Polyphemus, Aquid and Galatea
Beautiful nereida Galatealoved her son Simefida, young Akida, and Akida loved nereida. More than one Akid was captivated by Galatea. Huge cyclops Polyphemus once saw the beautiful Galatea when she was swimming out of the waves of the azure sea, shining with her beauty, and he became inflamed with fierce love for her. Oh, how great is your power, golden Aphrodite! To the stern cyclops, whom no one dared approach with impunity, who despised the Olympian gods, and you breathed love into him! Polyphemus burns from the flame of love. He forgot his sheep and his caves. The wild cyclops even began to take care of his beauty. He combs his shaggy hair with a pickaxe, and cuts his unkempt beard with a sickle. He even became less wild and bloodthirsty.
Just at this time, a soothsayer sailed to the shores of Sicily Telem. He predicted Polyphemus:
- Your only eye, which is in your forehead, will be torn out by a hero Odysseus.
Polyphemus laughed rudely in response to the soothsayer and exclaimed:
- The stupidest of soothsayers, you lied! Already another one has taken possession of my eye!
A rocky hill jutted far into the sea, it dropped steeply to the ever-noisy waves. Polyphemus often came with his flock to this hill. There he would sit down, put a club at his feet, which was the size of a ship's mast, take out his pipe made of a hundred reeds and start blowing into it with all his might. The wild sounds of Polyphemus' pipe carried far across the sea, over the mountains and valleys. They also reached Akida and Galatea, who often sat in a cool grotto on the seashore, not far from the hill. Polyphemus played the flute and sang. Suddenly, like a mad bull, he jumped up. Polyphemus saw Galatea and Aquida in a grotto on the seashore and shouted in such a thunderous voice that an echo echoed on Etna:- I see you! Well, this will be your last date!
Galatea was frightened and rushed into the sea rather. Native sea waves protected her from Polyphemus. In horror, Akid seeks salvation in flight. He stretches out his hands to the sea and exclaims:
- Oh, help me, Galatea! Parents, save me, cover me!
The cyclops overtakes Akida. He tore off a whole rock from the mountain, waved it and threw it at Akida. Although only the edge of the cliff touched Polyphemus unfortunate young man, yet he was all covered with this edge and crushed. The scarlet blood of Akida flowed in a stream from under the edge of the cliff. Gradually the scarlet color of the blood disappears, the flow becomes lighter and lighter. Now it already looks like a river that has been muddied by a stormy downpour. It's getting lighter and more transparent. Suddenly the rock split, crushing Akida. A ringing reed has turned green in the crevice, and a fast, transparent stream flows out of it. A young man with a bluish complexion, wearing a wreath of reeds, appeared from the stream to the waist. It was Akid - he became a river god.