Which Greek hero blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus?

Which Greek hero blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus? Odysseus did so in Homer’s Odyssey.

During his long journey home from the Trojan War, Odysseus and his sailors entered Polyphemus’s cave. The Cyclops, a son of Poseidon, trapped them and began eating the crew. Odysseus countered with a plan based on deception rather than strength.

He gave Polyphemus powerful undiluted wine and claimed that his name was “Nobody.” After the giant fell asleep, Odysseus and his men heated a sharpened wooden stake and drove it into Polyphemus’s single eye. When the blinded Cyclops cried for help, he said that “Nobody” was attacking him, so the other Cyclopes ignored him.

The escape involved hiding beneath Polyphemus’s sheep as they left the cave. A common mix-up is crediting the entire crew or Athena: Odysseus devised and led the plan, although his companions helped carry it out. His later boast about his real name allowed Polyphemus to ask Poseidon for revenge.