if Greek and Roman mythology something you studied read about or perhaps just something you enjoy

then it's very likely the one-eyed giant figure that is the Cyclops is something you're more than familiar with

I know for me growing up the Cyclops always stuck out more than other creatures

but that might just be because I found a giant with one eye in the middle of its face a bit weird and honestly quite disturbing

before we go any further there is one thing I'd like to discuss and it's something I've certainly thought about for a while

and that is the collective or the plural term for a Cyclops

when I was younger I always just referred to them as cyclopses but that isn't correct

so when I looked into it further it appears that it's something people have been debating for some time

and there are some quite interesting ideas to say the least

these can range anywhere from a pack of Cyclops to a herd and even cyclopi in some cases

which to me just sounds like a one-eyed octopus

the actual term that most people seem to agree on when referring to multiple Cyclops is Cyclopes

and that's what I'll be referring to them as for the remainder of this video

the word Cyclops itself when translated roughly means circle eyed or round eyed

which of course refers to the giant eye that sits in the middle of its forehead

now as for the origins of the Cyclopes and they were the children of Uranus and Gaia

making them brothers to the hecatonchires and the titans

according to the Greek poet Hesiod along with the Hecatonchires the Cyclopes were seen as monstrous by their siblings and their father

and when the titans overthrew their father Uranus

Cronus then imprisoned both the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes in the darkest pits of Tartarus

and placed a dragon outside to ensure that they would never escape

as to why he would do this there are several potential explanations

they could have been scared of the Cyclopes and what they were capable of

they could have also shared their all as the same or maybe they just didn't like the fact that they were different from them

whatever the reason was they would rather throw their brothers into Tartarus than rule the earth with them

the hecatonchires in the Cyclopes remained in Tartarus until they heard a voice from above asking them for their assistance

this was the voice of Zeus who told them that if they help the Olympians defeat the Titans then he would free them and they could live normal lives on earth

well as normal as a one-eyed Giants life can get

they accepted Zeus's offer and when the war was over the Cyclopes and the hecatonchires were set free

where they would act as the craftsmen and guardians to the gods and their secrets

Hesiod referred to three Cyclopes by name Argos brontes and stare Steropes

whom he considered to be the children of Uranus and Gaia and the craftsman to Olympus

they would often be depicted by their Forge as their names were closely linked to blacksmithery and masonry

pretty much every trinket, artefact, weapon or piece of armour used by the gods came from either the Cyclopes or Hephaestus

the Greek poet callimachus described the Cyclopes as the helpers of Hephaestus

the noise emitting from volcanoes was often explained as the Cyclopes and Hephaestus working at their Forge

they also created Zeus's Thunderbolt Poseidon's trident and even Hades helmet of Darkness

all three of these creations arguably contributed to their success and the dethroning of the titans

Zeus's Thunderbolt is an interesting point of discussion because all three brothers came together each given an element that reflected their name

Argos the bright on the vivid added brightness

Brontes the Thunderer added thunder

and Steropes the lightener added lightning

and thus Zeus's iconic thunderbolt was created

they also made Artemis's moon bow and the Sun bow of Apollo

which is quite ironic when we look at the play Alcestis written by the Greek poet Euripides

in this play Apollo is so incensed that Zeus had struck down his son Asclepius with a thunderbolt that he then turned his attention to its creators

rather than retaliate against his own father Zeus Apollo instead killed the Cyclopes presumably with the bow that they created

this of course solves nothing and only served to further anger Zeus

who sent Apollo to Thessaly where he would be the servant of King Admetus for an entire year

Zeus having grown quite fond of the Cyclopes and wanting to remain loyal because of their assistance

then travelled to the underworld where he resurrected them along with Apollo's fallen son Asclepius

there are some versions of this myth that state the Cyclopes were never resurrected

instead their spirits roam the volcano of Mount Etna in Sicily

Euripides also wrote a play titled Cyclops from which he drew inspiration from homer and his Odyssey

in this play there is only one Cyclops who lives on Mount Etna

this depiction differs quite drastically from that of Hesiod

the Cyclops here is an angry cannibalistic and rather stupid character

who ends up being blinded and punished for not respect in the Rite of hospitality

this kind of satirical take on the Cyclopes was quite common as a response to homers story which at the time was criticised by quite a few

so now we move on to perhaps the most famous story featuring a cyclops

the encounter between Odysseus and Polyphemus in book 9 of Homer's Odyssey

similar to the stories we've just discussed

Odysseus and his men land on the island of the Cyclops just off the coast of Sicily

