A Blind Eye Trivia Quiz

Answer: Much spoken of

The name "Polyphemus" also stands for famous. Very appropriate name - he has appeared in Homer's "Odyssey", Virgil's "Aeneid", and Ovid's "Metamorphoses", as well as Renaissance paintings. The title of "Storm giant" goes to the terrible monster, Typhon.

Answer: Poseidon

Poseidon is also attributed with the title "Earthshaker", and he is the Father of Horses. He was also father to the giant Antaeus, who was killed by Heracles/Hercules.

Answer: Cyclops

Such giants were known as cyclopes (the plural of cyclops). They were known for their strength and immunity to fire. They were good in metalworking and worked in Poseidon's undersea forges.

Answer: Nobody

Odysseus intoxicated Polyphemus with a very strong wine to make him fall asleep. When the drunken Cyclops asked for his name so that he might drink to his health, Odysseus came up with the name "Nobody". Polyphemus decided to grant him a favour, which was ... guess what? ... he will eat him the last of his companions!

Answer: Zeus

When Polyphemus yelled that "nobody" (the alias Odysseus used) was blinding him, the foolish Cyclopes considered it really to be "nobody", that is, they felt no man was harming Polyphemus, but the pain was sent by the immortal Zeus. They advised him to pray to his father, Poseidon, for help, and went back to sleeping in their caves.

Answer: Sheep

The sheep played a very important role in the story. Polyphemus had closed the cave entrance and checked the back of every sheep to make sure the sailors didn't escape by riding on them. Odysseus, however, tied the sheep in groups of three and instructed his sailors to cling to their underbellies, thus escaping from his cave.

Answer: Ionian Sea, Greece

Ithaca is a beautiful island which can be found in the Ionian Sea of Greece. It encompasses about an area of about 120 square kilometres. It has three thousand people living on it. The capital of Ithaca is known as either Vathy or Ithaki.

Answer: Yes

Poseidon granted his wish. Odysseus had to travel ten long years in the sea. He met Sirens, Charybdis, Circe and Calypso during those travels, and was trapped for seven years on the enchanted island of Ogygia.

Answer: Acis

Galatea was a nereid, or river-nymph. Acis was the son of Faunus and the river nymph Symaethis. He too loved Galatea, but Polyphemus killed him with a boulder. Jealousy is not good.

Answer: The Golden Fleece

The Golden Fleece was the fleece of a winged, flying ram. It was present in the Colchis. The tale of Jason and the Argonauts deals with how Jason and a band of heroes (Orpheus, Atalanta, sons of the North Wind) set out to obtain the fleece in order to meet the challenge of the tyrant, King Pelias, and establish Jason on the throne of Iolcus.

Polyphemus used the Fleece to attract satyrs to his island, who were on the quest to find the lost god, Pan. The Fleece radiated a nature magic so strong that the satyrs felt it was the aura of Pan. They went to the island, and ended up being the dinner (or breakfast) of Polyphemus.