Folksburywoods Story Blog

Polyphemus wasn’t the only Cyclops. An entire community lived peacefully on the isle of Sicily near Mount Etna.

When the Olympian gods left this realm, many other demi-gods followed, but some stayed in defiance, saying they preferred life with man over the immortals.

Arges, an elder whose name means “bright” in Greek, was one of the few who enjoyed the company of men. Against the wishes of his brethren, Arges disobeyed Zeus and refused to leave Earth.

For his rebellion, the Gods banished him to a small island off the coast of Hypereia. To add hardship to humiliation, Zeus transforms the rock into a fearsome skull to ensure no aid would come his way in the hopes of starving him to death.

Poseidon, his father, secretly cast a spell on the waters surrounding the island, causing one of the guardian sharks to jump out of the water and into Arges’s cave.

For hundreds of years, the demi-god lived a lonely existence. Then, by chance, a storm blew a small sailing ship carrying two occupants on to the island’s rocks.

As the two clung to the rock, the sharks moved in to make their kill. Knowing the inevitable outcome, the man held his granddaughter high in the air and called to the ancient Gods to spare her life.

Arges heard the plea, reached down, and plucked the child from the sea as the sharks attacked. Exhausted, the child fell into a fitful sleep, and when she awoke, the storm had passed.

Terror filled her heart upon seeing the giant monster. “Fear not, little one. I am Arges, a friend to humans and the one who saved you from Hades’ clutches,” said the Cyclops, who offered her food and drink.

In the following days, the two castaways talked of life after the Gods left Mount Olympus. “Many of the old ways remain, but there are new Gods, and they do not take kindly to those of us who still pray to the Olympians,” remarked the child.

The Cyclops knew the child could not remain on the island long, so a plan was drafted to build a boat from the bones and skins of the sharks. “I am too large, but for one as small as you, the task is simple enough,” the demi-god offered.

Once the craft was ready, Arges realized the guardian sharks would not allow the child to leave, so he decided to act as a decoy. “But you may die. Please don’t. I can stay here. Your death would be meaningless,” begged the little child.

“Fear not, child. I can take on a few sharks. The main thing is for you to row as hard as you can to clear the barrier reef and the sharks,” instructed Arges.

The girl climbed into the boat and prepared to cast off while the Cyclops walked to the other end of the island and waded into the sea.

Immediately, the guardians moved in for the kill. “Now, do it now,” yelled the giant. Pushing with all her strength, the child cast off and rowed the little craft straight toward the breakers.

The child only looked back once, and what she saw terrified her. Arges stood waist-deep in the water, swinging his club as hard as he could, sending sharks sailing through the air, torn and bloodied.

After reaching open water, the child stopped to rest and scanned the horizon to see if her protector was still alive. “I see nothing, not god nor beast. They must have gotten him,” she said, choking back tears.

After reaching the safety of the harbor and home, the child told her family what had happened. To honor this protector, they built a shrine in their home and offered libations and incense each day in his memory.

Many years later, when the child was old, she boarded a large ship and had it sail her to the skull rock. After a brief search of the cave, she found what she had come for: the bleached bones of her friend.

“So you lived after all. Now it’s time to come home, my friend, and be with family,” whispered the woman who promised him to keep his secret so no one would ever defile him again.