William the Conqueror had a bow which no arm but his own could bend.
Robin Hood’s bow could be bent by no hand but his own.
⁂ Statius says that no one but Kapăneus [Kap´.a.nuce] could poise his spear.
His cypress spear with steel encircled shone,
Not to be poised but by his hand alone.
Thebaid, v.
Ulysses’s Dog, Argus, which recognized his master after an absence of twelve years. (See Theron, King Roderick’s dog.)
Ulysses and Polyphemos.
Ulysses and his crew, having reached the island of Sicily, strayed into the cave of Polyphēmos, the giant Cyclops. Soon as the monster returned and saw the strangers, he seized two of them, and, having dashed out their brains, made his supper off them, “nor entrails left, nor yet their marrowy bones;” then stretched he his huge carcass on the floor, and went to sleep. Next morning he caught up two others, devoured them for his breakfast, then stalked forth into the open air, driving his flocks before him. At sun-down he returned, seized other two for his supper and after quaffing three bowls of wine, fell asleep. Then it was that Ulysses bored out the giant’s eye with a green olive stake heated in the fire. The monster roared with pain, and after searching in vain to seize some of his tormentors, removed the rock from the mouth of the cave to let out his goats and sheep. Ulysses and his companions escaped at the same time by attaching themselves to the bellies of the sheep, and made for their ship. Polyphemos hurled rocks at the vessel, and nearly succeeded in sinking it, but the fugitives made good their flight, and the blinded monster was left lamenting.--Homer, Odyssey, ix.
⁂ An extraordinary parallel to this tale is told in the third voyage of Sindbad, the sailor. Sindbad’s vessel was driven by a tempest to an island of pygmies, and advancing into the interior, the crew came to a “high palace,” into which they entered. At sundown came home the giant, “tall as a palm tree; and in the middle of his forehead was one eye, red and fiery as a burning coal.” Soon as he saw the intruders, he caught up the fattest of them and roasted him for his supper, then lay down to sleep, and “snored louder than thunder.” At daybreak he left the palace, but at night returned, and made his meal off another of the crew. This was repeated a third night, but while the monster slept, Sindbad, with a red-hot spit, scooped out his eye. “The pain he suffered made him groan hideously,” and he fumbled about the palace to catch some of his tormentors “on whom to glut his rage;” but not succeeding in this, he left the palace, “bellowing with pain.” Sindbad and the rest lost no time in making for the sea; but scarcely had they pushed off their rafts when the giant approached with many others, and hurled huge stones at the fugitives. Some of them even ventured into the sea up to their waists, and every raft was sunk except the one on which Sindbad and two of his companions made their escape.--Arabian Nights (“Sindbad, the Sailor,” third voyage).