Cyclops

Reproduced from: https://www.storynory.com/in-the-cyclops-cave/

'The Cyclops came back in the evening, and opening up the cave drove in the flocks. . . Again he seized two of my companions.'

Illustration by Willy Pogany

This scene shows Odysseus and his crew about to blind the sleeping Polyphemus.Created by Greg Hildebrandt for his Favorite Fairy Tales book 1984 Published by Little Simon.

THE ODYSSEY. Retelling copyright © 2012 by Gillian Cross. Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Neil Packer. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA on behalf of Walker Books, London.

Flemish Jacob Jordaens' depiction of Odysseus escaping from the cave of Polyphemus, 1635

Arnold Bocklin, Polyphemus attempts to crush the boat of the escaping Odysseus

The Adventures of Odysseus and The Tale of Troy

by Padraic Colum

Later we came to the land of the Cyclôpes, a giant people. There is a waste island outside the harbour of their land, and on it there is a well of bright water that has poplars growing round it. We came to that empty island, and we beached our ships and took down our sails.’

‘As soon as the dawn came we went through the empty island, starting the wild goats that were there in flocks, and shooting them with our arrows. We killed so many wild goats there that we had nine for each ship. Afterwards we looked across to the land of the Cyclôpes, and we heard the sound of voices and saw the smoke of fires and heard the bleating of flocks of sheep and goats.’

‘I called my companions together and I said, “It would be well for some of us to go to that other island. With my own ship and with the company that is on it I shall go there. The rest of you abide here. I will find out what manner of men live there, and whether they will treat us kindly and give us gifts that are due to strangers—gifts of provisions for our voyage.”’

We embarked and we came to the land. There was a cave near the sea, and round the cave there were mighty flocks of sheep and goats. I took twelve men with me and I left the rest to guard the ship. We went into the cave and found no man there. There were baskets filled with cheeses, and vessels of whey, and pails and bowls of milk. My men wanted me to take some of the cheeses and drive off some of the lambs and kids and come away. But this I would not do, for I would rather that he who owned the stores would give us of his own free will the offerings that were due to strangers.’

‘While we were in the cave, he whose dwelling it was, returned to it. He carried on his shoulder a great pile of wood for his fire. Never in our lives did we see a creature so frightful as this Cyclops was. He was a giant in size, and, what made him terrible to behold, he had but one eye, and that single eye was in his forehead. He cast down on the ground the pile of wood that he carried, making such a din that we fled in terror into the corners and recesses of the cave. Next he drove his flocks into the cave and began to milk his ewes and goats. And when he had the flocks within, he took up a stone that not all our strengths could move and set it as a door to the mouth of the cave.’

‘The Cyclops kindled his fire, and when it blazed up he saw us in the corners and recesses. He spoke to us. We knew not what he said, but our hearts were shaken with terror at the sound of his deep voice.’

‘I spoke to him saying that we were Agamemnon’s men on our way home from the taking of Priam’s City, and I begged him to deal with us kindly, for the sake of Zeus who is ever in the company of strangers and suppliants. But he answered me saying, “We Cyclôpes pay no heed to Zeus, nor to any of thy gods. In our strength and our power we deem that we are mightier than they. I will not spare thee, neither will I give thee aught for the sake of Zeus, but only as my own spirit bids me. And first I would have thee tell me how you came to our land.”’

‘I knew it would be better not to let the Cyclops know that my ship and my companions were at the harbour of the island. Therefore I spoke to him guilefully, telling him that my ship had been broken on the rocks, and that I and the men with me were the only ones who had escaped utter doom.’

‘I begged again that he would deal with us as just men deal with strangers and suppliants, but he, without saying a word, laid hands upon two of my men, and swinging them by the legs, dashed their brains out on the earth. He cut them to pieces and ate them before our very eyes. We wept and we prayed to Zeus as we witnessed a deed so terrible.’

‘Next the Cyclops stretched himself amongst his sheep and went to sleep beside the fire. Then I debated whether I should take my sharp sword in my hand, and feeling where his heart was, stab him there. But second thoughts held me back from doing this. I might be able to kill him as he slept, but not even with my companions could I roll away the great stone that closed the mouth of the cave.’

