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OVERVIEW
The Cyclopes (singular: Cyclops) were gigantic, one-eyed beings with enormous strength. Originally, there were three of them: Arges, Steropes, and Brontes; capable blacksmiths, these were the sons of Uranus and Gaea and the brothers of the Hecatoncheires and the Titans. They were imprisoned by Cronus but released by his son Zeus, for whom they forged his famous thunderbolt as a sign of gratitude. However, at a later time, poets spoke of a different type of Cyclopes, a race of dim-witted and violent one-eyed shepherds dwelling in the caves of the island of Sicily. The most famous among them was Polyphemus, the Cyclops who fell in love with Galatea and was eventually blinded by Odysseus.

Based on most descriptions, the divine Cyclopes were gigantic and immensely strong beings with a single eye in the middle of their foreheads. They had a knack for metalwork and handicraft and eventually ended up being the workmen of Hephaestus, whose workshop was supposed to be in the heart of the volcanic mountain Etna.

ETYMOLOGY
The word “cyclops” can be literally translated as “round-eyed,” but many authors feel that it is derived from a much older word which originally meant “sheep thief.” Both etymologies describe the Cyclopes suspiciously well, and, in fact, it’s entirely possible that the very name of the Cyclopes may have influenced and, slowly but surely, distorted their original portrayal.

TWO TYPES OF CYCLOPS
Even though they appear to have shared their most distinctive features between them, there seems to have been two very different types of Cyclopes in Ancient Greek mythology. Hesiod’s Cyclopes are three gigantic and divine blacksmiths, sons of Uranus and Gaea, residents of Olympus; Homer’s are a race of enormous and violent shepherds related to Poseidon and dwelling in the world of humans.

URANUS & GAEA'S CYCLOPS
Incited by his mother Gaea, the youngest of the Titans, Cronus,  overthrew his father Uranus, establishing himself as the supreme ruler of all gods. Fearing the might of his brothers, he imprisoned both the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires in Tartarus, setting the dragoness Campe to guard them for all eternity. Terrified of his children as well, Cronus tried devouring each of them as soon as they were born.

In time, however, the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires were released from Tartarus by the only one of Cronus’ children not to be eaten by him at birth: Zeus. Zeus did this at the advice of Gaea, who had informed him that he wouldn’t be able to depose Cronus without their help. True to Gaea’s words, the Cyclopes played a crucial part during the Titanomachy. Not only did they side with Zeus in his war against the Titans, but they also forged Zeus’ mighty thunderbolt, along with a trident for Poseidon and a helmet of invisibility for Hades. With the help of these weapons, Zeus and his party emerged triumphant from the Titanomachy, banishing the Titans to Tartarus once and for all.

Now that Zeus had become the ruler of the world, the Cyclopes could dedicate themselves fully to their talents and chosen line of work. They installed themselves in the forges of the divine artificer Hephaestus (under the volcanic Mount Etna in Sicily), and, under his direction, they went on forging Zeus’ thunderbolts in addition to fashioning pieces of some of the other gods’ equipment (Athena’s armor, Ares’ chariot). The Cyclopes were also believed to have built numerous monumental works all around Greece and Italy. Some of the most famous buildings attributed to them were the immense walls of Tiryns and the Lion Gate at Mycenae.

ARGUS
Argus was appointed by the goddess Hera to watch the cow into which Io (Hera’s priestess) had been transformed, but he was slain by Hermes, who is called Argeiphontes, “Slayer of Argus,” in the Homeric poems. Argus’s eyes were transferred by Hera to the tail of the peacock.

STEROPES & BRONTES
After helping to defeat the Titans and establish the Olympians as rulers of the cosmos, the Uranian Cyclopes appear to have held a respected place in Greek mythology. They continued to fashion the lightning bolts of Zeus, and in some traditions, they helped the smith god Hephaestus in his workshop, producing armor, weapons, and ornaments for various gods and heroes.There are different versions of what ultimately happened to the Cyclopes. In one well-known tradition, their fate was sealed after Zeus killed Apollo’s son Asclepius with a lightning bolt; in a rage, Apollo retaliated by killing the Cyclopes, who had made the weapon.

LATER CYCLOPS
Homer’s Cyclopes were a race of unintelligent and ferocious shepherds living on the island of Sicily – at least from what we can infer from the “Odyssey” and later works inspired by it. Even though they also had only one eye and were as gigantic as Hesiod’s Cyclopes, Homer’s Cyclopes were neither blacksmiths nor obedient. Usually portrayed as violent cannibals, they led an unruly life, possessing neither social manners nor fear for the gods. “They have no laws nor assemblies of the people,” writes Homer, “but live in caves on the tops of high mountains; each is lord and master in his family, and they take no account of their neighbors.”

POLYPHEMUS
Polyphemus had fallen in love with a beautiful nymph called Galatea. However, as it may be supposed, his actions were neither graceful nor acceptable to the fair maiden, who rejected them in favor of a youth named Acis, the handsome son of Faunus and the river-nymph Symaethis. Polyphemus, enraged and with his usual barbarity, killed his rival by throwing upon him a gigantic rock. The blood of the murdered Acis, gushing out of the rock, formed a stream which bears his name to this very day.

For this, Polyphemus was banished to an island.

Many years later, Odysseus (hero of Troy) was sailing home from the battle when they arrived at the island. He left the other ships at the neighbouring island, took one in to the land of the Kyklopes, and went ashore with twelve companions. Not far from the sea was a cave, which he entered with a flask of wine given him by Maron. It was the cave of a son of Poseidon and a nymphe named Thoosa, an enormous man-eating wild man named Polyphemos (Polyphemus), who had one eye in his forehead. When they had made a fire and sacrificed some kids, they sat down to dine; but the Kyklops (Cyclops) came, and, after driving his flock inside, he barred the entrance with a great rock. When he saw the men, he ate some.

Odysseus gave him some of Maron's wine to drink. He drank and demanded more, and after drinking that, asked Odysseus his name. When Odysseus said that he was called Nobody, the Kyklops promised that he would eat Nobody last, after the others: this was his act of friendship in return for the wine. The wine them put him to sleep.

Odysseus found a club lying in the cave, which with the help of four comrades he sharpened to a point; he then heated it in the fire and blinded the Kyklops. Polyphemos cried out for help to the neighbouring Kyklopes, who came and asked who was injuring him. When he replied ‘Nobody!’ they assumed he meant no one was hurting him, so they went away again. As the flock went out as usual to forage for food, he opened the cave and stood at the entrance with his arms spread out, and he groped at the sheep with his hands. But Odysseus bound three rams together . . . Hiding himself under the belly of the largest one, he rode out with the flock. Then he untied his comrades from the sheep, drove the flock to the ship, and as they were sailing off he shouted to the Kyklops that it was Odysseus who had escaped through his fingers.