After the Cyclops (Polyphemus) ate four of Odysseus’ men, the brave warrior hatched a plan to escape with the remaining men. Unfortunately, the Cyclops arrived home in the evening and after tending to his flock, he fed on two more men bringing the total to six. During the day, while the Cyclops was away, Odysseus and his men prepared a sharp wooden stake which they hid in the cave. After the Cyclops had downed the two men, Odysseus offered the Cyclops some wine he had brought. The Cyclops partook of the wine and asked Odysseus for his name. Odysseus lied that his name was Noman.
‘Cyclops, you ask my name and I will tell it you; give me, therefore, the present you promised me; my name is Noman; this is what my father and mother and my friends have always called me.’
“But the cruel wretch said, ‘Then I will eat all Noman's comrades before Noman himself, and will keep Noman for the last. This is the present that I will make him.’
The choice of name was very witty because as Odysseus and his men drove the hot stake into the sleeping Cyclops’ eye, the monster screamed for help. When the other Cyclopes arrived and tried to establish the cause of his screams, the Cyclops shouted that Noman (no man) was killing him by fraud. The other Cyclopes figured their colleague must be ill because his claims made no sense. According to them, the Cyclops was claiming that no man (Noman) or nobody was attacking him, and so they left.
“But Polyphemus shouted to them from inside the cave, ‘Noman is killing me by fraud; no man is killing me by force.’
“ ‘Then,’ said they, ‘if no man is attacking you, you must be ill; when Zeus makes people ill, there is no help for it, and you had better pray to your father Poseidon.’
“Then they went away,
Note: The above answer is for the fourth question (What was so clever about the name Odysseus chose to tell Polyphemus?). Please make separate posts for the unanswered questions (one question per post). Thanks.
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