Editing Giant (section)

==Religion and mythology==
===Abrahamic===
{{Primary sources section|date=September 2022}}
[[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] tells of the [[Nephilim]] before and after [[Noah's Flood]]. The word ''Nephilim'' is loosely translated as ''giants'' in some translations of the Hebrew Bible, but left untranslated in others. According to {{Bibleref|Genesis|7:23}}, the Nephilim were destroyed in the Flood, but Nephilim are reported after the Flood, including:

* The [[Anakim]]<ref name="bibleref2|Numbers|13:28–33">{{bibleref2|Numbers|13:28–33}}</ref>
* The [[Amorites]]<ref>{{bibleref2|Amos|2:9}}</ref><ref>[http://www.biblestudytools.com/concordances/naves-topical-bible/amorites.html Nave's Topical Bible: Amorites], Nave, Orville J., Retrieved:2013-03-14</ref>
* The [[Rephaite]]s,<ref>{{bibleref2|Joshua|12:4}}</ref> also known as The [[Emite]]s<ref>{{bibleref2|Deuteronomy|2:10}}</ref>

The [[Book of Numbers]]<ref name="bibleref2|Numbers|13:28–33"/> includes the discouraging report by the spies sent by [[Moses]] into [[Canaan]]: "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are. (...) All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like [[grasshopper]]s in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." The [[Book of Joshua]], describing the actual conquest of Canaan in a later generation, makes reference to such people living there in (Joshua 14:12–15 and Joshua 15:13–14).

[[File:Osmar Schindler David und Goliath.jpg|thumb|upright|[[David]] faces [[Goliath]] in this 1888 lithograph by [[Osmar Schindler]]]]
The Bible also tells of [[Gog and Magog#Giants|Gog and Magog]], who later entered European folklore, and of the famous battle between [[David]] and the [[Philistine]] [[Goliath]]. While Goliath is often portrayed as a giant in retellings of the Biblical narrative, he appears to be significantly smaller than other giants, biblical or otherwise. The [[Masoretic Text]] version of the [[Book of Samuel]] gives his height as six [[Biblical cubit|cubits]] and one span (possibly {{convert|313-372|cm|ftin}}),<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Samuel|17:4|he}}</ref> while the [[Septuagint]], the 1st-century Jewish historian [[Flavius Josephus]] and the 2nd–1st-centuries BCE [[Dead Sea Scrolls]] give Goliath's height as four cubits and one span (possibly {{convert|216-258|cm|ftin}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/James_Juris.htm|title=Variants of Bible Manuscripts|website=uop.edu|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227023513/http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/James_Juris.htm|archive-date=2008-12-27}}</ref> For comparison, the Anakites are described as making the Israelites seem like grasshoppers.<ref>{{bibleref2|Numbers|13:33}}</ref> See also [[Gibborim (biblical)|Gibborim]].

[[Josephus]] also described the Amorites as giants in his ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'', circa 93{{Nbsp}}CE, indicating that some sort of fossils may have been on display at that time:<ref>Freedman, David Noel, ed., ''The Anchor Bible Dictionary'', (New York: Doubleday, 1997, 1992).</ref> "For which reason they removed their camp to Hebron; and when they had taken it, they slew all the inhabitants. There were till then left the race of giants, who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were surprising to the sight, and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this very day, unlike to any credible relations of other men."<ref>Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'', Book 5, Chapter 2, Number 3, [http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-5.htm Antiquities of the Jews: Book 5], Retrieved: 15 March 2013</ref>

The [[Book of Enoch]] describes giants as the offspring of [[Watcher (angel)|Watcher]]s and women in 7:2.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe010.htm|title=The Book of Enoch: The Book of Enoch: Chapter VII|work=sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

===Armenian===
[[Hayk]] was known as the founder of the Armenian state. Hayk was part of a race of giants who helped construct the [[Tower of Babel]]. Ancient historian [[Movses Khorenatsi]] wrote, "Hayk was handsome and personable, with curly hair, sparkling eyes and strong arms. Among the giants he was the bravest and most famous, opponent of all who raised their hand to become absolute ruler over the giants and heroes."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Khatchadourian|first1=Arpine|title=David of Sassoun: An Introduction to the Study of the Armenian Epic|pages=18}}</ref>

[[Mount Nemrut]] is known to have received its name from an Armenian tradition in which [[Nimrod]] was killed by an arrow shot by Hayk during a massive battle between two rival armies of giants to the south-east of [[Lake Van]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Andrew|title=From the Ashes of Angels: The Forbidden Legacy of a Fallen Race|date=September 2001|publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781591439042|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-VkoDwAAQBAJ&q=hayk&pg=PT159}}</ref>

===Aztec===
[[Aztec mythology]] features the [[Quinametzin]], a race of giant men created in one of the previous [[Five Suns|solar eras]]. They are credited with the construction of [[Teotihuacan]].

