Cyclops

Siblings: The Hectaonchires, and the Titans

The **Cyclopes** are a primordial race of giants from Greek mythology, each with a single eye in the middle of their foreheads. The name is widely thought to mean "circle-eyed". They were believed by many to be man-eating monsters.

## Overview

These giants originated from three cyclopes who were also brothers and known as the elder cyclopes. The three brothers were Brontes, Steropes and Arges, and their names meant thunderer, lightning and bright respectively. This cyclopes were the primordial sons of Uranus and Gaea, making them brothers to the Titans and therefore related to the Olympians.

## History

### Background

At the time of the birth of these Cyclopes, their father Uranus held supreme power over the Earth but feared that he might lose this position, especially after witnessing the strength of the newborn Cyclopes. Uranus proceeded to imprison his own sons within Tartarus which caused great pain to Gaea. His next children, the Hekatoncheires, would follow the Cyclopes into imprisonment for the same reason, especially since they were even stronger than their brothers.

When their younger siblings the Titans rebelled against Uranus, the liberated Cyclopes and Hecatonchires supported Cronus in his coup d'etat to overthrow their father. They proved to be a deciding factor in the battle directly responsible for the Titans' victory; but because of their showcasing of power, Cronus came to fear the Cyclopes as well and imprisoned them in Tartarus instead of letting them keep their newfound freedom.

### Liberation of the Cyclopes

The giants remained there, guarded by the dragon Campe, until they and the Hecatoncheires, were freed once and for all by their nephews; Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. In gratitude, they aided the three brothers and fashioned Zeus' thunderbolts, Poseidon's trident and Hades' helmet of invisibility. To create Zeus' thunderbolt, Arges added the brightness, Brontes added the thunder, and Steropes the lightning. The cyclopes then aided Zeus in his battle against the Titans and with their help, Zeus finally deposed Cronus, just as Cronus did to his own father Uranus. The thunderbolt later became Zeus' trademark weapon and symbol.

### Blacksmiths of Hephaestus

After the war against the Titans, Zeus recognized the aid that the Cyclopes had given him, they were invited to live upon Mount Olympus. According to Hesiod, the Cyclopes were strong, stubborn, and "abrupt of emotion", to the point that they became synonymous with brute strength and power. These traits made them excellent blacksmiths for the Olympians and the favored apprentices of Hephaestus, who taught them within his great forge.

There the Cyclopes crafted many great weapons, trinkets, and armor for the Olympians. In time they also built the gates of Mount Olympus and the great cyclopean fortifications at Tiryns and Mycenae in the Peloponnese. According to the hymn, the noises proceeding from the heart of volcanoes were attributed to the underground forges were the Cyclopes worked.

## Description

### Society

Over the ages cyclopes have spread far and wide across the lands of the Earth, some living in more primal and brutish ways than others. Cyclopes such as these tended to capture entire herds of animals and keep them imprisoned in caves in a crude, primitive form of farming that allowed the cyclopes to eat the creatures at their leisure. Intelligent creatures were not spared by these cyclopes, and unless they could find a way to entertain or outsmart the monster, these humans too would be devoured all the same. The most famous of these Cyclops was Polyphemus, who was defeated by the hero Odysseus.

### Cyclopean Eye

While most creatures use binocular vision to gain depth perception, cyclops only have one eye. To compensate for this molecular vision, Cyclops will be seen nodding their heads as they go along, as if they were grooving to internal music. Their heads will constantly shift and rotate, swaying from side to side in a manner similar to snakes. While many of these motions may be thought of as strange, they actually enable the cyclops to change the position of the eye and so they can build a 3d model of the world around them, which they are able to recall with photographic accuracy.

## Common powers

**Aquatic Breathing:** Cyclops can breathe in both water and air and are capable of staying underwater as long as they like and reemerge ready to breathe oxygen again.

**Enhanced Craftsmanship:** Cyclops can flawlessly craft any item, such as forging the most potent weapons, the toughest armors, the most impressive structures, and the most powerful artifacts to sheer perfection.

**Fire Immunity:** Cyclops are immune to fire, being completely invulnerable to direct and indirect effects.

**Single Eye:** Cyclops have a single eye.

**Supernatural Condition:** Cyclops possess supernatural capabilities, attributes and aspects that are drastically beyond what is naturally possible.

**Vocal Replication:** Cyclops are able to mimic the voices of others or imitate sounds such as animal noises and explosions.

**Giant Physiology:** Cyclops either are or can transform into a giant, a humanoid being of prodigious size and strength common in the mythology and legends of many different cultures.