‘Dawn came, and the Cyclops awakened, kindled his fire and milked his flocks. Then he seized two others of my men and made ready for his mid-day meal. And now he rolled away the great stone and drove his flocks out of the cave.’

‘I had pondered on a way of escape, and I had thought of something that might be done to baffle the Cyclops. I had with me a great skin of sweet wine, and I thought that if I could make him drunken with wine I and my companions might be able for him. But there were other preparations to be made first. On the floor of the cave there was a great beam of olive wood which the Cyclops had cut to make a club when the wood should be seasoned. It was yet green. I and my companions went and cut off a fathom’s length of the wood, and sharpened it to a point and took it to the fire and hardened it in the glow. Then I hid the beam in a recess of the cave.’

‘The Cyclops came back in the evening, and opening up the cave drove in his flocks. Then he closed the cave again with the stone and went and milked his ewes and his goats. Again he seized two of my companions. I went to the terrible creature with a bowl of wine in my hands. He took it and drank it and cried out, “Give me another bowl of this, and tell me thy name that I may give thee gifts for bringing me this honey-tasting drink.”’

‘Again I spoke to him guilefully and said, “Noman is my name. Noman my father and my mother call me.”’

‘“Give me more of the drink, Noman,” he shouted. “And the gift that I shall give to thee is that I shall make thee the last of thy fellows to be eaten.”’

‘I gave him wine again, and when he had taken the third bowl he sank backwards with his face upturned, and sleep came upon him. Then I, with four companions, took that beam of olive wood, now made into a hard and pointed stake, and thrust it into the ashes of the fire. When the pointed end began to glow we drew it out of the flame. Then I and my companions laid hold on the great stake and, dashing at the Cyclops, thrust it into his eye. He raised a terrible cry that made the rocks ring and we dashed away into the recesses of the cave.’

His cries brought other Cyclôpes to the mouth of the cave, and they, naming him as Polyphemus, called out and asked him what ailed him to cry. “Noman,” he shrieked out, “Noman is slaying me by guile.” They answered him saying, “If no man is slaying thee, there is nothing we can do for thee, Polyphemus. What ails thee has been sent to thee by the gods.” Saying this, they went away from the mouth of the cave without attempting to move away the stone.’

‘Polyphemus then, groaning with pain, rolled away the stone and sat before the mouth of the cave with his hands outstretched, thinking that he would catch us as we dashed out. I showed my companions how we might pass by him. I laid hands on certain rams of the flock and I lashed three of them together with supple rods. Then on the middle ram I put a man of my company. Thus every three rams carried a man. As soon as the dawn had come the rams hastened out to the pasture, and, as they passed, Polyphemus laid hands on the first and the third of each three that went by. They passed out and Polyphemus did not guess that a ram that he did not touch carried out a man.’

‘For myself, I took a ram that was the strongest and fleeciest of the whole flock and I placed myself under him, clinging to the wool of his belly. As this ram, the best of all his flock, went by, Polyphemus, laying his hands upon him, said, “Would that you, the best of my flock, were endowed with speech, so that you might tell me where Noman, who has blinded me, has hidden himself.” The ram went by him, and when he had gone a little way from the cave I loosed myself from him and went and set my companions free.’

‘We gathered together many of Polyphemus’ sheep and we drove them down to our ship. The men we had left behind would have wept when they heard what had happened to six of their companions. But I bade them take on board the sheep we had brought and pull the ship away from that land. Then when we had drawn a certain distance from the shore I could not forbear to shout my taunts into the cave of Polyphemus. “Cyclops,” I cried, “you thought that you had the company of a fool and a weakling to eat. But you have been worsted by me, and your evil deeds have been punished.”’

‘So I shouted, and Polyphemus came to the mouth of the cave with great anger in his heart. He took up rocks and cast them at the ship and they fell before the prow. The men bent to the oars and pulled the ship away or it would have been broken by the rocks he cast. And when we were further away I shouted to him:

‘“Cyclops, if any man should ask who it was set his mark upon you, say that he was Odysseus, the son of Laertes.”’

‘Then I heard Polyphemus cry out, “I call upon Poseidon, the god of the sea, whose son I am, to avenge me upon you, Odysseus. I call upon Poseidon to grant that you, Odysseus, may never come to your home, or if the gods have ordained your return, that you come to it after much toil and suffering, in an evil plight and in a stranger’s ship, to find sorrow in your home.”’

