I love reading about Greek mythology. So much of what we entertain ourselves with today has roots in the fantastic works of the ancient Greeks. So when I came across this article, it really captured my interest.
You can’t say that this is the absolute fact on the true origin of the Cyclops mythology, but it makes pretty good sense to me, so I’ll share with you.
The one evidence-based origin story of the Cyclops legend, advanced by the paleontologist Othenio Abel in 1914, is the prehistoric dwarf elephant skulls – about twice the size of a human skull – that may have been found by the Greeks on Cyprus, Crete, Malta and Sicily. Abel suggested that the large, central nasal cavity (for the trunk) in the skull might have been interpreted as a large single eye-socket. Given the inexperience of the locals with living elephants, they were unlikely to recognize the skull for what it actually was.
If I was an ancient dweller running around ancient Greece and nearby parts, and came across this thing with the knowledge at hand, I sure would be telling my friends grand stories of the one-eyed monster we found! It’s pretty cool story and makes sense, so I’m going with it! Do you agree?