Maronia Cave, home of the mythological Cyclops Polyphemus

November 7, 2009
According to Greek mythology Odysseus, during his 10-year journey home from the 10-year Trojan War, arrived in the Kingdom of the Kikonians, the land of the Thracian people who lived between present-day Lake Vistonida and the estuary of the Evros River, where he tied up his ship. The hero took 12 men and set out to find supplies. Along the way they found a large cave, which turns out to be the home of the fierce Cyclops Polyphemus, the one-eyed (Cyclops) son of Poseidon and Thoosa, who traps them in the cave and devours two of the men for his meal. The next day when Polyphemus returns to the cave with his flock of sheep, Odysseus inebriates him with a strong wine given to him by King Maron. When Polyphemus passes out, Odysseus and his men drive a stake into the Cyclops' eye, blinding him, and escape the cave by tying themselves to the undersides of the sheep.

Polyphemus' cave, also known as Maronia cave, is situated 25 kilometers east of Komotini, near the historical settlement of Maronia, in a limestone hill with steep, and at times sheer, corridors.







The one-eyed (Cyclops) son of Poseidon and Thoosa, who traps them in the cave and devours two of the men for his meal is interesting stuff, is it myth or not?

reply to post by Aquarius1

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Hi Aquarius!

Found a interesting link for you..Have a look here maybe this mite help further!

reply to post by Aquarius1

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Interesting! not to mention the finding of the ancient labryinth of the minotaur...

these kind of things fascinate me... how great would it be if they come across the bones of a giant being in the cave lol

raises the question though which of these myths are in fact myths?

reply to post by GUNSINWAR

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what the hell is that!?!
seriously is there name for that?
i've never seen that before..

knowing my luck..it's fake

reply to post by GUNSINWAR

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Thanks so much for the link GUNSINWAR, haven't time to read all of it now but will certainly comment later..

reply to post by Raider of Truth

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From a creature they believe is related to elephants but lived millions of years ago.
Dunno man but it looks cool!

What strikes me is that it reminds me of the Third Eye, it is said at one time our we had an external third eye and over time in became internalized.

the skull is from some dinosaur or other ancient creature that just happened to have a hole in the middle of its skull. their eye sockets were still on the side but it's understandable how ancients assumed the creature had one big eye.

also, the labyrinth that was discovered where people etch their names in the wall was proven not to have existed during the time of the story.

i forget the exact details but it was all on the history channel.

reply to post by f4rwest

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I thought the labyrinth was said to have possibly existed then. They found bones that bore what some said was tool marks or knife marks which probably meant they were cannabalised and not eaten by some kind of beast.

The skulls from dwarf elephants (Elephas falconeri) could also have been the ancient inspiration for the horrible cyclops.

en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...

Hesiod

In the Theogony by Hesiod, the Cyclopes – Arges,[3] Brontes, and Steropes – were the primordial sons of Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth) and brothers of the Hecatonchires. They were giants with a single eye in the middle of their forehead and a foul disposition. According to Hesiod, they were strong, stubborn, and "abrupt of emotion". Collectively they eventually became synonyms for brute strength and power, and their name was invoked in connection with massive masonry. They were often pictured at their forge. Uranus, fearing their strength, locked them in Tartarus. Cronus, another son of Uranus and Gaia, later freed the Cyclopes, along with the Hecatonchires, after he had overthrown Uranus. Cronus then placed them back in Tartarus, where they remained, guarded by the female dragon Campe, until freed by Zeus. They fashioned thunderbolts for Zeus to use as weapons, and helped him overthrow Cronus and the other Titans. The thunderbolts, which became Zeus's main weapons, were forged by all three Cyclopes, in that Arges added brightness, Brontes added thunder, and Steropes added lightning.



The Cyclops, a 1914 painting by Odilon Redon.

This is an amazing painting by Redon.