Odysseus and his men blinding the cyclops Polyphemus (detail of a proto-attic amphora, c. 650 BC, museum of Eleusis)

Polyphemus (Greek: Πολύφημος, transliterated as Polyphemos in Robert Fitzgerald's translation) is a character in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclops. The one-eyed son of Poseidon and Thoosa, his name means "famous"^[1]. Polyphemus plays a pivotal role in Homer's Odyssey. Michael Shea (1943-) is an American fantasy author. ... Polyphemus is a collection of Science fiction, fantasy and horror stories by author Michael Shea. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1420x1333, 298 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Polyphemus Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1420x1333, 298 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Polyphemus Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Centuries: 8th century BC - 7th century BC - 6th century BC Decades: 700s BC 690s BC 680s BC 670s BC 660s BC - 650s BC - 640s BC 630s BC 620s BC 610s BC 600s BC Events and Trends Occupation begins at Maya site of Piedras Negras, Guatemala 657 BC - Cypselus becomes the... Eleusis (Game) The cardgame invented by Robert Abbott in 1962, and later popularized in 1977 by Martin Gardner in his Mathematical Games column in Scientific American magazine. ... Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system. ... For other persons named Robert Fitzgerald, see Robert Fitzgerald (disambiguation). ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... This page is about the mythical creature. ... Neptune reigns in the city of Bristol. ... In Greek mythology, Thoosa was a Nereid, and one of Poseidons paramours. ... This article is about the Greek poet Homer and the works attributed to him. ... This article is about Homers epic poem. ...

Polyphemus in Homer's Odyssey

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus or Ulysses, lands on the Island of the Cyclopes during his journey home from the Trojan War. He then takes twelve men and sets out to find supplies. The Greeks find and enter a large cave, the home of the great cyclops Polyphemus. When Polyphemus returns home with his flocks and finds Odysseus and his men, he blocks the cave entrance with a great stone, trapping the remaining Greeks inside. The cyclops then crushes and devours two of the men. This article is about the Greek poet Homer and the works attributed to him. ... This article is about Homers epic poem. ... For other uses, see Odysseus (disambiguation). ... The fall of Troy, by Johann Georg Trautmann (1713–1769). ...

The desperate Odysseus devises a clever escape plan. To make Polyphemus unwary Odysseus gives the cyclops very strong unwatered wine. When Polyphemus asks for Odysseus' name, Odysseus tells him "ουτις," (translated as "Nobody" ). Once the cyclops passes out from the wine, Odysseus and his men sharpen the giant's huge olive club to a point and harden its tip in the embers of a fire. The men lift the stake and drive it into Polyphemus' eye, blinding him. Polyphemus yells for help from his fellow cyclopes that "Nobody" has hurt him. The other cyclopes take this to mean that Polyphemus has lost his mind, because he was saying "nobody" attacked him. They conclude his condition is a curse from a god, so they do not intervene. For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ... Look up Nobody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name L. 19th century illustration The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Syria and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. ...

In the morning, Odysseus and his men tie themselves to the undersides of Polyphemus' sheep. When the blind Cyclops lets the sheep out to graze, he feels their backs to ensure the men aren't riding out, but doesn't feel the men underneath. Odysseus leaves last, riding beneath the belly of the biggest ram. Polyphemus doesn't realize that the men are no longer in his cave until the sheep (and men) are safely out. Sheep redirects here. ...

Ulysses in the cave of Polyphemus by Jacob Jordaens, first half of 17th century.

As Odysseus and his men sail away, he boasts to Polyphemus that "Nobody didn't hurt you, Odysseus did!" This act of hubris causes problems for Odysseus later. Polyphemus prays to his father, Poseidon for revenge. Even though Poseidon fought on the side of the Greeks during the Iliad, he bore Odysseus a grudge for not giving him a sacrifice when Poseidon prevented them from being discovered inside of the Trojan Horse. Poseidon curses Odysseus, sending storms and contrary winds to inhibit his homeward journey. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2536x2030, 649 KB) Description: Title: de: Odysseus in der Hölle Polyphems Technique: de: Öl auf Leinwand Dimensions: de: 76 × 96 cm Country of origin: de: Niederlande (Flandern) Current location (city): de: Moskau Current location (gallery): de: Puschkin-Museum der bildenden... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2536x2030, 649 KB) Description: Title: de: Odysseus in der Hölle Polyphems Technique: de: Öl auf Leinwand Dimensions: de: 76 × 96 cm Country of origin: de: Niederlande (Flandern) Current location (city): de: Moskau Current location (gallery): de: Puschkin-Museum der bildenden... Jacob Jordaens, Self-Portrait with Parents, Brothers, and Sisters (c. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... For the supervillain, see Barry Hubris. ... Neptune reigns in the city of Bristol. ... title page of the Rihel edition of ca. ... Neptune reigns in the city of Bristol. ... For other uses, see Trojan Horse (disambiguation). ...

The episode in Odyssey is the oldest testament to cannibalism in ancient Greek literature. Walter Burkert detects in the Polyphemus episode a subtext that "seems to offer us something more ancient: threatened by the man-eater, men conceal themselves in the skins of slaughtered animals, and thus, disguised as animals, escape the groping hands of the blinded monster."^[2] :):):) Cannibal redirects here. ... Ancient Greek literature refers to literature written in the Greek language until the 4th century AD. // Wikisource has original text related to this article: an essay on the transition to written literature in Greece This period of Greek literature stretches from Homer until the 4th century BC and the rise... Walter Burkert (born Neuendettelsau (Bavaria), February 2, 1931), the most eminent living scholar of Greek myth and cult, is an emeritus professor of classics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland who has also taught in the United Kingdom and the United States. ...

