"Cyclops –
if any man on the face of the earth should ask you
who blinded you, shamed you so – say Odysseus,
raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 9, lines 560-562. Having outsmarted Polyphemus, Odysseus is making his escape in the ship with his men while the giant Cyclops hurls boulders at them. But excessive pride gets the better of Odysseus and he cannot help but shout back his name to Polyphemus. This fatal lapse in self-control by Odysseus will lead to epic misfortunates for Odysseus and his crew. The Greek hero’s hubris is repaid by Polyphemus who calls on his father Poseidon to avenge him. From that day Odysseus has nothing but ill luck and goes on to lose all his men. It will be ten years before he alone makes it home to his family in Ithaca, because he hurt the son of Poseidon.