Homer described the Cyclopes as giant one-eyed shepherds who were the children of Poseidon and the Nymph Thoosa

Oddyseus and his men come across a cave full of provisions

and being in desperate need they decide to enter

little did they know that this cave belongs to the Cyclops Polyphemus who had just returned home with his cattle

Odysseus and his men would not find the hospitality that they were expecting

as Polyphemus blocked the entrance to the cave with a giant stone and then ate two of his men

the next morning he ate two more men and left to tend his cattle

which left the Odysseus and his men to hatch a plan of escape

when the Cyclops returned home that evening he again ate two more of Odysseus's men making it six in total

Odysseus then offered his captor some wine but this wine had not been diluted and the Cyclops was soon drunk

he would then ask Odysseus for his name promising to give him a gift if he answered

to which Odysseus responded "my name is nobody"

Polyphemus then promised that he would eat nobody last

when the Cyclops passed out Odysseus took a wooden stake that he had hardened over the fire

and drove it through Polyphemus his eye blinding him in the process

Polyphemus screamed in agony and alerted the other Cyclopes

but his calls for help were ignored as he screamed "nobody has hurt me" "nobody has blinded me"

leaving the other Cyclopes confused and unsure as to what had truly happened

the next morning he let out his sheep and closed the entrance to the cave once again not wanting the men to escape

Odysseus and his men however had tied themselves to the underside of the Sheep as the blinded Cyclops would never see them

once out of the cave Odysseus and his men returned to their ship and set sail

but not before Odysseus made the mistake of boasting that he had escaped the Cyclops

this would ultimately backfire horrendously as Polyphemus told his father of the man who blinded him

Poseidon then rained down rocks upon his ship which they were barely able to escape

I know whatever I cover Greek myths and stories there are quite a few people who also like to hear about some of the Roman iterations

so in response to this story by Homer the Roman poet Virgil mentions Polyphemus in what he considered to be a sequel to homers story

in his very own epic poem the Aeneid

in this story the hero Aeneas and his crew land on the same island shortly after escaping the Trojan War

they come across a man from Ithaca who was stranded on the island during Odysseus's expedition

the man tells them of Odysseus and his story and how he was able to escape

they then see a one-eyed giant using a tree as a walking stick lead in his cattle to the shore

where he washes his bloody eye socket letting out groans of pain that can be heard all across the island

when Polyphemus spots the men in the ship he begins to give chase

but Aeneas, his crew and the man from Ithaca set sail leaving Polyphemus and the other Cyclopes screaming in the distance

Polyphemus does also appear in somewhat of a love story which we can assume took place before he was blinded

this particular story was told by several poets including Ovid and many playwrights that followed

with George frideric handel telling the story in his musical acis and Galatea first performed in 1718

Polyphemus fell in love with a nymph named Galatea

but with the Cyclops not really being described as the most respectful or even pleasant individual his advances were rejected

instead Galatea fell in love of a handsome man named Acis

and so Polyphemus did what any decent man or Cyclops would do in this given situation

he accepted the woman he loved feel the same and just moved on

naaah I'm just messing with you he took a giant boulder and squashed a kiss because there's no competition if you just squash them of boulders

the blood of a kiss would then form a river with the same name and he would become the spirit of that river

so the whole me squash your lover you marry me now didn't really work for Polyphemus

because he is what we call in mythological terms a one-eyed twat

okay so maybe that's not a technical term but you get the point

Hesiod Cyclopes pretty cool craftsman Polyphemus big angry man-eating dum-dum

the Cyclops is a creature mentioned by countless Greek and Roman poets

and these depictions can vary from brilliant craftsmen to cannibalistic Giants

and in some cases big fat oafs who serve no other purpose but to make us laugh

it is quite interesting to see such varying descriptions

Hesiod believed them to be quite intelligent blacksmiths and craftsmen who were civilised and obedient

whereas Homer portrays them as wild cannibals who have no laws and who live high in the mountains

with little loyalty to even their own kind

the idea of a one-eyed creature or monster is definitely not unique to ancient Greece and Rome

we see one-eyed creatures across many other cultures with one of my favourites being Balor

the one-eyed foromorian of Irish mythology whose eye causes untold destruction in chaos when opened

so pretty much Cyclops from the x-men

overall my opinion on the Cyclopes has changed quite a bit over the years

having seen them in movies when I was younger I honestly just believe them to be evil monsters

but there is definitely more than meets the eye

feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below

which version of the Cyclops had you heard of? and which one do you prefer?

monster or craftsman? let me know in the comments below

as always

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