12 Ships
12
12 Ships
12
The Cyclops ate Odysseus' men.
Odysseus does not intentionally sail to the land of the Cyclops but ends up there when sailing home, possibly sent by the gods, or by Fate herself.
After Odysseus "visits" the cyclops, he and his men go to the Land of the Dead.
Cyclops, which would happen to be polyphemus.
Odysseus takes 12 of his best men to explore the land of the cyclops including Polyphemus' cave.
In retrospect it was not. But Odysseus could not know this in advance, could he?
12 Ships
Odysseus defeated the cyclops in book IX, he also escaped the Land of the Lotus Eaters in that chapter.
When Odysseus reaches the land of the Cyclops, his responsibilities are to protect his crew, find a way to escape the Cyclops Polyphemus, and ensure the safe return home of himself and his men. This includes devising a plan to blind Polyphemus and then escape from his cave without being caught.