#the cyclops saga

[lunameimei]

So that's basically what happened in "The Cyclops Saga" right ?

#I finally listened to everything that has already been officially released by “Epic: The Musical” #my art #Odyssey #Athena #meme redraw #meme #fuck you mean nuh uh #odysseus #athena #epic fanart #odysseus fanart #athena fanart #odysseus of ithaca #Odysseus #epic: the musical #Epic the musical #The Cyclops Saga #polyphemus #Greek mythology #epic the cyclops saga

[mythology-void]

okay so I was doing a Research™️ about ancient Greek etymology as one does and I found some Things that made me want to Violently Claw My Arms Off please allow me to force feed you my discoveries

So there are 2 words for "not" in ancient Greek, depending on the context: ou and mē. Having introduced himself in the Cyclops episode as " ou tis", or No-man, he then stabs Polyphemus in the eye. When Polyphemus' brothers come to check on him, they say this:

"... surely no man [mē tis] is carrying off your sheep? Surely no man [mē tis] is trying to kill you either by fraud or by force?"

Right after this, after the other cyclopes ditch Polyphemus, Odysseus's inner monologue goes something like this:

"Then they went away, and I laughed inwardly at the success of my clever strategem [metis]." (pronounced mEH-Tis)

Now, there's a difference between mē tis and metis. [mē tis] (pronounced mEH-Tis with a space between the syllables) is the literal translation for "no man". Metis is a word for extreme intelligence/cunning, which is something Odysseus is famous for.

Now, there are several examples of abuse of metis/intelligence in the Odyssey, but I think the juxtaposition between [mē tis], or the concept of anonymity, and metis, or extreme intelligence, is REALLY interesting. Odysseus's adoption of the title "No-man" was characteristic of metis--it was a really smart move that simultaneously hid him from the cyclops and avoided any future consequences. It was a highly effective strategy all wrapped up in a nest little package with a bow on it.

But when he revealed himself as Odysseus of Ithaca, effectively throwing off No-man (anonymity and [mē tis]), that was characterized as idiocy--he's essentially doxxed himself, and now he's doing to (spoiler alert) get tossed around the Mediterranean by Poseidon for the next 10 years.

This is really interesting because it lets you see the parallels/codependency between metis(intelligence) and humility. When Odysseus refused to allow himself to go unnoticed (hubris) he suffered for it. BUT when he declined instant glory/satisfaction (kleos) in order to achieve the long term goal of survival, he was rewarded with Athena's favor (pay attention. This part is important).

And this situation repeats itself MULTIPLE TIMES in the Odyssey--the EXACT SAME THING happens near the end of the book, with the suitors. When. Odysseus is dressed as a beggar and the suitors/Antinious are abusing him, he ACTIVELY CHOOSES not to react--he doesn't stand up and rip off his disguise and start hollering "TIS I, ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! FEAR MY WRATH"

No. He sits there patiently and waits. He plans and schemes and quietly orchestrates their downfall without alerting them of it. Why? Because he learned his lesson the first time this happened. He buried his rage and adopted what was, according to Grace LA Franz, a more feminine form of metis, weaving a web of destruction for his enemies that ultimately resulted in their total annihilation (see Weaving a Way to Nostos: Odysseus and Feminine Metis in the Odyssey by Grace LaFranz). His patience allowed him to win the whole prize--no questions asked, no 10-year-long-business-trip strings attached--just the sweetness of a full victory. And he is, once again, rewarded with Athena's favor--both in the battle with the suitors and in the aftermath (cleanup/reuniting with Penelope).

