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What is the story of Polyphemus?
POLYPHEMOS (Polyphemus) was a man-eating kyklops (cyclops) giant–a monster with a single, orb-shaped eye in the middle of his forehead. Odysseus encountered him on his return from Troy and became trapped in the giant’s cave. To escape the hero plied him with wine and as he slept plunged a burning stake into his eye.
What does Polyphemus do in the Odyssey?
Polyphemus (In Greek: Πολύφημος) was a cyclops portrayed in the Odyssey and the Aeneid. After capturing Odysseus and several of his men, Polyphemus held them to capture in a cave, along with the cyclops’ sheep and goats. He sealed the cave shut with a massive stone.
What is the story of Odysseus and Polyphemus?
According to Ovid in Metamorphoses, Polyphemus loved Galatea, a Sicilian Nereid, and killed her lover Acis. When the Greek hero Odysseus was cast ashore on the coast of Sicily, he fell into the hands of Polyphemus, who shut him up with 12 of his companions in his cave and blocked the entrance with an enormous rock.
What is the personality of Polyphemus?
He is extremely strong, he is violent, cruel, and worst of all, he is a murderer. Not only does he kill some of the men by throwing them against the wall, he also eats them raw. Before Odysseus is able to get his men out of the cave, Polyphemus eats two more men for breakfast.
What is Polyphemus gift to Odysseus?
Drunk and unwary, the giant asks Odysseus his name, promising him a guest-gift if he answers. Odysseus tells him “Οὖτις”, which means “nobody” and Polyphemus promises to eat this “Nobody” last of all.
How did Odysseus end up on Polyphemus Island?
The Cyclops then fell fast asleep in a drunken sleep. Odysseus and his men then took the timber and heated the sharpened end in the fire until it glowed red. Then, with all their strength, they pushed the red-hot point into the eye of Polyphemus.