Scholars believe the Cyclops myth may have begun when people saw the skull of a prehistoric dwarf elephant and misidentified its nasal cavity as one large eye socket, leading them to believe monstrous one-eyed humanoids roamed the Earth.
Today we know people and animals born with one eye have a rare genetic disorder called Cyclopia, which is "characterized by the failure of the embryonic prosencephalon to properly divide the orbits of the eye into two cavities".
Animals born with this congenital disorder rarely live very long, but a baby goat born in Assam, India nicknamed "The Cyclops Kid" has defied all expectations and may live to see goat-dulthood.
The Cyclops Kid was born on May 10, 2017 at the home of Mukhuri Das, who feels the cute little guy is a blessing from God:
I was shocked. It’s like a miracle and people have been coming to our place to see this baby goat. …It’s my responsibility to take care of the baby goat. I have been feeding him like a normal goat. It might be something from God that the baby goat was born in our house. He So many people are coming to our place to see this baby goat…
-Via Laughing Squid