===Basque===
Giants are rough but generally righteous characters of formidable strength living in the hills of the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]]. Giants stand for the Basque people reluctant to convert to Christianity who decide to stick to the old lifestyle and customs in the forest. Sometimes they hold the secret of ancient techniques and wisdom unknown to the Christians, like in the legend of [[San Martin Txiki]], while their most outstanding feature is their strength. It follows that in many legends all over the Basque territory the giants are held accountable for the creation of many stone formations, hills and ages-old [[Megalith|megalithic]] structures ([[dolmen]]s, etc.), with similar explanations provided in different spots.

However, giants show different variants and forms, they are most frequently referred to as [[Jentil|jentilak]] and [[Mairu|mairuak]], while as individuals they can be represented as [[Basajaun]] ("the lord of the forests"), Sanson (variation of the biblical [[Samson]]), Errolan (based on the [[Franks|Frankish]] army general [[Roland]] who fell dead at the [[Battle of Roncevaux Pass]]) or even [[Tartalo]] (a one-eyed giant akin to the Greek [[Cyclopes|Cyclops]] [[Polyphemus]]).

===Bulgarian===
{{Main|Ispolin}}
In [[Bulgarians|Bulgarian]] mythology, giants called [[Ispolin (Bulgarian mythology)|ispolini]] inhabited the Earth before modern humans. They lived in the mountains, fed on raw meat and often fought against [[dragon]]s. Ispolini were afraid of [[blackberry|blackberries]] which posed a danger of making the giants trip and die, so they offered sacrifices to that plant.<ref name="stoynev">{{cite book|last=Стойнев|first=Анани|author2=Димитър Попов |author3=Маргарита Василева |author4=Рачко Попов |title=Българска митология. Енциклопедичен речник|year=2006|publisher=изд. Захари Стоянов|language=bg|isbn=954-739-682-X|pages=147–148|chapter=Исполини}}</ref>

===Chilean===
{{see also|Chilean mythology}}
There are tales of giants in the northern Chilean port town of [[Caldera, Chile|Caldera]] telling of giants who play with ships moving them from one port to another.<ref name=Sonia2015>{{Cite book|title=Mitos de Chile: Enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos|last=Montecino Aguirre|first=Sonia|publisher=[[Catalonia (publisher)|Catalonia]] |year=2015|isbn=978-956-324-375-8 |pages=307–308|chapter=Gigante |language=es}}</ref> Tales of the same area also tells of giants who are able to crush humans with their feet and when laying down to sleep being so long as to reach from the mountains to the sea.<ref name=Sonia2015/> In some stories the giants are black humanoids or black bulls.<ref name=Sonia2015/> In [[Zona Sur|southern Chile]] there are stories of giants said to belong to certain volcanoes such as [[Calbuco (volcano)|Calbuco]] and [[Osorno (volcano)|Osorno]].<ref name=Sonia2015/>

The [[mythical city]] of [[Tololo Pampa]] in northern Chile is said to be guarded by a giant known by various names including; ''Pata Larga'', ''Gigante Minero'' and ''Minero Gigante''.<ref name=plath-79>{{Cite book |title=Folklore chileno |last=Plath |first=Oreste |publisher=Editorial Nascimiento |year=1979 |location=Santiago, Chile |pages=116 |language=Spanish |author-link=Oreste Plath}}</ref> The giant enters to the mountains to obtain riches to the princess of Tololo Pampa.<ref name=plath-79/> If a person manages to watch the giant while he works folklore says the person will be blessed with [[good luck]] for the rest of their life.<ref name=plath-79/>

===Greek===
{{Main|Giants (Greek mythology)}}
[[File:Herakles Antaios Louvre G103.jpg|thumb|right|[[Heracles]] faces the giant [[Antaios]] in this illustration on a calix [[krater]], c. 515–510 BC.]]
In [[Greek mythology]], the ''[[Giants (Greek mythology)|Gigantes]]'' (γίγαντες) were (according to the poet [[Hesiod]]) the children of [[Uranus (mythology)|Uranus]] (Ουρανός) and [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]] (Γαία) (spirits of the sky and the earth) where some depictions had them with snake-like legs. They were involved in a conflict with the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympian gods]] called the ''[[Gigantomachy]]'' (Γιγαντομαχία) when Gaia had them attack [[Mount Olympus]]. This battle was eventually settled when the hero [[Heracles]] decided to help the Olympians. The Greeks believed some of them, like [[Enceladus (giant)|Enceladus]], to lie buried from that time under the earth and that their tormented quivers resulted in [[earthquakes]] and [[volcanic eruption]]s.

