Monster Essays: Cyclops

Another mostly background species, though starred a cyclops in a Haunted Rose fic. Big, friendly, kinda awkwrard, and with tiny wives, them cyclopses!

Dylan Eywind

History of Interspecies Relations II

With Eye Wide Open. The History of Cyclopses.

**A+. Interesting theories and analysis. I’d like to speak to you about your improvement and possible career paths in this direction.**

Along with minotaurs and centaurs came cyclopses. Due to the time of their appearance, lack of unique powers and general association among the large and strong races, the cyclops entered the world of humans and other monsters while creating few real waves. They were common neighbors to the other hidden races, so their reveal was little surprise and among many other revolutionary times. 

Cyclopses are large bipeds with skin varying from brick red to the more common orange. Most (but not all) possess a single short horn around the forehead that appears to be to protect their eye. The two things seem to make the cyclopses so unique are their single eye and their sexual dimorphism. That is to say, the notable lack of physical difference between their men and women beyond that of other races. This appears to be a result of their evolutionary results from a longstanding social caste system, maintaining the tradition of males as providers and fighters while women were often kept away from such duties. Cyclopian society has changed drastically since then, but the biological changes don’t seem to kick in so quickly.

The main trait that all cyclops share is that they have a single eye. The eye is larger and more complex than a normal creature’s, able to see with impeccable accuracy and range. For all its usefulness, cyclopses have shaky depth perception and can be sensitive to bright lights. The sensitivity often leads them to wear specialized contact lenses over their singular eye, a delicate craft made by their specialized glass blowers. Warnings once used exclusively to warn humans of seizures are often only approached by cyclops with cautionary glasses or lenses. 

Their reported issues with depth perception and their height often leads to discomfort around certain races; cyclops are notably one of the few species who hesitate about the company of goblins. It has no real social implications beyond they’re often afraid of stepping on them. Their bulk also makes the commonly come in contact (or competition) with orcs and ogres as some of the largest and strongest races.

When examining cyclops culture, the development of male to female differences are unsurprising. Cyclops females make up a smaller portion than males, which led to them being sheltered by males in early evolution. Men stand the tallest of the commonly known races, easily reaching seven feet tall on average. They have stocky, muscular builds that make them solid and heavy. Females are drastically different in terms of shape. Females stand between four and five feet tall with very wide, plump builds. While all cyclops have thick skin that makes them notably durable, they completely lack the musculature of their male counterparts. Their soft and solid builds make females still compatible with their mates, as cyclops are among many races less endowed than your normal human being.

Between comfort, curiosity and a slight boost in their population, cyclops have been steadily easing up on these traditions over the last several decades. Females now commonly enter the workplace and some even take on partners from other races. While considered archaic, the protective nature of cyclopses has them noted as incredibly loving and attached partners who adore family, whether genetic or found. This has led to interesting results in modern society. Most notably, cyclopses are very common foster parents to adopted children. They are also considered one of the more difficult monsters to court, as one will have to win over their protective family before long. However, once someone has their trust, cyclopses are traditionally loyal and welcoming creatures to any race, happy to lend their strength to any community.