Polyphemus

From the Early Pandora Wiki Canon Real world Wiki lore

Polyphemus is the gas giant that Pandora orbits. It is slightly smaller than Jupiter but heavier for its size, has no rings, and has fourteen moons, of which Pandora is one. The Na'vi call it Naranawm, meaning "great eye." Canon

What it looks like

Polyphemus is covered in bands of blue, white and pale orange clouds, with giant swirling storms, much like Jupiter. From Pandora it looks enormous, many times wider than our Moon looks from Earth, and it can be seen even in daytime. Canon

A gas giant has no solid ground to stand on. It is mostly hydrogen and helium gas, getting thicker and hotter the deeper you go. Real world

Polyphemus in Pandora's sky

• Polyphemus-shine. Sunlight bouncing off Polyphemus lights up Pandora's nights, so even "dark" nights are never fully dark. Canon
• Phases. Like our Moon, Polyphemus seems to change shape, from a thin crescent to a full glowing disc, depending on where the sun is. Real world Canon
• Eclipses. When Pandora moves into Polyphemus's shadow, the sun disappears for a while and the forest's glow comes out, even in the middle of the day. Canon
• Other moons. Some of Polyphemus's other moons can be seen in Pandora's sky as small bright discs. Canon

Pulling on Pandora

Polyphemus is so big and close that it pulls hard on Pandora. Its gravity squeezes and stretches the moon, which heats the inside and keeps volcanoes active. Its powerful magnetic field helps create the strong magnetic areas that hold up the floating mountains. Canon Real world

The same thing happens in our Solar System. Jupiter squeezes its moon Io so much that Io is the most volcanic place we know, with hundreds of active volcanoes. Real world

Where the name comes from

In Greek myth, Polyphemus was a one-eyed giant, a Cyclops, who trapped the hero Odysseus in his cave. Odysseus escaped by blinding the giant's single eye. A huge round planet hanging in the sky like a giant eye is a good match for the name, and the Na'vi name Naranawm, "great eye," says the same thing. Real world Canon

Real gas giants and their moons

In early Na'vi stories

Early Na'vi storytellers said Naranawm was the watchful eye of Eywa, keeping track of whether the world stayed in balance. When Polyphemus hung low and orange on the horizon, children were told the Great Eye was "looking closely," and to take only what they needed that day. Wiki lore

Wiki lore records other sky sayings from the early clans: Wiki lore

• "When the Eye closes, the forest opens its own eyes." Said during eclipses, when the forest glow comes out.
• "The Eye is thin tonight; walk softly." Said when Polyphemus was a thin crescent, the time when hunters rested.
• "Full Eye, full story." On the night of a full Polyphemus, an elder told one long story from memory. This was the story night of the early Na’vi.

Grandmother Ateyo's sky story "Naranawm Is Watching" comes from these old sayings. Wiki lore