Introduction
Polyphemus is a one-eyed Cyclops, son of Poseidon, a shepherd-giant living in a cave on an island, best known from Homer's Odyssey for capturing Odysseus and his crew, and for the blinding that provokes Poseidon's long, hostile pursuit of Odysseus throughout the rest of his journey home from Troy.
Note: this Polyphemus, a monstrous, man-eating shepherd, is a distinct figure from the three named Cyclopes of Hesiod's Theogony (Brontes, Steropes, Arges), sons of Uranus and Gaia who forged Zeus's thunderbolt; the two traditions share the single-eyed Cyclops concept but are generally treated as separate lineages.
Family
Odysseus and the blinding
Landing on Polyphemus's island, Odysseus and his men were trapped in his cave when the giant blocked the entrance with an enormous boulder and began eating the crew, a few at a time. Odysseus got Polyphemus drunk on wine, told him his name was "Nobody", and, once the giant fell asleep, blinded his single eye with a sharpened, fire-heated stake. When Polyphemus cried out that "Nobody" was hurting him, his fellow Cyclopes, hearing this, assumed nothing was wrong and did not come to help.
Escape and the curse
Odysseus and his surviving men escaped by clinging to the undersides of Polyphemus's sheep as they were let out to graze. As they sailed away, Odysseus, against his own better judgement, taunted the blinded Polyphemus and revealed his true name, allowing the giant to call on his father Poseidon for revenge. Poseidon's resulting hostility toward Odysseus becomes the driving obstacle of the rest of the Odyssey, delaying his return home for years.