‘So Polyphemus prayed, and, to my evil fortune, Poseidon heard his prayer. But we went on in our ship rejoicing at our escape. We came to the waste island where my other ships were. All the company rejoiced to see us, although they had to mourn for their six companions slain by Polyphemus. We divided amongst the ships the sheep we had taken from Polyphemus’ flock and we sacrificed to the gods. At the dawn of the next day we raised the sails on each ship and we sailed away.’

Cyclops Plot Points

Odysseus and his crew arrive at the land of Giant Cyclopes
Seeing evidence of life, Odysseus takes 12 of his crew to see who lives here. He hopes they will give him hospitality and gifts.
They find a cave filled with cheese. Odysseus plans to wait for the cheese maker to return.
Polyphemus (a one eyed giant) returns with his flock of sheep and goats, blocking the entrance with a giant stone. The giant milks his sheep and goats and makes cheese.
The Cyclops starts a fire and sees Odysseus and his crew by the light.
Odysseus begs the giant for hospitality.
The Cyclops refuses, killing 2 of Odysseus's crew and eating them.
The Cyclops goes to sleep leaving our hero and his surviving crew stuck in the cave for the night. They cannott move the stone.
Odysseus thinks about Killing the Cyclops, but realizes they need the giant to move the stone for them.
At dawn, the Cyclops eats two more of Odysseus's crew and takes his flock to pasture. Placing the rock back so they can't escape.
Odysseus and his crew find a long green stick. They sharpen it, and harden it in the fire.
When the Cyclops returns they eat two more of Odysseus's companions.
Odysseus begins to get the Cyclops drunk on some very strong wine he has with him. He tells the Cyclops his name is NoMan.
The Cyclops passes out in a drunken sleep.
Odysseus and his surviving crew take the stick they sharpened and drive it into the giant's eye.
The Cyclops cries bring other giants of the island running to their aid, but when he tells them that "NO MAN" is hurting him, they leave him alone.
Odysseus and his crew tie themselves to the bellies of the sheep and goats and wait for morning.
When the Cyclops lets the sheep and goats to pasture, Odysseus and his crew ride out undetected.
As they escape Odysseus taunts the Cyclops by telling him his real name.
The Cyclops (Polyphemus- son of Poseidon) begs Poseidon to curse Odysseus never to return home.

Cyclops Shadow Puppets

By: BC Upper School Students

This is a rough exploration of this story told through shadow puppets. It was created by the BC Spring Intensive.

Cyclops Shadow Puppetry

Cyclops Audio Version

By: StoryNory.com

This would be a fun version to consider as a lip sync or by using the script below.

Cyclops in The Cave Audio Text

After the Greeks destroyed the fabulous city of Troy, they sailed home in their black ships, but not all of them received a warm welcome by any means. When King Agamemnon returned to his palace in Argos, his Queen Clytemnestra was far from pleased to see him. You see, before he left for Troy, King Agamemnon had sacrificed the life of their daughter so that the gods would send a fair wind to blow the Greek ships to Troy. Now, Clytemnestra hated her husband more than any man alive, but she pretended to be all smiles and kisses.

While Agamemnon was relaxing his weary limbs in the warm, soapy water, Queen Clytemnestra crept up with a knife and killed him.

On the island of Ithaca, a very different Queen, whose name was Penelope, was longing for the safe return of her husband. She had to wait quite a while though. His journey home took him ten long years, and all that time, Penelope was surrounded by men who wanted to marry her and steal her husband’s throne. She said to her suitors: “Gentlemen, I am spinning a magnificent bedspread for my wedding night. First let me finish making it, and then I will say which one of you I shall choose for my new husband." Every day Penelope worked at spinning her wheel, and every night she unpicked her threads, so that her work was never done. In this way she kept the men waiting, for she was sure that her husband was still alive and would return home safely to her arms. His name was Odysseus and he was famous all over the world for his quick mind and his cunning tricks. It was Odysseus who had come up with the idea of the wooden horse, which led to the destruction of Troy. Despite all his resourcefulness, he made slow progress home, for Poseidon the god of the seas was angry with him. The sea god sent howling winds to blow Odysseus off his course, and fierce storms to buffet his ships. This is the story of why he was so angry.

