Polyphemus
Polyphemus is the Cyclops who imprisons OdysseusOdysseusOdysseus is the legendary hero of Ithaca, protagonist of The Odyssey and a Greek leader in The Iliad. His long return from the Trojan War to Penelope (Greek mythology) and Telemachus centers on cunning, disguise, endurance and recognition.Open the full entry and eats members of his crew in Odyssey Book 9. After being blinded, he appeals to his father Poseidon (Greek god)Poseidon (Greek god)Poseidon (Greek god) is the god of the sea, earthquakes and horses in ancient Greek religion and mythology. In The Odyssey, anger at Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus makes him a major obstacle to the hero’s return.Open the full entry for revenge, linking the encounter to the later troubles of homecoming.
Contents5 sections
Key facts
The Cyclops and His Visitors
Polyphemus lives in a cave and keeps flocks. After Odysseus’s party enters, he seals the entrance with a huge stone and kills and eats guests. He rejects Odysseus’s appeal to the protection owed to strangers and suppliants, making hospitality central to the conflict.[1]
Nobody and the Blinding
Odysseus intoxicates Polyphemus with strong wine and calls himself Nobody. The crew blind him with a heated stake. When neighboring Cyclopes ask what is wrong, his answer that Nobody is harming him defeats the appeal for help. The false name becomes an instrument of escape.[1]
Escape Beneath the Sheep
Blinded, Polyphemus feels the backs of the sheep at the entrance to prevent escape. Odysseus conceals his companions beneath them and clings under a ram himself. The survivors pass beyond the Cyclops’s reach and take sheep back to the ship.[1]
The Appeal to Poseidon
Once Odysseus reveals his real name from the ship, Polyphemus identifies him and his homeland in a prayer to Poseidon (Greek god). He asks for no homecoming, or at least a late return without companions and with trouble at home. The cave episode thereby becomes a cause of continuing divine hostility.[1]