This really reinforces the idea in the Odyssey that Odysseus's defining characteristic is not just his intelligence--it's his ability to learn from his mistakes. He used what he learned at the Lotus Eaters Island against Polyphemus--the Lotus Eaters drugged his men, so he drugged Polyphemus. He used what he learned from Circe and Polyphemus against the suitors--Circe used false sweetness and honeyed words to lure his men into a trap, so that's exactly what he did to the suitors. His hubris on Polyphemus' island cost his whole crew their lives, so he intentionally left well enough alone until the right time. He didn't just learn from his failures--he turned them into BATTLE STRATEGY.

i don't care what anyone says that is completely totally and objectively awesome

#Odysseus is a certified baddie 112% of the time #he's literally the coolest you can't convince me otherwise #there's a reason that literally everyone has a crush on him #even the lesbians #its the wordplay. his words #read me a poem in iambic pentameter you bloody stinky man #literally everyone: his sad wet vibes and dark undereye circles have captivated me entirely #odysseus #the odyssey #tagamemnon #odysseus x penelope #telemachus #epic the musical #the cyclops saga #odysseus of ithaca #poseidon #etymology #ancient greece #ancient history

[katkit-drops-alt]

Hello, I’m here to offer you bad Greek mythology/epic the musical memes in honor of the Circe saga trailer dropping (I couldn’t think of any funny memes for Circe tho😭)

#epic the musical #epic: the musical #epic: the cyclops saga #epic the cyclops saga #the cyclops saga #greek mythology #the odyssey #odysseus #telemachus #polyphemus #zeus #hera #apollo #artemis #artemis and apollo

[theriverpointace]

my personal thoughts on "polyphemus" is that polyphemus was gonna actually give a gift ot odysseus and then he said, "i'm so glad we see eye to eye."

and polyphemus thought the pun was atrocious and decided to kill him instead

#epic the musical #the cyclops saga #odysseus #polyphemus

[unbizzarre]

My Happy Wholesome Odyssey AU

Traumatized war vet Odysseus discovers the healing joy of therapy animals and lonely Polyphemus makes his first human friend.

I bet Odysseus would really enjoy sheep as therapy animals since he had lots of goats in Ithaca. Probably reminds him of home.

not 100% sure i'm using the term AU right but we're gonna go for it. Do you have to write a fic for it to be an AU? cuz thats never gonna happen, but I've been enjoying imagining scenes in a world where events in the odyssey shook out a little differently and the friendships that could have been if people were allowed to be kind and coexist.

#tagamemnon #polyphemus #the cyclops saga #epic the musical #classics #fanart #the odyssey #odyssey fanart #odysseus #Greek mythology

[shwoooops]

Someone should write something where it's the Greek heroes from the Iliad watching odysseus during the odyssey from the afterlife. like achilles and company just being like yea fuck that guy up man. u got that. or he's crying over missing penelope and telemachus and they just feel bad for him or smth.

could also be them all listening/watching the epic songs/animatics 🦭

(even tho a lot of them don't die it's a fun idea in theory)

#odysseus #the odyssey #the iliad #achilles #the circe saga #patroclus #penelope #odypen #odysseus x penelope #the cyclops saga #agamemnon #menelaus #helen of sparta #helen of troy #telemachus #epic the musical #polites #eurylochus #diomedes #ajax #ajax the greater #the troy saga #the ocean saga #patrochilles #circe #calypso

[justyourautarch]

Me, just trying to do my school work

My brain, *BOOM* POSEIDEN *BOOM* POSIEDEN *BOOM* POSIEDEN *BOOM* POSIEDEN 🌊🌊💀💀💀💀👹👹👹👹🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🔱🔱🔱🔱🔱

#this part specifically has been stuck in my head for days #epic the musical #the ocean saga #the troy saga #the cyclops saga #odysseus #the odyssey

[pearly-sims]

So that Cyclops Saga, huh

#I spent way more time making these than I should have #epic the musical #epic the cyclops saga #the cyclops saga #jorge rivera herrans #odysseus #polyphemus #dee speaks

[relmint-draws]

This musical slaps so hard

#epic the musical #the odyssey #rel'sart #hermes #odysseus #the troy saga #the cyclops saga #greek mythology #greek gods #doodles #i am reverting back to my greek mythology phase help

[reallydifferentcaptain]

So we're just not gonna talk about how when Odysseus is fighting Polyphemus they use the same melody as when he was dueting with Zeus because he doesn't want to be a killer anymore and be changed by that even if the one he must kill is a giant man-eating cyclops? No? Just me?

