Cyclops

This is a statue of a Cyclops. The cyclops were one- eyed giants .
Hesiod describes three cyclops who were the sons of Oranos(sky) and Gaia(Earth). Hesoid describes that these three cyclops were free from Tarturus. The three cyclops made Zeus his thunderbolts, Hades his helmet of invisibilty and Poseidon his trident. The weapons that were used by these gods to defeat the Titans.In Homer's Odyssey the cyclops Polyphemus son of Poseidon was desciribed in a tale between him and Odysseus.

According to Hesiod the cyclops are described as the sons of Uranus and gaia. They were giants with only one eye in their forehead and a foul deposition. They were also described as strong, stubborn and " would suddenly get emotional". They were described as forgers.

Uranus felt their strength and locked them at Tarturus along with Hecatonchires. Gaia did not like this at all and told her youngest Titan Cronos to dethrone his father. Cronos did so and freed the Cyclops and Hecatonchires, but later he prisoned them back in Tarturus, until Zeus freed them again. They made the weapons for the Olympians and helped them to overthrow the titans. They also made Artemis' bow and arrows of moonlight, Apollo's bow and arrows of moonlight and many other structures and weapons.

It is said Apollo slew them in revenge of his son's death who was killed by Zeus using a Cyclopes- forged thunderbolt.

In Homer's Odyssey a scouting party leaded by Odysseus landed on the island of the cyclops. They entered the cave and feasted upon the food they found in the cave. This cave belonged to Polyphemus and when he returned, Odysseus tries to befriend him but instead the cyclops trapped them in the cave. The Cyclops soon started to devour the crew. Odysseus summoned a cunning idea to escape the cyclops.

Odysseus gave Polyphemus a vile of extra strong wine, Polyphemus then asks Odysseus what his name is and he says that it is 'Outis' Greek for no-one. Then the cyclops fall asleep. While he was sleeping Odysseus and his men take the spit from the fire drive it through Polyphemus' eye.
He cried in pain and his cried were answered by his fellow cyclops, but they all turned when he told that 'Outis' was the cause of his pain.

In the morning Odysseus tied himself and his men to Polyphemus' sheep, when Polyphemus let the sheep out to graze the mean were also carries out. Polyphemus blinded checks the back of the sheep to ensure that the men are not riding on the sheep, he did not know that the men were tied on the underside of the sheep. As Odysseus sails away he taunts Polyphemus and told him his name. Polyphemus told this to Poseidon and this caused the rest of hid journey to be miserable.

Polyphemus wanted a sea-nymph named Galatea, but instead she married a man named Acis a Sicilian mortal. Polyphemus killed him by dropping a huge boulder. Galatea turned Acis's blood into a river of the name in Sicily.