[[Herodotus]] in Book 1, Chapter 68, describes how the [[Sparta|Spartans]] uncovered in [[Tegea]] the body of [[Orestes]], which was seven cubits long ⁠ ⁠—  approximately 3.73{{nbsp}}m, or about 12{{nbsp}}feet 3{{nbsp}}inches. In his book ''The Comparison of Romulus with Theseus'', [[Plutarch]] describes how the [[Athenians]] uncovered the body of [[Theseus]], which was "of more than ordinary size." The kneecaps of [[Ajax the Great|Ajax]] were exactly the size of a [[Discus throw|discus]] for the boy's [[pentathlon]], wrote [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]]. A boy's discus was about {{Convert|12|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter, while a normal adult [[patella]] is around {{Convert|5|cm|in|abbr=on}}, suggesting Ajax may have been nearly 14{{nbsp}}feet (over 4{{nbsp}}m) tall.

The [[Cyclopes]] are also compared to giants due to their huge size (e.g.{{nbsp}}[[Polyphemus]], son of [[Poseidon]] and [[Thoosa]] and nemesis of [[Odysseus]] in [[Homer]]'s [[Odyssey|''The Odyssey'']]). The Elder Cyclopes were the children of Gaia and Uranus, and later made [[Zeus]]' "master thunderbolt", Poseidon's trident, and [[Hades]]' "helm of darkness", during the [[Titanomachy]].

The [[Hecatoncheires]] are giants that have 100 arms and 50 heads who were also the children of Gaia and Uranus.

Other known giant races in Greek mythology include the six-armed [[Gegenees|Gegeines]], the northern [[Hyperborea]]ns, and the cannibalistic [[Laestrygonians]].

===Hindu===
There are accounts stating humans grew to the size of giants during the [[Satya Yuga]], the first of the four cyclical ages (yugas) in the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] reckoning of time.<ref>{{cite book |author=Roshen Dalal |author-link=Roshen Dalal |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |year=2010 |page=211|isbn=9780143414216 }}</ref>

===Jain===
According to [[Jainism]], there was a time when giants walked upon this earth.{{sfn|Zimmer|1953|p=226}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://global.britannica.com/topic/Tirthankara|title=Tirthankara|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> [[Jain cosmology]] divides the worldly cycle of time into two parts or half-cycles, ''avasarpani'' (age of descending purity) and ascending (''utsarpani'').{{sfn|Jain|2015|p=175}}

[[File:Jain Cosmic Time Cycle.jpg|thumb|Division of time as envisaged by Jains. Human beings are said to be much taller than today in the first four ''aras'' of ''avasarpani'' and last four ''aras'' of ''utsarpani''.]]
According to [[Jain texts]], the height of [[Rishabhanatha]], first ''[[tirthankara]]'' of the present half-cycle of time (''avasarpani'') was 500 ''dhanusa'' (longbow).{{sfn|Jain|2015|p=181}}
In ''avasarpani'', as the cycle moves ahead, height of all humans and animals decreases. The following table depicts the six ''aras'' of ''avasarpini''–
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#9c0; font-size:12pt; font-weight:bold;"
|  style="width:128.25; height:15.75;"| Name of the Ara
| style="width:167.25;"| Degree of happiness
| style="width:250.5;"| Duration of Ara
| style="width:250.5;"| Average height of people
| style="width:250.5;"| Average lifespan of people
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
| style="height:12.75;"| {{IAST|Sukhama-sukhamā}}
 | Utmost happiness and no sorrow
 | {{IAST|400 trillion sāgaropamas}}
 | Six miles tall
 | Three palyopama years
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
| style="height:12.75;"| {{IAST|Sukhamā}}
 | Moderate happiness and no sorrow
 | {{IAST|300 trillion sāgaropamas}}
 | Four miles tall
 | Two palyopama Years
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
| style="height:12.75;"| {{IAST|Sukhama-dukhamā}}
 | Happiness with very little sorrow
 | {{IAST|200 trillion sāgaropamas}}
 | Two miles tall
 | One palyopama years
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
| style="height:12.75;"| {{IAST|Dukhama-sukhamā}}
 | Happiness with  little sorrow
 | {{IAST|100 trillion sāgaropamas}}
 | 1500 meters
 | 705.6 quintillion years
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
| style="height:12.75;"| {{IAST|Dukhamā}}
 | Sorrow with very little Happiness
 | 21,000 years
 | 6 feet
 | 130 years maximum
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
| style="height:12.75;"| {{IAST|Dukhama- dukhamā}}
 | Extreme sorrow and misery
 | 21,000 years
 | 2 feet
 | 16–20 years
|}

