Week 9 Story: Polyphemus

Polyphemus growled slightly to himself as he walked back to the cave he had made into his home. It had been a long day. Everything on the island was provided by the gods—the sheep, the fish in the ocean surrounding them, the drinkable water, the fertile soil, the shelters. However, the upkeep needed to live off those things was done by the Cyclopses’ themselves. Today, Polyphemus had been helping one of the other Cyclops’ mend fishing nets, and his hands still ached from the labor. He flexed and then extended his fingers, trying to get the muscles to relax. Then, a few of the sheep that belonged in Polyphemus’ flock had veered away from the others for no discernible reason. Polyphemus had had to chase them down, and even though he was a Cyclops (and thus, a giant), traipsing all over the island cliffs for hours was not his idea of fun. After he had finally herded the sheep who had veered away back to the larger flock, one of the younger Cyclopses had done something while trying to make wine—Polyphemus still did not know what—and gotten smashed grapes all over her cave. She had been trying to keep the sheep out of the cave long enough to clean it up when Polyphemus had passed. He had bellowed for help, and the other Cyclopses came to their aid. Even though everything necessary for their survival had been provided by the gods, they still had to look out for each other.

Polyphemus sighed, cracking his neck. He prayed the gods would take pity on him and leave something nice for him in his cave. Perhaps dinner that he did not have to catch, because he did not think he had it in him to go hunting or fishing right now, and the only thing in his cave was wine and cheese. Polyphemus slowed to a stop, head tilting to the side as he took in the very small footprints leading into the darkness of his cave. Perhaps wine and cheese were not the only things in his cave. Polyphemus entered his home, making sure to block the entrance with the boulder that served as his door before moving away. He did not want whatever gift the gods had sent him getting scared and running away before Polyphemus had a chance to see them. Polyphemus raised his eyebrow as he took in the sight before him. There were small…people, in his cave. They were less than half his height! The gods must have brought them here for a reason. But what? They could not herd the sheep. They were not large enough to navigate the cliffs quickly enough. They could not fish. They would be dwarfed by the nets. One of the tiny people was speaking to him, but they were so small and so quiet that he could not hear them. Well, he had been praying for an easy dinner. The gods must have brought these humans to him to eat. Polyphemus sighed. This is not exactly what he had been intending, but Polyphemus was not going to be the one that got the Cyclopses kicked off the island because he had offended the gods by not appreciating their gifts. He moved forward, arms outstretched, ready to catch and eat the humans.





Author’s Note: So, in the Iliad, Homer makes a point of telling us that everything on the island of the Cyclopses is provided by the gods. The Cyclopses know this. I was thinking about the story of Polyphemus and Odysseus and decided to go in this direction. In The Iliad, Polyphemus is portrayed as a cannibalistic monster who kills and eats Odysseus' men because he wants to. In my story, I tried t make him more sympathetic, as well as give him more of a backstory. Polyphemus does not necessarily want to eat Odysseus and his men, but Greek mythology is full of terrible stories of people who spurned the gods.

Bibliography: Homer's Odyssey, translated by Tony Kline

                                                                        Polyphemus