Week 3 story: Odysseus and the cyclops

 

 The cyclops eating Odysseus's men

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Odysseus and his crew had been out at sea for days now. They were beginning to run low on supplies and needed to find a place to restock soon. They were in great luck to happen upon an island. They promptly set sail in the direction of the island and arrived in no time at all. Upon reaching the island, it was clear how prosperous this land was, and how it would be the perfect place to rest and refill their supplies.

Odysseus and roughly half of his crew set out to explore this lushes island. It was not long when they realized that this island was inhabited. They spied a giant cyclops, but more importantly they laid their eyes upon the bountiful amount of livestock and sheep that he had.  Cyclops are not known for their hospitality; in fact, they are known to smite any who come to close to their land. Knowing this did not detour Odysseus and his men in the slightest. In fact, they were invigorated by the amount of resources there were to be gained. There appeared to be enough to sail all the way back home, tenfold in fact.

Odysseus and his crew watched the cyclops carefully throughout the day, slowly devising when the best chance to steal his livestock and food reserves would be. They decide dawn would be the best time to sneak into the cyclops’ cave, just after he lets his herds out to feed. Once inside his cave, they were astounded by how much food there was, just laying around, and it was all theirs for the taking.

Odysseus and his men gathered as much food and livestock as quickly as they could, so as not to be caught by the cyclops. They had rounded up just about all they could when the cyclops came sauntering into the cave. He was immediately taken aback by all of these little men who had snuck inside of his home. He demanded to know what business they had. Odysseus was quick to pipe up. He told the cyclops that they were on a long journey and were just seeking some shelter from the elements and a small morsel in order to stave off starvation. The cyclops appeared to respond well to this. He said to Odysseus, “oh, I took you to be lowly thieves, let me extend to you my home and my food. Let me roll this boulder into place so none of you will have to suffer from the light of day”. The cyclops, without effort, rolled the boulder into place as he continued talking to Odysseus and his crew. “And please, eat your fill, but I hope you will not mind if I do the same”. The cyclops shot out his arms and snatched up the two men closest to him and bit off both of their heads in one fell swoop. Odysseus could not believe his eyes, two of his men died, and there was not a thing he could have done about it. This creature before them possessed unmatched power, speed, and size. They are now no more than a meal to this creature. The cyclops grins with pieces of flesh strung throughout his teeth. He says to Odysseus “do you realize now, the hopeless situation that you have led your men into? You are nothing more than an inconsequential snack for a cyclops”. With that, the cyclops laid down on the floor and feel immediately asleep. This action just further showed this difference in power, and how the cyclops knew that they could pose no threat to him.

Odysseus was filled with rage, and was not one to give up, no matter how dire the situation may seem to be. He urged his men to draw their weapons and strike down this beast as he lays. Their chances would only dwindle as the more of them would be eaten. Now was their chance, there best and maybe only chance to avenge their fallen comrades. The men had no quarrels with this, they were just as much up in arms about the loss of their two crew mates. There was nothing that they were able to do then, but they can at least vanquish the foe so their friends’ spirits can rest in peace. All of the men took their position and readied their weapons. They took careful aim to hit the most vital of spots on the cyclops’ body. On Odysseus’ signal, they plunged their weapons deep into the cyclops. With this, Odysseus shouted to the cyclops “You thought yourself invincible, and now you die because you chose to underestimate us”. The cyclops smiled and spoke softly with his last breath “my death is not due to underestimating you, but rather overestimating you. Do you realize yet, the hopeless situation that you have led your men into?” These were not the final words Odysseus had anticipated hearing. It appeared as though they had won the battle, their foe vanquished, yet there was still unease all throughout the air.

The cyclops was dead, they had won their battle. Odysseus and his men were free to gather up all the supplies they could hope to carry and leave. Odysseus went to move the boulder out of the cave’s entrance, but it felt as though he were trying to move a mountain. Panic quickly set in, and he urgently called to help him move this boulder so they could leave, but it was no use. They did not even possess a fraction of the strength needed to move this boulder. It is at this moment when Odysseus finally realized the hopeless situation that he had led his men into.

Story source: Homer's Odyssey, translated into English by Tony Kline. (2004).

Authors Note: This story is derived from the odyssey. Odysseus and his men sneak into the cyclopes cave and get caught. Odysseus tries to reason with the cyclops to no avail. The cyclops traps them in the cave and eats a few of the men. Odysseus devises a brilliant plan, to stab the cyclops in the eye while he is sleeping. This blinds the cyclops, so he is unable to see, but is still alive so he can move the boulder out of the way. They are able to escape because of this very well calculated plan. I wanted to tell the story of what might happen if the plan wasn’t formulated as perfectly as it was, for I feel like it would be easy to overlook the fact that the cyclops is needed alive to move the boulder.