Once upon a time, long ago, on the coast of Sicily lived a Cyclops named Polyphemus. Son of the sea god Poseidon, he was a monstrous creature. In the center of his giant forehead was one great eye. No one kept him company, and so he became lonely and furious. No passing ship could escape his harm.

Then one day, Polyphemus caught sight of the lovely Galatea, and the moment he saw her, he fell madly in love.

However, Galatea's heart belonged to a shepherd called Acis. Polyphemus was determined to win Galatea's love, and to this end, he forgot all his hatred.

One day, Polyphemus began to play upon his pipes, which he had made out of a hundred reeds. The music echoed off the cliffs surrounding him and off the surface of the placid sea. When Galatea heard the sound, she froze.

"It is the giant. He will never give up," she said to Acis. ∴К∩ПＷｗw.FａＩrＹ-ｔＡｌe．ＩｎＦｏД

Galatea hid her face against her beloved's neck. Acis held her close.

She shook her head as the Cyclops spoke. "Galatea, come to me. Everyone will bow down to you, for I will make you queen of the world."

Furious that his beloved remained hidden from him, Polyphemus wandered along the shore. Finally, he found them.

"You!" he roared, and the earth shook, and the waves at sea rose to great heights.

Terrified, Galatea dived into the sea, and Acis turned to run away, but the Cyclops hurled a rock at the fleeing shepherd. Acis stumbled as he ran, and as he did, the rock buried him.

Galatea watched from a distance, her heart broken. "No," she cried as she watched Acis die. She called on the gods to bless the spot where he fell.

Immediately, a crack appeared in the ground where Acis had died, and a river gushed from that crack and began to flow toward the sea.

Forever afterward Galatea mourned her love, and always she told the tale of the giant Polyphemus.

As for Acis, he became the river that flowed from the foot of Aetna to the sea, in tribute to the power of love.