After winning the Trojan War with the famous wooden horse, Odysseus was ready to go home to Ithaca. He filled his ships with gold and cheered with his men. They thought the hard part was over. But in Greek mythology stories, the journey home is often more dangerous than the war itself.
A storm blew their ships off course. They landed on a strange, wild island to look for food and water. The land felt heavy and silent. Odysseus took 12 of his bravest men and a goatskin full of very strong, sweet wine as a gift for whoever lived there.
They found a gigantic cave near the sea. Inside, everything was huge—giant baskets of cheese, giant buckets of milk, and giant pens for sheep. "Let's take the cheese and run!" his men whispered. But Odysseus was curious. He wanted to see who owned this place. That was a big mistake in this Cyclops myth.
Suddenly, the ground shook. Thump. Thump. The owner returned. It was Polyphemus, a Cyclops. He was as tall as a tree, with only one massive eye in the middle of his forehead. He drove his flock of sheep into the cave and threw a massive boulder across the entrance. The door was sealed.
The men hid in the shadows, terrified. But when Polyphemus lit a fire, he saw them. "Who are you?" he roared. Odysseus stepped forward bravely. "We are Greeks returning from Troy. We ask for hospitality."
Polyphemus didn't care about hospitality. He laughed, grabbed two of Odysseus's men, and ate them whole! The encounter had turned into a nightmare. The survivors cried in the corner, knowing they were trapped with a man-eating monster.
Odysseus drew his sword to kill the sleeping giant. But he stopped. Wait, he thought. If I kill him, who will move the stone door? It was too heavy for human hands. If the Cyclops died, they would all die of starvation inside the cave. Odysseus needed a plan, not a sword.
The next morning, the giant ate two more men and left with his sheep, rolling the stone back in place. While he was gone, Odysseus found a large olive tree branch. He and his men sharpened the tip until it was a deadly point and hid it under the dung in the cave.
When Polyphemus returned that evening, Odysseus approached him with a bowl of the strong wine. "Cyclops," he said, "wash down your meal with this drink of the gods." The giant drank it and loved it. He drank bowl after bowl until he was drunk and dizzy.
"You are kind, little man," the giant slurred. "What is your name? I will give you a gift." Odysseus replied with his famous trick: "My name is Nobody." Polyphemus laughed. "Well then, Nobody, my gift is that I will eat you last." Then, the giant fell into a deep, drunken sleep.
This is the climax of The Odyssey. Odysseus heated the sharp olive stake in the fire until it glowed red. With a great heave, he and his men drove the burning point straight into the Cyclops's single eye.
Polyphemus screamed in pain! He pulled out the stake and yelled for the other Cyclopes who lived nearby. "Help! Help! I am being attacked!" From outside the cave, his neighbors yelled back, "Who is hurting you, Polyphemus?" "Nobody is hurting me!" he roared. "Nobody is killing me!" "Well," said the neighbors, "if nobody is hurting you, then go back to sleep and stop screaming." And they walked away.
Blind and furious, Polyphemus sat by the door. He opened it to let his sheep out, feeling the back of every sheep to make sure no men were riding them. But Odysseus was smarter. He tied his men underneath the bellies of the giant sheep. They walked right past the monster's hands!
They ran to their ship and set sail. They were safe! But Odysseus made one last mistake. His pride took over. As they sailed away, he shouted, "Cyclops! If anyone asks who blinded you, tell them it was Odysseus, King of Ithaca!"
Polyphemus heard the name. He prayed to his father, Poseidon, the god of the sea. "Father, let Odysseus never reach home, or let his journey be long and full of sorrow." Poseidon heard the prayer. And that is why it took Odysseus ten more years to finish his journey home.
Odysseus was a genius, but he wasn't very good at keeping his mouth shut. If he had just stayed quiet, he would have been home in weeks. Instead, he got a 10-year cruise tour he didn't ask for. Lesson learned: If you blind a giant, don't give him your business card on the way out. "Nobody" did a great job today! This story shows that brains beat size every time.
