Cyclops

Cyclops, in Greek mythology, are one-eyed giants. The term derives from Greek kyklōps, meaning “circle-eyed” or “round-eyed.” In Hesiod’s Theogony and other early sources, the Cyclopes are primitive smiths who forge the weapons of the gods. Three notable Cyclopes—Brontes, Steropes, and Arges—are described as living in Tartarus (or Sicily, depending on source) and as makers of Zeus’s thunderbolt, Poseidon’s trident, and Hades’s helm of darkness. A separate, well-known Cyclops is Polyphemus, a shepherd who encounters Odysseus in the Odyssey; Odysseus blinds him to escape, incurring Poseidon's wrath on his voyage home.

Biology and taxonomy also use the name Cyclops. Cyclops is a genus of small freshwater crustaceans (copepods) in the family Cyclopidae, commonly called water fleas. They are widely distributed in freshwater habitats and frequently employed in ecological and toxicological research.

In modern popular culture, Cyclops appears in various adaptations and media. In Marvel Comics, Cyclops—real name Scott Summers—is a prominent superhero and leader of the X-Men, known for emitting powerful optic blasts from his eyes and for wearing a visor to control the energy. The term also appears in literature and film to evoke the mythic one-eyed gaze or as a symbolic figure of brute strength.