This review paper investigates the relationship between symmetries of knots and links in the three-dimensional sphere, with a focus on cyclic symmetries, and their associated polynomial invariants. It examines the behavior of these polynomials in the case where the knot is set-wise fixed by the action of finite cyclic group on the 3-sphere. The study highlights how these invariants can obstruct the existence of such symmetries, providing valuable insights into the topological properties of these knots. The paper reviews established results on polynomial criteria for periodicity and their extensions to freely periodic links. It also explores generalizations to study the symmetries of virtual knots and spatial graphs.