Odysseus and his men sailed in their swift boats, their oars turning up white foam on the wine-dark sea. One evening they landed on a small island. He and his men hunted down goats for their dinner and that evening they ate roast meat on the beach. In the morning, Odysseus looked across the water to the mainland. He saw a wild country, with wooded mountains wrapped in mist. He decided to go and see what kind of people lived on that land. He told most of his men to wait behind, but he sailed across the water in his own boat with his crew of twenty brave men. On his back he took a skinful of fine wine that had been given to him by a priest of the sun god, Apollo. He thought it would make a good gift for his hosts, whoever they might be.

When they got ashore, they scrambled up the steep cliffs and explored the woods. They saw nobody, but high up on the mountain they discovered a vast cave. Inside they found lambs and goat kids living in pens, and on the ground were piles of round cheeses and barrels full of milk. The men were all for stealing the cheese and a few lambs, and taking them back to the ship as fast as possible. However, Odysseus commanded them to sit down and wait for the owner of the cave, for he was sure he would be a rich man, and generous to travellers, according to the laws of the gods. So they waited until evening. In the meantime they lit a fire, and helped themselves to the cheese and milk.

Towards sunset, they heard the tinkling of sheep bells, and they knew that the owner of the cave was driving his flocks back home. First the sheep came running into the cave, and then they were followed by a giant who had to stoop to enter through the door. He had one eye in the middle of his forehead, as do all those who belong to the race of the Cyclops.

The Cyclops was astonished to find a band of men making themselves comfy in his cave and eating his cheese. He blinked with his one eye and asked in a terrible voice:

“And who might you be?”

Odysseus replied: “We are Greeks on our way back from the glorious war in Troy. Lord Zeus, the king of all the gods is our protector, and according to his laws you must treat us kindly, provide us with gifts, and send us safely on our way.”

Instead of replying, the Cyclops went to the door of the cave and rolled a great stone into the opening so that the exit was blocked. Now the only light in the cave was from the fire lit by Odysseus and his men.

“What care I for the laws of Zeus?” said the Cyclops. “I am strong, and besides, I am protected by Poseidon, the god of the seas and of earthquakes too, for he is my father.”

Odysseus and his men retreated into the dark corners of the cave, but the Cyclops could see them in the dark with his one eye, for it glowed as bright as the fire.

“Don’t talk to me of laws!” said the Cyclops. “I know your type. You are scoundrels who sail the wine-dark seas, raiding the people who live on their shores, killing and burning and plundering whatever takes your fancy. In fact, you are lawless pirates, that’s who you are!”

With that he grabbed up two of the men and stuffed them into his mouth. “Mmm,” he said. "Nice dinner.”

The Greeks threw up their hands and wailed: “Oh Lord Zeus save us from this horrific monster!” But the Cyclops just chuckled to himself and lay down to sleep by the fire. Odysseus drew his sword and was tempted to drive it straight into the heart of the giant while he slept, but then he thought: “If I kill the Cyclops, revenge will be sweet, but I will also be sending us to our doom, for we shall never remove that great boulder from the door of the cave. Not twenty horses could pull that rock away. We shall surely remain here till we die.” And so he and his men lay down and wept for their lost friends, while Odysseus wracked his brains for a better way to avenge them.

In the morning, the Cyclops awoke and without haste ate two more of Odysseus’ men (for breakfast). Then he led his sheep out to the pasture, being careful to roll the rock into the mouth of the cave after him.

The Cyclops had left behind him a great walking stick, of the sort that shepherds use to climb over the mountains. This gave Odysseus an idea. He ordered his men to look for sharp pieces of flint in the back of the cave. They took these and used them to sharpen the end of the stick into a cruel point. Next Odysseus told his men to pick up the stick and harden the point in the fire.

That evening when the Cyclops returned, the men trembled with fear, not knowing which of them the Cyclops would eat next.

But Odysseus wished the giant good evening, saying: “My dear Cyclops. Let us not be enemies. See here, I have a gift for you of the finest wine. It was given to me by a priest of Apollo, who wanted to thank me for saving his life. It tastes no less wonderful than the ambrosia which the gods who live on mount Olympus feast upon. Here, I have a whole skinful for you.”

