In Greek mythology, the Cyclops is a race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of their forehead. The most famous of them is Polyphemus, who appears in Homer’s “Odyssey.” According to the myth, Polyphemus is a shepherd living on an island and is encountered by Odysseus and his men during their journey home from the Trojan War.
Polyphemus traps Odysseus and his men in his cave and begins to eat them one by one. Odysseus devises a plan to escape: he gets Polyphemus drunk on wine and tells him his name is “Nobody.” When Polyphemus falls asleep, Odysseus and his men drive a sharpened stake into his only eye, blinding him.
When Polyphemus cries out in pain and other Cyclopes ask who is hurting him, he replies, “Nobody is hurting me.” Thus, they leave him alone. Blinded and deceived, Polyphemus removes the boulder blocking the cave’s entrance to catch the men as they escape, but Odysseus and his crew slip out among the giant’s sheep.
This story of cunning and escape is one of the most celebrated episodes in the “Odyssey” and showcases the theme of intelligence over strength.