Cyclopes Homework Page
Below is a         marvelous essay
by student Anna Baldwin
The         Cyclopes were giant beings with a single, round eye in         the middle of their foreheads. According to the ancient         Greek writer Hesiod, they were strong, stubborn, and abrupt of emotion. Their every action ebbed         with violence and power and their name means "ring-eyed".
There are actually two         generations of Cyclopes in Greek myth. The first         generation consisted of three brothers, Brontes         (thunderer), Steropes (lightning),         and Arges (brightness), who came from the         union of Gaia (Mother Earth) and Uranus (Sky). The second         generation descended from Poseidon, and the most famous         of these was Polyphemus from Homers Odyssey.
According to some         versions of early Olympian history, the Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires         (Hundred-handed-ones) were failed attempts by Mother Earth to create a         race of mortals to populate the planet.
Brontes,         Steropes, and Arges (the three descended from Gaia and         Uranus) were the inventive blacksmiths of the Olympian         gods. They were skilled metal workers and created         Zeus thunderbolts, Poseidons trident, and         Hades Helmet of Darkness that was later used by         Perseus while on his quest to decapitate Medusa.
However,         they spent the majority of their early existence         imprisoned. Their father Uranus (sky) hated all of his         offspring (the Titans, Cyclopes and Hecatonchires or         hundred-handed-ones) and kept them confined deep within         Gaia (earth). The defeat of Uranus by his son Cronus (a         Titan) freed the Cyclopes for a time, but Cronus was a         paranoid ruler. He feared the Cyclopes power and         cast them into Tartarus (the place of punishment in the         underworld) where they remained imprisoned until Zeus (an         Olympian and son of Cronus) released them, requiring         their aid in the Titanomachy (battle of the Titans).
With         the assistance of the Cyclopes and their thunderbolts,         Zeus overthrew Cronus and the Titans and became ruler of         the cosmos. He was grateful for the Cyclopes help         and allowed them to stay in Olympus as his armorers and         helpers to Hephaestus, god of smiths. The Greeks also         credited them with building the massive fortifications at         Tiryns and Mycenae in the Peloponnese.
It is said that the god         Apollo killed the Cyclopes to avenge the death of his son Asclepius,         whom the Cyclopes had killed for bringing mortals back to life. The         ghosts of the Cyclopes then went to live in the caverns of volcanic         Mount Aetna - this legend served to explain the smoke that frequently         rose from that mountain.
Brontes,         Steropes, and Arges are mainly mentioned in passing in         most of the myths to convey strength in heroes and the         fine quality of weapons but are major characters in one         other event  their deaths at the hands of Apollo.         Zeus struck Asclepius, Apollos son, down with a         thunderbolt for having risen a person from the dead.         Apollo was outraged and killed the Cyclopes who had         forged the deadly thunderbolt. It appears that         Apollos rage was misplaced, yet by killing the         Cyclopes, he was indirectly punishing Zeus. The ghosts of         Brontes, Steropes, and Arges are said to dwell in Mt.         Aetna, an active volcano that smokes as a result of their         burning forges.
The second         generation of Cyclopes was a band of lawless shepherds         living in Sicily who had lost the skill of metallurgy.         Polyphemus, son of Poseidon and the sea nymph Thoosa, is         the only notable individual of the lot and figures         prominently in Homers Odyssey. Odysseus and his         crew landed on Sicily, realm of the Cyclopes. He and a         few of his best men became trapped in Polyphemus cave when Polyphemus rolled a large boulder in front of         the entrance to corral his sheep while Odysseus was still         inside. Polyphemus was fond of human flesh and devoured         many of the men for dinner. On the second night, Odysseus         told Polyphemus that his name was Nobody, and         tricked him into drinking enough wine to pass out. While         he was incapacitated, Odysseus/Nobody blinded him with a         red hot poker. Polyphemus shouted in pain to the other         Cyclopes on the island that Nobody was trying         to kill him, so no one came to his rescue. Eventually, he         had to roll away the stone to allow his sheep to graze.         Odysseus and the remaining crew clung to the bellies of         the exiting sheep where Polyphemus could not feel them as         they passed him on their way to pasture and escaped.
As         Odysseus sailed away from the island, he shouted to         Polyphemus that it was Odysseus who had blinded him.         Enraged, the Cyclops threw huge boulders at the ship and         shouted to his father, Poseidon, to avenge him.
Recent         scholars have hypothesized about the origin of the         Cyclopes single eye. One possibility is that in         ancient times, smiths could have worn an eye patch over         one eye to prevent being blinded in both eyes from flying         sparks. Also, smiths sometimes tattooed themselves with         concentric circles which could have been in honor of the         sun which provided the fire for their furnaces.         Concentric rings were also part of the pattern for making         bowls, helmets, masks, and other metal objects. Notice         that the first generation Cyclopes were associated with         metal-working while the second generation was not.         Apparently, the lawless band of Cyclopes is a later         addition to the myths. The incidence with Polyphemus         seems to have had an independent existence from the         Odyssey before Homer added it to his epic adventure. It         was probably told as a separate myth at certain         functions.
It is         uncertain why the Cyclopes were demoted from the smiths         of the gods to a lawless group of monsters with no         reverence for the gods. When the universe came into         being, there were many monsters and vague forms that were         gradually replaced with beings with more human forms.         Order was replacing chaos. The monsters were phased out,         and this could have lead to the transformation of the good Cyclopes to the evil Cyclopes that were destined to be fought and defeated by         the divine human form.