The Cyclops tried a cup of the wine and he liked it. “For once you speak the truth, oh pirate,” he said. “This wine is indeed the finest I have ever tasted,” and he picked up the skin and guzzled some more wine down.

“Tell me little man, he said, "what is your name?”

"My name,” said Odysseus, “is Nobody. That is what I am called by my friends who love me, and my enemies who fear me.”

“Well I am neither your friend, nor do I fear you,” said the Cyclops, "but I shall call you Nobody all the same, if that is how you like to be called. For in truth, you will be nobody soon when I’ve eaten you. But as a reward for your gift of fine wine, I shall not eat you till I have eaten all the others.”

Before he went to bed he ate two more of Odysseus’ men, and finished the entire skin full of wine.. enough to put fifty men to sleep, and he fell into a deep slumber on the floor of the cave, snoring like a volcano.

Now that the Cyclops was sound asleep, Odysseus ordered those of his men whom the Cyclops had not yet eaten to pick up the great stick that they had sharpened and hardened in the fire. They carried it over their shoulders, which was as big as the trunk of a young tree, and they drove it into the one and only eye of the Cyclops. The giant let out a terrible scream and raged around the cave calling for help. The other one-eyed giants who lived nearby came running to see what was the cause of this commotion.

“What’s happened to you?” they called from outside the cave.

“Nobody has hurt me,” wailed the Cyclops. “Nobody came into my cave and did this to me.” The other giants were baffled by the Cyclops’ cries, since he insisted that “nobody” was harming him. Much confused, they all went back to bed.

In the morning, the Cyclops was careful to make sure that Odysseus and his men did not slip out of the cave. As each of his sheep went out, he felt it carefully to check that a man was not riding on its back, but he did not know that Odysseus had ordered his followers to tie the sheep together in threes, and that now they were clinging upside down between the sheep. The last animal to leave the cave was the old ram with curly horns. Odysseus was clinging to his underside. The Cyclops stroked the ram and said: “Cruel Nobody has blinded me, but I shall have my revenge. I shall find him tonight cowering in the corner of the cave, and I shall eat him for dinner, chewing very slowly.”

When Odysseus and his men were clear of the cave, they started to scramble down the cliffs to the beach, taking some of the lambs with them. They pulled their boat out from where it was hidden in the brush wood, and started to row swiftly out to their friends on the island. Up above on the cliffs they saw the Cyclops, standing as tall as an oak tree and bellowing with rage: “Oh woe is me! Nobody has blinded me in my one eye, and now Nobody is escaping across the seas!”

Odysseus stood up in the boat and called out to him: “Cruel Cyclops, you broke the laws of Zeus by eating my men and now you have your just desserts. Never again shall you see the light of day with that terrible eye of yours!”

His men begged him to sit down in the boat and keep quiet, but he carried on calling out insults to his enemy. In reply the giant picked up a huge rock and hurled it down into the sea. It sent up a great wave that rocked the boat so that it almost turned over. When it was steady, hot-headed Odysseus stood up in the boat again, and despite the pleas of his men he called out:

“Listen here you monstrous giant. If anyone asks you who did this to you, say it was swift-witted Odysseus, son of Laertes, sacker of cities. Yes, it was none other than Odysseus of rocky Ithaca who took the eye of the cruel, stupid Cyclops.”

The Cylops sent another boulder flying into the sea and this sent up another great wave that almost sank the boat again. Now the Cyclops went down on his knees and prayed to Poseidon: “Oh great ruler of the seas, mighty lord who makes the earth quake and tremble. Dear Poseidon, my father… hear my prayer. I did not think to fear this swift-witted Odysseus, son of Laertes, sacker of cities. He was such a puny and feeble little man. Please, oh great sea god, grant me revenge. Send a terrible storm to pick up his ships like toys and fling them back down again so that they smash into smithereens and all his brave men are drowned. Or if it is not permitted to end his life before its time, then make sure he only returns home, after many long years of great suffering, and that he finds his land in turmoil, and the echoing halls of his palace full of greedy robbers devouring his wealth. Oh sea lord, hear the prayer of Polyphemus the Cyclops – for I am your loving son.”

The sea god Poseidon heard the prayer of his son, the cruel Cyclops with one blind eye, and that is the reason why Odysseus spent ten long years buffeted by the cruel seas before he reached his home land.

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