After leaving the Island of the Lotus Eaters, Odysseus and his men sailed on for another day. Their hunger and thirst were overwhelming, but they endured. Early the next evening as the sun settled into the sea, they came to an island that had wild grapes, barley, and goats in abundance. They caught the goats easily for they had no fear of men. In the distance, another island could be seen near the horizon. Odysseus and his men saw the smoke of many cooking fires rising from this island. "Tomorrow," called Odysseus to his men, "I will cross the sea and seek out those inhabitants. If they are a civilized people then perhaps we can trade some of our wine for their cured meats and bread."
The following morning, Odysseus' ship crossed the sea and set off for the island near the horizon. Odysseus was worried because he did not know if the creatures were civilized or savage, and if they would respect the law. Therefore, when they arrived at the island, he did not dare take all his men onto it. He only chose twelve of his best to accompany him. The rest stayed with the ship. Odysseus and his men took many skins of wine with them, and followed a path from the beach. It led to a cave that was located in the cliffs. The cave was unoccupied because the owner was out tending his flocks. Inside, Odysseus and his men discovered many blocks of cheese, and two pens overflowing with lambs and kids.
Odysseus' men tried to convince Odysseus to steal the cheese, lambs and kids, but Odysseus refused. "We have come as friends, not as thieves. We will give the wine as a gift to our host and we will accept whatever hospitality they will give us in return." The men were not pleased to hear this, but they obeyed. Odysseus and his men passed the time by lighting a fire, making sacrifices to the gods, and eating some of the cheese. Towards evening a giant human-like creature, with just a single eye in the middle of his forehead, returned with his flocks. It was a cyclops and he carried a load of firewood and dropped it near the mouth of the cave. The cyclops then drove his flocks into the cave. Once the goats and sheep were inside, he rolled a huge rock to block the entrance of the cave. This rock was so big that it would take twenty oxen to move it.
Odysseus and his men were a little frightened by the sight and size of the creature, so they silently watched him milk his sheep. But soon the cyclops' gaze fell upon the strangers, "Who has entered the home of Polypemus?" Odysseus bowed and replied most humbly, "Kind sir, we are Greeks. We were part of that great expedition that recently won much glory in the conquest of Troy. Now we are returning home. We ask for your hospitality in the name of the gods." Polypemus did not answer. Instead he reached out his hand and seized two of Odysseus' men. He hurled them against the side of the cave as if they were dolls. The men landed motionless on the floor, and Polypemus devoured them with great relish.
After eating the men, Polypemus stretched out on the floor to sleep. Odysseus was tempted to plunge his sword into him as he slept. However, he decided that killing Polypemus would lead them all to certain destruction, because no one except Polypemus was strong enough to move the rock that blocked the entrance of the cave. The next morning, the cyclops ate two more of Odysseus' men for breakfast. After feasting on the men, the cyclops moved the rock away from the entrance, drove out his flocks, and carefully put the rock back in its place. While the cyclops was gone, Odysseus planned to avenge the cyclops for the murder of his men. First, he asked his remaining eight men to make a spear from a staff. They sharpened the end of the staff and hid it under the straw on the floor.
That evening after the cyclops returned home, Odysseus approached him. He handed the cyclops a bowl of wine, saying, "Before you eat more of my men, drink some wine. You will find that the wine will go well with your meal of human flesh." Polypemus took the wine and drank some. He had never tasted it before, so he was hugely delighted and he called for more. Odysseus happily kept refilling his bowl. This pleased the giant so much that he promised Odysseus that he should be the last one devoured. "Since you are the last of the humans to be eaten, I would like to know your name," inquired Polypemus. "My name," replied Odysseus, "is Nobody."
Drinking wine on an empty stomach soon made Polypemus sleepy. As soon as he lay down he fell asleep. Odysseus took the spear from under the straw and plunged it into the monster's eye. The cyclops awoke, howling in pain. The howling was so loud that the other cyclops from the island came to Polypemus' cave. Outside the cave, they shouted, "What's wrong?" Polypemus replied, "I am blind! It was Nobody that hurt me! Nobody did it!" The cyclops outside laughed and said, "If nobody has hurt you, then it is your fate to be hurt!" and they went away. The next morning, Polypemus awoke and still could not see anything from his one eye. But he managed to roll away the huge stone and waited by the entrance with the hope of catching Odysseus. But Odysseus had anticipated this and had ordered his men to tie themselves underneath the largest rams. As Polypemus let his sheep out of the cave, he checked only their tops and so Odysseus and his men escaped.
When they had gotten a fair distance from the cave, Odysseus and his men untied themselves from the rams and took many sheep down to the shore, to where their ship waited. The men quickly put the sheep on board, and set sail. Odysseus shouted, "Cyclops, the gods have punished you for your uncivilized deeds, and it was I, Odysseus who has left you blind." Polypemus howled with rage. He seized a rock and threw it in the direction of the voice. The rock just missed the ship. Odysseus waited until the ship had reached a safer distance, and then he taunted the giant again.
As Odysseus and his men sailed away, Polypemus called out to his father: "Hear me, Poseidon. If I am truly your son, grant me this wish. May Odysseus never reach his home in Ithaca. If however, the gods decided he was destined to reach his native land, then let him suffer. Let him come home late, with all his comrades dead, in someone else's ship, and let him find troubles in his own house." Poseidon heard his son, and he saw Odysseus' disdain for the cyclops. A great rage filled Poseidon and he called to his son, "Oh, my son. Odysseus' destiny is indeed fixed in the stars. His fate is to return home, but the stars, like the gods, are immortal. He will come home late, his comrades will all have died, he will arrive in another person's ship, and he will have trouble in his house. My son, I swear, Odysseus will suffer."