#polyphemus
Polyphemus to Odysseus : So, what’s your name?
Odysseus :
Cyclopes (the plural of Cyclops) range from either strong allies of the gods to theologically ambivalent savages. The latter are the less divine and will be focused on here. Though they may have some relationship to the gods, they do not live like their semi-divine cousins. The clearest view we get of them is from the Odyssey. Here they live on remote islands without human neighbors, tending sheep or, presumably, living and preforming other similarly archaic ways of life. The cyclopes have no agriculture, harvesting only what grows naturally, no metal-working, no sailing or ships, and no laws. Or rather, their laws are those of the house, not the village or state. Every cyclops home is a governance unto itself with the head of the household being the “king”. He dictates the rules to his family and has final say. Other households do not regard other’s rules. But, they seem to be friendly enough, despite that. Polyphemus was unique in his aloofness towards the other cyclopes.
One thing that rung true was their ignorance to the laws of the gods. The Greek gods were the sources and enforcers of the laws of civilization. Zeus especially laid the rules for hospitality and good conduct between people. Our cyclopes have no concept of that, and treat the gods as equivalent beings, weaker than themselves. Which is why Polyphemus eats Odysseus’ crew with no sense of remorse, because Zeus will not raise his hand to punish him. Or, so it seems. Polyphemus does get punished for his evil deeds through the free will of his captives, thus enacting the same punishment the gods would bring. After this, the other cyclopes tell him, “If no man is doing you violence–if you are alone–then this is a malady sent by almighty Zeus from which there is no escape; you had best say a prayer to your father, Lord Poseidon.” The facade is thus broken. Even the strongest beings bend to the rules of the gods like the rules of physics. Only Polyphemus was so naive as to think himself above the consequences of his actions. Whether or not the rest of the cyclopes were as grim monsters as him is debatable, but the Greek did not have high opinions of their kind.
While not doing any smithing, I like the design of cyclopes with brick-red skin. It sets them apart from other humanoid-looking beings. This guy is a shepherd, obviously, complete with shears and a sheep. Where did the metal come from? Idk man, the sky? His hands are bruised and scarred from many years of shearing and dealing with ornery flocks. And his legs are bare of hair and columnar, better to support his immense weight. Will he eat you? Maybe not, but he definitely won’t appreciate you in his cave.
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In other news, I’ve decided what I’m going to do with these. I’m going to do a few more and release them as a token set. Whether on dmsguild or roll20 or gumroad, I don’t know. There will be a total of 18 drawings of different Greek mythology “humanoids”. I plan of having six free samples, these and the next one, the gigantes. Maybe I’ll expand to different things as well. Sadly won’t allow me to gush and write entries like this, but c'est la vie.
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This is a Polyphemus moth I found in a parking lot two weeks ago. They get their name from the Cyclops that Homer encounters in the Odyssey, due to the large spots on the wings.
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PolyphemusfromGreek Mythology can only roll Bar 1s!
Requested by Nobody!
Wallace Polsom, The Scratching Post; or, Revenge at All Costs (2022), paper collage, 19.1 x 29 cm.
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OMG thank you so much for the follow @martincasaus !!! I really appreciate it, and I LOVE lucha, so I hope you don’t mind that I drew you real quick x] Good luck with this newest season!!
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