The Cyclops, Polyphemus,
was a bad host to Odysseus and his men. According to the ancient Greek rules concerning
hospitality, Polyphemus ought to have made them welcome and given them food and shelter and even
gifts. The ancient Greeks believed that Zeus protected all travelers, and so to honor them was
to honor him; likewise, to harm travelers was to dishonor him. When Polyphemus eats Odysseus's
men, arguing that he need not obey the gods because he is stronger than they, Odysseus is forced
to find a way to escape the monster. He even believes that Zeus would find his violent action
permissible given the circumstances. So, Odysseus and his men blind the Cyclops after getting
him quite drunk, and they make their clever escape tied to the bellies of sheep when the monster
rolls the stone away from the door to let his herds graze the next morning.
However, Odysseus had lied earlier about his name, telling Polyphemus that his name was
"Nobody" so that when other Cyclopes came to his aid, he could only tell them that
"Nobody" was hurting him. Once he has reached his ship and, he believes, safety, he
taunts the monster, telling Polyphemus his real name so that the monster will be able to tell
others who it was that bested him. The problem? This also allows Polyphemus to tell his powerful
father, Poseidon, god of the seas, who has harmed him, and since Odysseus must travel the seas
to get home, his pride is really responsible for making his journey longer and more difficult
than it otherwise would have been. Poseidon tries to exact revenge on Odysseus for blinding and
humiliating his son, Polyphemus, the Cyclops (who, frankly, sort of deserved it considering his
disregard for the rules of hospitality).
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