#help him #rip polites btw #😭 #odysseus my poor bb #odysseus #the odyssey #the cyclops saga #epic the troy saga #epic the cyclops saga #epic the musical #new musical

[mindincatastrophe]

Remember Them,

Remember Us,

Remember ME!

This took me almost 9 hours to make, please show it some love 🥹

#epic the musical fanart #epic the troy saga #epic the cyclops saga #epic musical #epic the musical #momentarily posting the epic brainrot fanart #odyssey #odysseus #the odyssey #the cyclops saga #cyclops #the troy saga #ithaca #remember them #greek story #greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek myth art

[spacepaprika]

Polyphemus, about to spare Odysseus: For your gift, I have one to reply

Odysseus: I’m so glad we see eye to eye

Polyphemus: … bitch y’know what-

#epic the musical #i have fallen into the rabbit hole #ass backwards #shitpost #spacepaprika #odysseus #polyphemus #cyclops saga #the cyclops saga

[rrainydaydreams]

Okay, I’ve been meaning to make a post about this for a while, but today I finally sat down to do it. Around the release of the ocean saga (I think), I made a post about how Odysseus was always made out to be larger than life, but in the end he was “just a man”, and with the phrase being repeated so much throughout EPIC, it really reinforces that.

But re-listening to the circe saga, I realised that, similar to one of those birds that puff itself up to seem bigger when feeling threatened, Odysseus does that too. Not necessarily physically, but he uses his words to make himself appear more threatening.

In ‘Remember Them’, when Odysseus is telling the cyclops who the person who blinded him was, he lists out a bunch of titles.

“I’m the reigning king of Ithaca, I am neither man nor mythical, I am your darkest moment, I am in infamous...”

Notice how much more scary he would seem to Polyphemus when he appears to be so impressive? This was his goal- to make Polyphemus want to cower in fear. And he did this why? Because in a similar but opposite way that  he cowered to Circe to make her feel pity on him and his crew to let them go, it was convenient for him to seem larger than life, and it built him up so that it would be impossible for the cyclops to not remember him.

Another example of this is when he goes to confront Circe in ‘Done For’, he tells her that “I must be a God like you”. Obviously, this isn’t true and Circe knows this, but he does it in a (poor) attempt to trick her and make her give in before he even has to lift a hand to do anything.

So yeah, just something I noticed. If you have any other thoughts on this feel free to share them with me. (:

#epic #epic the musical #jorge rivera herrans #the circe saga #the cyclops saga #rain rambles

[olivsie]

Ruthlessness In a nutshell

#epic the musical #epic the ocean saga #odysseus #the oddyssey #the iliad #the ocean saga #polythemus #poseidon #I had to look up what the technical term for having one's eye gouged out Was for this #epic the cyclops saga #the cyclops saga #ruthlessness

[99-percent-confused]

neurotypical compliments: man, this thing is really good, I really like it and will maybe support the creator

Neurodivergent compliment: this thing has permanently altered my brain chemistry, I am absolutely feral and will exclusively consume this thing for the rest of my life

#neurodivergent #ofmd #podcasts #s and d tier #yes yes I have listened to Epic: The Cyclops Saga on repeat and am absolutely going feral #I don’t know how to like things a normal amount #I already know all the lyrics #epic musical #the cyclops saga #the troy saga #og

[ninadove]

While I listen to There Are Other Ways for the 10,000th time since it came out, let me make a quick poll, for Science™:

Other sagas will be featured in reblogs, since Tumblr won’t let me link them!

#I think I know which way the results will lean #But I’m excited to see everyone’s arguments in the tags! #epic #epic the musical #the troy saga #the cyclops saga #the ocean saga #the circe saga #the underworld saga