Polyphemus in Theocritus

The Hellenistic poet Theocritus painted a more sympathetic picture of Polyphemus. The cyclops of the Odyssey has been recast in the poet's bucolic style which idealized the simple farming life. Polyphemus becomes a gentle simpleminded shepherd in love with the sea-nymph Galatea, finding solace in song. Theocritus (Greek Θεόκριτος), the creator of ancient Greek bucolic poetry, flourished in the 3rd century BC. Little is known of him beyond what can be inferred from his writings. ... Galatea may refer to: Galatea (mythology), a nymph in Greek mythology 74 Galatea, an asteroid Galatea a village in the North Island of New Zealand Galatea (Justice League Unlimited), an evil clone of the cartoon version of Supergirl Galatea (Raphael) or The Triumph of Galatea, a Renaissance fresco Raphael Galatea...

Polyphemus in Ovid's Metamorphoses

The Cyclops also appears in the story of Acis and Galatea. As a jealous suitor of the sea nymph, Galatea, he kills his rival Acis with a rock. Rather than telling the love stories of Odysseus and Aeneas Ovid choses here to tell love stories about the monsters that those heroes experienced. Ovid's first century Roman audience would surely have had a basic knowledge of Polyphemus' role as an uncivilized cannibal in Book IX of the Odyssey, and this episode gives an amusing contrast to that characterization. Polyphemus is shown doing all of the things that a proper Roman suitor would do - trims his beard, composes a poem etc. - which implores the reader to cheer for him, even though his courtship is doomed to fail. Ovid tells this story shortly after the Judgement of Arms, where he shows how perceptions of Odysseus in Ovid's time were very different from the Archaic Period. Ovid appears to be suggesting in his uncharacteristic depiction of Polyphemus that it is possible for they way that readers view a character to drastically change over time. For other uses, see ACIS (disambiguation). ... Galatea may refer to: Galatea (mythology), a nymph in Greek mythology 74 Galatea, an asteroid Galatea a village in the North Island of New Zealand Galatea (Justice League Unlimited), an evil clone of the cartoon version of Supergirl Galatea (Raphael) or The Triumph of Galatea, a Renaissance fresco Raphael Galatea... In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location or landform or joining the retinue of a god or goddess. ... Galatea may refer to: Galatea (mythology), a nymph in Greek mythology 74 Galatea, an asteroid Galatea a village in the North Island of New Zealand Galatea (Justice League Unlimited), an evil clone of the cartoon version of Supergirl Galatea (Raphael) or The Triumph of Galatea, a Renaissance fresco Raphael Galatea... For other uses, see ACIS (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Odysseus (disambiguation). ... Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598. ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre For other uses, see Odyssey (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Odysseus (disambiguation). ...

Although the full story was described by Ovid, it was also mentioned by Philoxenus and Theocritus, and in Valerius Flaccus' version of Argonautica, among the themes painted on the Argos, "Cyclops from the Sicilian shore calls Galatea back."^[3] For other uses, see Ovid (disambiguation) Publius Ovidius Naso (March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD) was a Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid who wrote on topics of love, abandoned women and mythological transformations. ... Philoxenus, of Cythera (435-380 BC) was a Greek dithyrambic poet. ... Theocritus (Greek Θεόκριτος), the creator of ancient Greek bucolic poetry, flourished in the 3rd century BC. Little is known of him beyond what can be inferred from his writings. ... Gaius Valerius Flaccus (late 1st century AD) was a Roman poet, who flourished under the emperors Vespasian and Titus. ... This article is about the city in Greece. ...

Other mythological figures

Additionally, one of the Argonauts was named Polyphemus, "famous". He was the son of Elatus and Hippea, and when he helped Heracles search for Hylas, both were left behind by the Argo. In Iliad I, Nestor numbers "the godlike Polyphemus" among an earlier generation of heroes of his youth, "the strongest men that Earth has bred, the strongest men against the strongest enemies, a savage mountain-dwelling tribe whom they utterly destroyed." No trace of such an oral tradition, which Homer's listeners would have recognized in Nestor's allusion, survived in literary epic. The Argo, by Lorenzo Costa In Greek mythology, the Argonauts (Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest for the Golden Fleece. ... There were two figures named Elatus or Élatos in Greek mythology. ... Hippeia or Hippea is the name of two characters in Greek mythology. ... Alcides redirects here. ... Two Argonauts before a hunt. ... The Argo, painting by Lorenzo Costa In Greek mythology, the Argo was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus to retrieve the Golden Fleece. ... The word may have one of the following meanings. ...

In Shrek 2, Polyphemus is the Poison Apple Bar's doorman; in Shrek 3, he joins Prince Charming's villain army. Shrek 2, which was released in the United States on May 19, 2004, is the 2004 sequel to the 2001 computer-animated DreamWorks Pictures film Shrek. ... A doorman (more commonly referred to as a bouncer) is a term for a person who deals with the general security of a bar, pub or nightclub. ... Shrek 3 is a film planned for release on May 18, 2007. ...

Royal Navy ships

There have been several Royal Navy ships with the name "Polyphemus" - see HMS Polyphemus. This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Three ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Polyphemus, after the Polyphemus of Greek mythology. ...

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See also

• Antheraea polyphemus The Polyphemus moth

Binomial name Antheraea polyphemus Cramer, 1776 The Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) is a member of the Saturniidae family, or giant silk moths. ...

Notes