CYCLOPES

**__Odysseus and the Adventure of the Cyclops__** 

The story of the Odyssey begins out with a man named Odysseus on his way home from the Trojan War telling his story of what has happened to him in the past 20 years. Odysseus and his crew mates are on a ship on their way back to Itheca when they experience many troubles. Our favorite adventure was the Cyclops.

The next land they found was the land of the "Cyclops", which were giants who had one eye. As they rolled on there was a cavern above the water with rams and goats. A man slept in the cave alone with the rams and goats away from everybody else, knowing none but savage ways. They camped out there and they stood by to watch over the ship. He brought along victuals which are food or other poisions. Odysseus knew something bad was going to happen to them, through the feelings in his bones. They went on to the cave to look inside while the Cyclops were in the fields with the sheep. They saw a lot of food in the cave and the men were pleading Odysseus to have some food. They want to steal the cheeses and make a run for it. Then they wanted to drag the lambs and the kids, or baby goats, aboard. Odysseus refused to do it though, because he wanted to see the cave men, or the cyclops. He wanted to see what the Cyclops had to offer. They took cheese around the embers waiting in silence. Cyclops asked them who they were and where they are from. They felt pressure, but Odysseus spoke in reply "We are from Troy, Achaeans, blown off course homeward bound, but taking routes and ways uncommon, the way that Zeus wanted it. It was our luck to come here and here we stand. We will greet you great sir." The Cyclops answered with his brute chest, unmoved. "We Cyclops care not of your god Zeus or all the gods and bliss. To me where was it, where did you leave your ship? Around the point or down the shore." Odysseues wonders to himself, He thought he'd find where our ship lies, but i saw through this and answered with a lie. "My ship, it broke at the rocks at your lands end, a wind from seaward served him, drove us there, we are the survivors. These good men and I.
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Then in one stride he scooped up Odysseus's companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out spattering the floor. Then the Cyclops dismembered them and made them his meal and through them in his mouth crunching like a mountain lion. Odysseus starting crying along with the rest of his crew mates and they held their hands up and prayed to Zeus. It did not work and the Cyclops kept munching on Odysseus's friends. Then the Cyclops laid down like a mast amoung his sheep. It made Odysseus so mad and sad that he grabed the sword hanging by his hip and got ready to stab the Cyclops where the liver is. He touched the spot with the sword but then stopped because a sudden fear stayed him. He thought to himself if he killed the Cyclops they would perish there as well, for they could never move his ponderous doorway slab aside. So they were left to groan and wait for morning. When morning came the Cyclops built a fire and milked his ewes putting the sucklings with their mother. Then while he was doing his chores he picked up another pair of Odysseus's men to make his breakfast.
 * [[image:cyclops_eating_people.jpg width="140" height="131" align="right" caption="Ouch!"]] ||
 * Ouch! ||

Then he moved the rock to open the door and let the sheep go through. Then suddenly while watching the Cyclops, Odysseus got an idea. If the goddess Athena would grant him his prayer he would get the wisdom to escape from the Cyclops. That night there was a tree that was knocked down to turn brown that the Cyclops put there, and Odysseus cut a six foot pole out of the wood and showed it to his men. Odysseus and his men sat there scrapping at it and carving it into a point to make a stake. odysseus put it in the fire and toughened it and then hid it in the cavern. Later that evening Cyclops got all his rams and sheeps inside and didnt leave any out there. Once the Cyclops got all of the animals in he did his chores and picked up two more men to feat upon. That moment Odysseus knew that he needed to do his plan. He went over to the Cyclops and held a barrel of alcohol for the Cyclops saying, "Cyclops, try some wine. Here's liquor to wash down your scraps of men. Taste it, and see the kind of drink we carried under of planks. I meant it for an offering if your would help us home. But you are mad, unbearable, a bloody monster! After this, will any other traveler come to see you?" The Cyclops drank the whole thing down nice and smooth and asked for more. "Give me another, thank you kindly. Tell me, how are you called? I'll make a gift will please you." Even Cyclops know the wine grapes grow our of grassland and loam in heaven's rain. And Odysseus said that there was some food and wines from the gods. Odysseus gave him three barells and he drank them down. He saw the fuddle and flush come over him, then he sang out in cordinal tones. "Cyclops, you ask my honorable name? Remember the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy. The Cyclops said "Nohbdy's my meat, then after I eat his friends. Others come first. There's a noble gift now." Then the Cyclops fell asleep on the ground drunk and hiccuping. Odysseus gave his men a battle talk to keep their courage up. He told the men their was no quitting now. Odysseus took the stake out of the burning coals and went over to the giant Cyclops and him and his men ramed the stake into the Cyclops eye. It twisted and turned and jabbed it into his eye more and more. The Cyclops took the stake out of his eye and threw it away. They set up a howl for the Cyclops.
 * [[image:sd.jpg width="95" height="106" caption="That must hurt."]] ||
 * That must hurt. ||

The other Cyclops heard him yelling and came to see what was wrong with him. The other Cyclops asked him, "What ails you Polyphemus? Why do you cry so sore? You will not let us sleep. Sure no mans driving off your flock? No man has tricked you, ruined you? Polyphemus answered "Nohbdys tricked me, Nohbdys ruined me!" The other Cyclops told Polyphemus that if nobody tricked you or ruined you then quit screaming and go back to bed so we can sleep. Now Polyphemus is thinking about a way to win the game that Odysseus is playing. Odysseus tied the rams to the Cyclops's bed, and put each one of his men under each of the rams bellies. Odysseus took the biggest fluffiest ram and tied himself to the bottom of that ram. Then breathing hard and scared they all waiting until morning. The rams began to stir and the Cyclops let them out in the pasture and called them for milking. Blinded and sick with pain from his bleeding eye ball he pet each ram and let them pass through with Odysseus men riding under the bellies of the rams. Then when Odysseus's ram came through the Cyclops told him that he shouldnt be at the end of the pack. He never is, and that the ram is just sad because Nohbdy hurt his owner. Then when all the rams were out in the pasture Odysseus and his men untied themselves from the rams and rolled down the hill. Odysseus and his men went aboard the ship with all the rams and sheep and started on their way. They were already out to sea, but Odysseus didnt seem satisfied with what he has done, so he shouted back to Polyphemus saying that his name wasn't nohbdy, his name was Odysseus, from Itheca. The Cyclops gets really mad at Odysseus and throws a rock out to the sea, and make big waves, and toss the ship back to the wrong way to sea, and the ship breaks.
 * [[image:2593143848.jpg width="135" height="146" align="center" caption="Watch out!"]] ||
 * Watch out! ||

The moral of the adventure was don't speak to quickly. Think before you speak or bad things may come your way.