What Makes Cyclops Ask Poseidon To Interfere With Odysseus’ Journey Home?

In Homer’s Odyssey, while Odysseus and his crew are on their long journey back to Ithaca, hardships are a constant issue causing their home coming to be delayed, one of them being the Cyclops’ island. He and his men land on his island and expect to be treated with the highest hospitality, as that was the custom for treating your guests. Things do not go as planned for Odysseus, because six of his men are eaten and the rest of the crew is trapped. Odysseus’ cunning skill allows him to escape by tying him and his men underneath Polyphemus’ sheep. They had blinded the cyclops, so they tied themselves under the sheep so Polyphemus could not see them escape. Once they escape, Odysseus makes the mistake taunting the cyclops. The cyclops then prays to his father, Poseidon, “Hear me, Poseidon...grant that Odysseus...may never reach his home...but if it is his fate to see his friends and to reach his well-built house and his native land, late may he come and in evil case, after losing all his comrades, in a ship that is another's; and may he find woes in his house” . Odysseus’ taunts threaten the safety of his crewmates along with the swiftness of their trip home. The continuous choice of taunting and not heeding to the requests and warnings of his crewmates portrays the hubris he has. With that, the result of excessive pride ultimately led to a doomed outcome. Polyphemus’ prayer to Poseidon was heard and granted eventually by the prayer becoming a reality. Poseidon produced sea storms which delayed the crew’s return to Ithaca.