Polyphemus. A son of Neptune, and one of the Cyclops, who dwelt in Sicily. He was a cruel monster, of immense size and strength, and had but one eye, which was in the middle of his forehead. He dwelt in a cave near Mount Aetna, and fed his flocks upon the mountain. He fell in love with the nymph Galatea, but as she rejected him for Acis, he destroyed the latter by crushing him under a huge rock. When Ulysses landed in Sicily, he, with twelve of his companions, got caught in the cave of Polyphemus, and six of the number were eaten by the tremendous cannibal. The rest were in expectation of the same fate, but their cunning leader enabled them to escape, by contriving to intoxicate Polyphemus, and then destroying his single eye with a fire-brand.
