Cyclops tried to eat the King Odysseus and his army when they were seeking for refuge in Polyphemus’s cave. In Homer’s classic poem, “The Odyssey” it is the ending of the Trojan War and it has ended after a very long duration of ten years. The city of Greek is preparing to bring back Odysseus the King of Ithaca and his soldiers’home from the war.  In order to travel back home, the troops have to cross the Aegean Sea. Normally the troops would have taken just a couple of days to cross the sea or to exaggerate a week suppose. However, the troops and the king ended up taking ten long years to coast across the sea and end up in loosing many lives while crossing the sea. When Odysseus and his army suffered through a shipwreck soon after the left Troy, they took refuge on Polyphemus’ island and that is when the tale of Cyclops begins.

What is the Cyclops role in Greek mythology?

    In later Roman mythology andGreek mythology, A Cyclops is a primordial race of giant creatures. Cyclops are a race of giants having a single eye that is mounted in the centre of their forehead. The literal meaning of the word Cyclops is “circle eyed” or “round eyed”.Originally, there were three Cyclops Brontes, Arges and Steropes. They were potential blacksmith. The Cyclops were the son of Gaea and Uranus and were the brothers of the Titans and the Hecatoncheires. The Cyclops were being imprisoned by Cronus and were released by his son Zeus. When Zeus became the ruler of the world the Cyclopes dedicated themselves totally to their profession that is blacksmithing. Under the Volcanic Mount Etna in Sicily there was a divine artificer Hephaestus, the Cyclopes settled themselves at the artificer. Under the direction of Zeus and as a token of gratitude, the Cyclopes forged the Zeus’ thunderbolt. The Cyclopes were recognised to have built various monumental work all around the Greece and Italy. Immense wall of Tiryns and the Lion Gate at Mycenae are the most famous one to be recognised. Various pets later on in time spoke of different types of Cyclopes. The famous on is the Polyphemus in Homer’s Odyssey.

What is Polyphemus role in the Odyssey?

Polyphemus was the son of the god Poseidon and Thoosa in the Greek mythology. Polyphemus was among one of the Cyclopes and had a single eye. As narrated in Odyssey. While trying to go back to his homeland the King of IthacaOdysseus and his men arrived at the island of Cyclops. The king and the men took refuge in a cave, which was full of food. Polyphemus who already lived in that cave returned and then he sealed the entrance of the cave. He grabbed and ate two of Odysseus’ men. The next morning Polyphemus went to attend his sheep. When he returned the king offered him some strong wine. Polyphemus got drunk and asked the king what his name was, the king replied with “no one”. Polyphemus uttered while intoxicated that he would eat “no one” as the last gratitude and the went to sleep. While he was sleeping, the king blinded him with a wooden stake. The giant Cyclopes started screaming for help. On the arrival of other giants he told him “ no one” blinded him. The other giants told him to pray because they believed a god attacked him.

What was Polyphemus curse?

After the King Odyssey blinded Polyphemus, he did not reveal his identity to him and said his name was “no one”. The king left the island with his men leaving the Cyclopes in suffering. While the king was leaving in his terrible pride of blinding the giant, Odysseus confirms his identity to the giant. The King shouted back to the giant his identity that he was the king of Ithaca, he did it on purpose that the giant would tell everyone who caused harm to him. Odysseus would never imagine that his identity could be used against him. Polyphemus was the son of the god of the sea named as Poseidon. Further Polyphemus prayed to Poseidon caste a curse on Odysseus, who blinded him with a wooden stake. He urged his father to caste rocks in the way of the king, who took the seaway back home and destroy his entire army. In other words simply, Polyphemus asked Poseidon to take revenge for the injuries and pain that was made to him by Odysseus.