| Cyclops | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appeared in | Series 1 2006 Series The Video Game |
| Number | 8 |
| Point Value | 20 |
Cyclops is monster number eight in Series 1, and is worth twenty points. The figure was available in original yellow and purple colours, plus all four neon colours and rarer premium blue and pink colours. Cyclops was also one of the monsters redesigned for the 2006 relaunch series.
Myth of the Cyclops
Edit
The Cyclops (plural Cyclopes) is a member of a race of primordial humanoid giants, with a single eye in the middle of its forehead. The Cyclopes are a feature of Greek myth, and two distinct accounts of them exist: in Hesiod’s Theogeny and Homer’s Oddysey.
Hesiod’s Cyclopes were three brothers, son of the primeval gods Uranus (the sky) and Gaia (the earth). They were named as Brontes (thunder), Steropes (lightning) and Arges (brightness), and they are described a monstrous, strong, stubborn and “abrupt of emotion.” As sons of Uranus and Gaia, their brothers included the Titans and Hecatoncheires (the Hundred-Handed). Fearing his children, Uranus locked both the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires in the Pit of Tartarus, from which they were later freed by the Titan Cronus, their youngest brother. Following Cronus’s rebellion against their father, he locked the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires back in Tartarus. They were later freed again by Cronus’s own son, the great god Zeus. The three Cyclopes were master smiths, and crafted thunderbolts for Zeus, for use as weapons in his war against the Titans. They were also said to have forged Poseidon’s trident, Artemis’s bow and arrows, and Hades’ helmet. Some versions of the tale relate that they aided the smith god Hephaestus, and that the rumblings of volcanoes were the sounds of their work. Other versions suggest that they were killed by the sun god Apollo, as part of his uprising against Zeus.
Homer’s Cyclopes are of uncertain relation to Hesiod’s original three. They are described now and entire race of giants, who all resided on a single island together. The most famous of the Cyclopes is Polyphemus, often known simply as the Cyclops, who was the son of Poseidon and Thoosa. It was Polyphemus who encountered Odysseus. The story runs as follows:
“To make Polyphemus unwary, Odysseus gave him a barrel of very strong, unwatered wine. When Polyphemus asked for Odysseus' name, he told him that it was 'Outis', Greek for 'no man' or 'nobody'. Once the giant fell asleep drunk, Odysseus and his men took a spear and destroyed Polyphemus' only eye. Polyphemus' cries of help were ignored by fellow Cyclopes on the island, when they asked Polyphemus, who is troubling you? and Polyphemus answered, "Nobody!" In the morning, Odysseus tied his men and himself to the undersides of Polyphemus' sheep. When the Cyclops let the sheep out to graze, the men were carried out. Since Polyphemus was blinded, he didn't see the men, but felt the tops of his sheep to make sure the men weren't riding them. As he sailed away, Odysseus shouted his name and declared his own victory, incurring the wrath of Poseidon.”
The Cyclopes have been likened to the Triamantes, Cretan legendary ogres with three eyes, one on the back of their heads. Other than the number of eyes, they are very similar to Homer’s Cyclopes, indulging in man-eating. The earlier myth may have been mixed with Hesiod’s tales to become the race of Cyclopes. The Arimapsi, a legendary race of Scythia, were also described as one-eyed and fought a perpetual war with the Griffins for possession of a mountain of gold. In Japanese folklore, the Hitotsume-Kozo are a race of goblins with only one eye, jealous of those with more. The Fachen of British myth is another one-eyed goblin.
Origin of the mythEdit
It has been suggested that the legend of the Cyclops was inspired by the skulls of elephants. The large nasal cavity of the elephant does appear as a single, large hole in the front of the skull, while the two shallow orbits on the side are less noticeable. Early people’s may have interpreted the skulls as those of gigantic, one-eyed men.
Another possible source is cyclopia or cyclocephaly, a rare, severe congenital defect that affects mammals, including humans. In cases of cyclopia, the developing embryo’s skull and neural tissue fail to divide properly, resulting in a single eye, and often a malformed, distorted face with a large oral-nasal cavity. It is invariably terminal, most examples being stillborn and those others that do survive to birth living mere hours.
The word Cyclops is often said to mean ‘circle-eyed,’ or possibly ‘wheel-faced.’ This is debated by scholars, however.
2006 remakeEdit
Cyclops is monster number one in the 2006 series. Here, he is represented holding a vast club and appears overweight. Cyclops is a member of the group The Beasts, and has a total points value of 211. The description on the website and collectable card (# 001/230) is as follows:
“With one huge eye in the middle of his forehead, this ugly, man-eating giant is notorious for his strength and foul disposition. Because of his size, the Cyclops is an excellent fighter. He uses rocks and tree trunks as weapons and lives on human flesh.”
Trading card text Edit
Species: Giant Humanoid
Born: 2000 years ago in Greece
Habitat: In the Mediterranean Sea, in the caves of the island Colossa
The uglyest of all giants, Cyclops is carnivorous, 175 meters high with long arms, big and protruding lower lip, sharp teeth and a big eye in the center of his forehead. Although he is continuously in search for a companion, Cyclops is lucky to not meet anyone, usually end with eating them. He lives alone in the island Colossa where he raises violet sheep. Cyclops love to trap explorers in caves, blocking at the exit with very huge boulders and they love to eat them for dinner. Whereby next time you enter in a cave, pay attention, Cyclops could have an eye on you!
Trading card frontEdit
In other mediaEdit
Konami Video GameEdit
- Breaks through and attacks
The cyclops appears in Stage 5, Area 2, when you reach the paper wall. It will break through a wall segment, then charge the player at high speed.
In popular cultureEdit
The 1957 feature The Cyclops was a science-fictional take on the mosnter. In the 1958 movie The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, the heroes fight two Cyclopes successively. Effects master Ray Harryhausen portrayed the Cyclopes with horns and cloven hooves, and animated them using stop-motion techniques.
