Source-groundedThe Odyssey
All entities

Animal · Individual

Polyphemus’s finest ram

Published entity metadata

Read-only identity and editorial metadata.

Canonical name
Polyphemus’s finest ram
Disambiguator
None
Kind
Animal
Scope
Individual
Editorial note
No editorial note published.

Aliases

0

No aliases recorded.

Location presence

Phase 6 currently covers 24 processed books.

2
shore near Polyphemus’s cave1 observation
·Remembered

Polyphemus’s finest ram was driven down to the expedition shore.

See evidence text
“‘As he spoke he drove the ram outside, but when we were a little way out from the cave and yards, I first got from under the ram’s belly, and then freed my comrades; as for the sheep, which were very fat, by constantly heading them in the right direction we managed to drive them down to the ship. The crew rejoiced greatly at seeing those of us who had escaped death, but wept for the others whom the Cyclops had killed. However, I made signs to them by nodding and frowning that they were to hush their crying, and told them to get all the sheep on board at once and put out to sea; so they went aboard, took their places, and smote the grey sea with their oars. Then, when I had got as far out as my voice would reach, I began to jeer at the Cyclops.”
sea shore of the wooded goat island1 observation
·Remembered

Polyphemus’s finest ram was sacrificed on the goat-island sea shore.

See evidence text
“‘When at last we got to the island where we had left the rest of our ships, we found our comrades lamenting us, and anxiously awaiting our return. We ran our vessel upon the sands and got out of her on to the sea shore; we also landed the Cyclops’ sheep, and divided them equitably amongst us so that none might have reason to complain. As for the ram, my companions agreed that I should have it as an extra share; so I sacrificed it on the sea shore, and burned its thigh bones to Jove, who is the lord of all. But he heeded not my sacrifice, and only thought how he might destroy both my ships and my comrades.”

Claims

4
·Remembered

Polyphemus’s finest ram has thick wool beneath which Ulysses clings face-up throughout the escape.

See evidence text
“a ram finer than any of the others, so I caught hold of him by the back, esconced myself in the thick wool under his belly, and hung on patiently to his fleece, face upwards, keeping a firm hold on it all the time”
·Remembered

The finest ram exits last, burdened by both its heavy fleece and the hidden weight of Ulysses.

See evidence text
“the ram was going out, last of all, heavy with its fleece and with the weight of my crafty self”
·Reported

Polyphemus says his finest ram normally leads the flock at a run to mead or fountain and returns first at night, but now lags behind.

See evidence text
“You are not wont to let the ewes go before you, but lead the mob with a run whether to flowery mead or bubbling fountain, and are the first to come home again at night”
·Remembered

Polyphemus’s finest ram is awarded to Ulysses as an extra share and sacrificed to Jove on the seashore.

See evidence text
“As for the ram, my companions agreed that I should have it as an extra share; so I sacrificed it on the sea shore, and burned its thigh bones to Jove”

Additional evidence

Evidence records not already represented by a claim.

1
·Remembered
“there was a ram finer than any of the others”

Passage preview

Book 9 · Passage 31

‘As for myself I kept on puzzling to think how I could best save my own life and those of my companions; I schemed and schemed, as one who knows that his life depends upon it, for the danger was very great. In the end I deemed that this plan would be the best; the male sheep were well grown, and carried a heavy black fleece, so I bound them noiselessly in threes together, with some of the withies on which the wicked monster used to sleep. There was to be a man under the middle sheep, and the two on either side were to cover him, so that there were three sheep to each man. As for myself there was a ram finer than any of the others, so I caught hold of him by the back, esconced myself in the thick wool under his belly, and hung on patiently to his fleece, face upwards, keeping a firm hold on it all the time.