by John Greece

Created on: March 15, 2008   Last Updated: September 28, 2011

The word Cyclope is a Greek complex word and consists of the words: circle and eye. Usually, defines a titanic, savage creature with one eye on the forehead. We meet Cyclopes in Mythology, in Odyssey and in Prehistoric period as some of the greatest ancient Greek authors describe.

A. Odyssey
In Odyssey, Homer (the greatest ancient Greek poet) describes to us the adventure that Odysseus and his men passed while trying to find their way to Ithaca. Concerns a group of a wild titanic human beings, sons of Poseidon (Greek Mythological God of the sea) with a single eye in the middle of the forehead.

Probably, lived in Sicily, in southern Italy (Mediterranean area). Savages, without primary culture and social organization, eliminate anyone who were coming to their area. Polyphemus, was the most famous and the most powerful of all Cyclopes and Odysseus with his men had the bad luck to confine themselves into his cave.

After Odysseus invented a very clever trick (Initially drunk Polyphemus and then let him sleep. Then searched, found and used a tree trunk that Polyphemus had for fire. With the help of his men to create a pointed tip with which blinded Polyphemus) manage to escape.

B. Mythology
In Mythology, Cyclopes played an important role while Gods and Titans where on a constant war. Hesiod (a great ancient Greek poet) describes to us in Theogony three titanic and wild Gods who were children of Uranus and Gaea: a) Vrontis, b) Argos and c) Asteropis. They have enormous power and this was the main reason why they were imprisoned in Tartars from Uranus who was afraid that he would lose his power from them.

Immediately, Cronus and Titans release them in order to help them to take over the power from Uranus but as soon as they done it imprisoned them again at Tartars.

Finally, Zeus with the Olympians Gods release them again and managed to defeat Titans thanks to the construction of weapons of thunder and lightning under the supervision of Hephaestus, in Etna. When Zeus comes to power recognize Cyclopes help and instructs them for storage Titans in Tartars. Cyclopes in return gave to Zeus thunder and lighting as gifts. Since then both gifts characterize Zeus.

Cyclops was killed by God Apollo, who wanted to revenge Zeus for the loss of Aesculapius. Aesculapius was Apollos son and thanks to his medical skills managed to return many lives from the underworld to the real world but Zeus disliked that and kiledl him with his thunder.

C. Prehistory
Strabon (an ancient Greek historian, geographer and philosopher) mentions that Cyclops arrived from Lykia and weaved walls and other construction in Tyrintha and Mycenae, mostly well-known as Cyclopean Walls.

Closing this reference to Cyclopes it is worth mentioning that downstream mythological writers consider Giants of the Greek Mythology as Cyclops too.

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