The specific Cyclops that they face is named Polyphemus,
whose father happens to be the sea god Poseidon. Cyclopses are a race of giant one-eyed
monsters that live on this island.
The important thing
about the Cyclops in the context of ancient Greece is that they are uncivilized. Being
"civilized" was an incredibly important virtue to the Greeks. (Although they thought ANY
non-Greek was uncivilized.) Of course it is a monstrous and villainous thing to do to
grab two men, kill them, and eat their bodies--but what is notable about this is the
fact that right before this happens, Odysseus tries to invoke
xenos. Xenos is the Greek virtue of
hospitality, which is tied with civilization. Homer's audience would have recognized
this immediately. Polyphemus ignores the invocation to xenos, and
does not act like a gracious "host" would.
Later on,
Polyphemus also drinks some unwatered wine that Odysseus gives him. In ancient Greece,
this was seen as the ultimate sign of barbarism. Civilized Greeks only drank wine that
was diluted with water. To them, only uncivilzed barbarians drank undiluted
wine.
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