Following         are excerpts from Thomas Bullfinch's
"Mythology,         the Age of Fable"
They next         arrived at the country of the Cyclopses. The Cyclopses         were giants, who inhabited an island of which they were         the only possessors. The name means "round         eye," and these giants were so called because they         had but one eye, and that placed in the middle of the         forehead. They dwelt in caves and fed on the wild         productions of the island and on what their flocks         yielded, for they were shepherds.
Ulysses         left the main body of his ships at anchor, and with one         vessel went to the Cyclopses' island to explore for         supplies. He landed with his companions, carrying with         them a jar of wine for a present, and coming to a large         cave they entered it, and finding no one within examined         its contents. They found it stored with the richest of         the flock, quantities of cheese, pails and bowls of milk,         lambs and kids in their pens, all in nice order.         Presently arrived the master of the cave, Polyphemus,         bearing an immense bundle of firewood, which he threw         down before the cavern's mouth. He then drove into the         cave the sheep and goats to be milked, and, entering,         rolled to the cave's mouth an enormous rock, that twenty         oxen could not draw. Next he sat down and milked his         ewes, preparing a part for cheese, and setting the rest         aside for his customary drink. Then, turning round his         great eye, he discerned the strangers, and growled out to         them, demanding who they were, and where from. Ulysses         replied most humbly, stating that they were Greeks, from         the great expedition that had lately won so much glory in         the conquest of Troy; that they were now on their way         home, and finished by imploring his hospitality in the         name of the gods.
Polyphemus         deigned no answer, but reaching out his hand seized two         of the Greeks, whom he hurled against the side of the         cave, and dashed out their brains. He proceeded to devour         them with great relish, and having made a hearty meal,         stretched himself out on the floor to sleep. Ulysses was         tempted to seize the opportunity and plunge his sword         into him as be slept, but recollected that it would only         expose them all to certain destruction, as the rock with         which the giant had closed up the door was far beyond         their power to remove, and they would therefore be in         hopeless imprisonment.
Next         morning the giant seized two more of the Greeks, and dispatched them in the same manner as their companions,         feasting on their flesh till no fragment was left. He         then moved away the rock from the door, drove out his         flocks, and went out, carefully replacing the barrier         after him. When he was gone Ulysses planned how he might         take vengeance for his murdered friends, and effect his         escape with his surviving companions. He made his men         prepare a massive bar of wood cut by the Cyclops for a         staff, which they found in the cave. They sharpened the         end of it, and seasoned it in the fire, and hid it under         the straw on the cavern floor. Then four of the boldest         were selected, with whom Ulysses joined himself as a         fifth.
The         Cyclops came home at evening, rolled away the stone and drove in his flock as usual. After milking them and         making his arrangements as before, he seized two more of         Ulysses' companions and dashed their brains out, and made         his evening meal upon them as he had on the others. After         he had supped, Ulysses approaching him handed him a bowl         of wine, saying, "Cyclops, this is wine; taste and         drink after thy meal of men's flesh." He took and         drank it, and was hugely delighted with it, and called         for more. Ulysses supplied him once again, which pleased         the giant so much that he promised him as a favor that         he should be the last of the party devoured. He asked his         name, to which Ulysses replied, "My name is Noman."
After his         supper the giant lay down to repose, and was soon found         asleep. Then Ulysses with his four select friends thrust         the end of the stake into the fire till it was all one         burning coal, then poising it exactly above the giant's         only eye, they buried it deeply into the socket, twirling         it round as a carpenter does his auger.
The         howling monster with his outcry filled the cavern, and         Ulysses with his aides nimbly got out of his way and         concealed themselves in the cave. He, bellowing, called         aloud on all the Cyclopes dwelling in the caves around         him, far and near. They on his cry flocked round the den,         and inquired what grievous hurt had caused him to sound         such an alarm and break their slumbers. He replied, "O friends, I die, and Noman gives the blow." They answered, "If no man hurts thee it is the         stroke of Jove (Zeus), and thou must bear it." So         saying, they left him groaning.
Next         morning the Cyclops rolled away the stone to let his         flock out to pasture, but planted himself in the door of         the cave to feel of all as they went out, that Ulysses         and his men should not escape with them. But Ulysses had         made his men harness the rams of the flock three abreast,         with osiers which they found on the floor of the cave. To         the middle ram of the three one of the Greeks suspended         himself, so protected by the exterior rams on either         side. As they passed, the giant felt of the animals'         backs and sides, but never thought of their bellies; so         the men all passed safe, Ulysses himself being on the         last one that passed.
When they         had got a few paces from the cavern, Ulysses and his         friends released themselves from their rams, and drove a         good part of the flock down to the shore to their boat.         They put them aboard with all haste, then pushed off from         the shore, and when at a safe distance Ulysses shouted         out, "Cyclops, the gods have well requited thee for         thy atrocious deeds. Know it is Ulysses to whom thou         owest thy shameful loss of sight."
Detail of painting Polyphemus
by Annibale Carracci
The         Cyclops, hearing this, seized a rock that projected from         the side of the mountain, and rending it from its bed he         lifted it high in the air, then exerting all his force,         hurled it in the direction of the voice. Down came the         mass, just clearing the vessel's stern. The ocean, at the         plunge of the huge rock, heaved the ship towards the         land, so that it barely escaped being swamped by the         waves. When they had with the utmost difficulty pulled         off shore, Ulysses was about to hail the giant again, but         his friends besought him not to do so. He could not         forbear, however, letting the giant know that they had         escaped his missile, but waited till they had reached a         safer distance than before. The giant answered them with         curses, but Ulysses and his friends plied their oars         vigorously, and soon regained their companions.
Thank         you Thomas Bullfinch!