in the Homeric mythology, the son of Poseidon and the nymph Thoosa, the most celebrated of the fabulous Cyclopes who inhabited the island of Sicily. He was of immense size, and had only one eye. When Ulysses landed on that island he entered the cave of Polyphemus with twelve companions, of which number this tremendous cannibal ate six. The others stood expecting the same fate, but their cunning leader made Polyphemus drunk, then burned out his single eye with a blazing torch, and so escaped, leaving the blinded monster to grope about in the darkness.