Home > Terms > English (EN) > cyclops

cyclops

In classical mythology, a cyclops is a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single round eye in the middle of its forehead. They are fabled to inhabit Sicily, and to assist in the workshops of Vulcan, under Mt. Etna. Cyclops are thought to be sons Neptune and Amphitrite. The name cyclops means "round-eyed" or "circle-eyed". They are thought to be dangerous.

The most famous early literary mention of the Cyclops was in Homer's Odyssey when Odysseus landed on the island of the Cyclops on his journey home from the Trojan War. He encountered the Cyclops Polyphemus, who trapped Odysseus and his men in a cave, and proceeded to eat them one by one as food. Odysseus devised a plan to escape by offering strong wine to the Cyclops. When Polyphemus became intoxicated, the surviving men drove a sharp stake into his single eyeball, blinding him they escaped.

0
Collect to Blossary

Member comments

You have to log in to post to discussions.

Terms in the News

Billy Morgan

Sports; Snowboarding

The British snowboarder Billy Morgan has landed the sport’s first ever 1800 quadruple cork. The rider, who represented Great Britain in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, was in Livigno, Italy, when he achieved the man-oeuvre. It involves flipping four times, while body also spins with five complete rotations on a sideways or downward-facing axis. The trick ...

Marzieh Afkham

Broadcasting & receiving; News

Marzieh Afkham, who is the country’s first foreign ministry spokeswoman, will head a mission in east Asia, the state news agency reported. It is not clear to which country she will be posted as her appointment has yet to be announced officially. Afkham will only be the second female ambassador Iran has had. Under the last shah’s rule, Mehrangiz Dolatshahi, a ...

Weekly Packet

Language; Online services; Slang; Internet

Weekly Packet or "Paquete Semanal" as it is known in Cuba is a term used by Cubans to describe the information that is gathered from the internet outside of Cuba and saved onto hard drives to be transported into Cuba itself. Weekly Packets are then sold to Cuban's without internet access, allowing them to obtain information just days - and sometimes hours - after it ...

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

Banking; Investment banking

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is an international financial institution established to address the need in Asia for infrastructure development. According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia needs $800 billion each year for roads, ports, power plants or other infrastructure projects before 2020. Originally proposed by China in 2013, a signing ...

Spartan

Online services; Internet

Spartan is the codename given to the new Microsoft Windows 10 browser that will replace Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer. The new browser will be built from the ground up and disregard any code from the IE platform. It has a new rendering engine that is built to be compatible with how the web is written today. The name Spartan is named after the ...

Featured Terms

tula.ndex
  • 0

    Terms

  • 51

    Blossaries

  • 11

    Followers

Industry/Domain: Military Category: General military

Jeep

Invented in 1940. Though four-wheel-drive technology had been around since the turn of the 20th century, by the 1930's, the military needed a scout ...

Featured blossaries

Saponia Osijek

Category: Business   1 28 Terms

5 different Black Friday

Category: History   2 5 Terms

Browers Terms By Category