"And no one there could hope to rival Odysseus, not for his sheer cunning, at every turn of strategy he outdid us all" (Homer 131). The most striking instance of his cunning skills is his confrontation with Polyphemus. When he is trapped with his men in the cave, he manages to escape through the use of his strategic intelligence. First, Ulysses gets Polyphemus drunk and then blinds him. from the cave to escape. Odysseus' carefully crafted plan forces Polyphemus to unblock his own cave. The UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology (2009) says: "A key theme in the story of Odysseus is intelligence, even though he proves to be strong. very often he escapes trouble. » Odysseus shows his intuitive nature when he had wax put in his men's ears, which helped them avoid the tempting song of the sirens. Without this plan, he would have lost his men because they would have drowned in the shipwreck. Although he had to be tied up to avoid temptation, he saved his life and the lives of his sailors. This vital skill helped him on his journey and ensured his