===Norse===
{{main| Jötunn}}
In [[Norse mythology]], the {{lang|non|jötnar}} (cognate with {{langx|ang|eotenas}} and {{langx|en|[[wikt:ettin|ettin]]}}) are often opposed to the gods. While often translated as "giants", most are described as being roughly human-sized. Some are portrayed as huge, such as some frost giants (''hrímþursar''), fire giants (''eldjötnar''), and mountain giants (''bergrisar''). The {{lang|non|jötnar}} are the origin of most of various monsters in Norse mythology (e.g. the [[Fenrisulfr]]) and in the eventual battle of [[Ragnarök]], the giants will storm [[Asgard]] and fight the gods until the world is destroyed. Even so, the gods themselves were related to the {{lang|non|jötnar}} by many marriages and descent; there are also {{lang|non|jötnar}} such as [[Ægir]] who have good relationships with the gods and bear little difference in status to them. [[Odin]], often regarded as the chief god, is the great-grandson of the {{lang|non|jötunn}} [[Ymir]]. Norse mythology also holds that the entire world of men was created from the flesh of Ymir, a giant of cosmic proportions whose name is considered by some scholars to share a [[Root (linguistics)|root]] with [[Yama]] of Indo-Iranian mythology.

[[Troll]]s are beings that are sometimes very large. The name ''troll'' is applied to {{lang|non|jötnar}}.

An old [[Iceland]]ic legend says that two night-prowling giants, a man and a woman, were traversing the [[fjord]] near [[Drangey]] Island with their cow when they were surprised by the bright rays of daybreak. As a result of exposure to daylight, all three were turned into stone. Drangey represents the cow and Kerling (supposedly the female giant, the name means "old hag") is to the south of it. Karl (the male giant) was to the north of the island, but he disappeared long ago.

A ''bergrisi'' – the traditional protector of southwestern Iceland – appears as a [[supporter]] on the [[coat of arms of Iceland]].

===Paiute===
According to [[Northern Paiute people|Northern Paiute]] oral history, the [[Si-Te-Cah]] or Sai'i are a legendary tribe of red-haired [[Human cannibalism|cannibalistic]] giants, the remains of which were allegedly found in 1911 by [[guano]] miners in Nevada's [[Lovelock Cave]].<ref name="Loud, Llewellyn L. 1929">Loud, Llewellyn L.; M. R. Harrington (15 February 1929). "Lovelock Cave". University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology (University of California at Berkeley) 25 (1): 1–183.</ref> Furthermore, the Paiute creation story tells of "beautiful giants" who once lived between the [[Sierra Nevada]]s and the [[Rocky Mountains]]. After giving birth to a disfigured child, the giants treated the child so poorly that [[the Great Spirit]] responded by making the land hot and desolate and allowing enemies to conquer the giants. Only two giants survived: Paiute and his wife, both of whose skin became brown from eternally living in the hot desert.<ref name="Greene2005">{{cite book|last=Greene|first=Michael S|title=Nevada: A Journey of Discovery|year=2005|page=39|publisher=Gibbs Smith|location=Utah|isbn=1-58685-139-X}}</ref>

===Roman===
Several [[Jupiter Column|Jupiter-Giant-Columns]] have been found in [[Germania Superior]]. These were crowned with a statue of Jupiter, typically on horseback, defeating or trampling down a giant, often depicted as a snake. They are restricted to the area of south-western Germany, western Switzerland, French Jura, and Alsace.

===Other European===
[[File:Walter Crane King Arthur and the Giant Book I, Canto VIII.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[King Arthur]] faces a giant in this engraving by [[Walter Crane]].]]
In [[folklore]] from all over Europe, giants were believed to have built the remains of previous civilizations. The Danish historian [[Saxo Grammaticus]] thought giants had a hand in the creation of [[megalith]]ic monuments. Similarly, the [[Old English poetry|Old English poem]] ''[[The Seafarer (poem)|The Seafarer]]'' speaks of the high stone walls that were the work of giants. Natural geologic features such as the massive [[basalt]] columns of the [[Giant's Causeway]] on the coast of [[Northern Ireland]] were attributed to construction by giants.

In the Netherlands, giants are often associated with creating or forming the landscape. For instance, two giants are said to have dug a channel, until they reached the village of [[Akkrum]], where they had an argument and each went his own way, thus splitting the channel into two separate waterways. Others threw up hills, or became hills themselves when they died on the spot. In several legends, giants were evil beings that threatened, robbed and killed travellers or locals; such as [[Ellert and Brammert]], in the province of [[Drenthe]].

Medieval [[chivalry romance]]s such as the Spanish ''[[Amadís de Gaula]]'' feature giants as antagonists, or, rarely, as allies. This is parodied famously in Cervantes' ''[[Don Quixote]]'', when the title character attacks a windmill, believing it to be a giant. This is the source of the phrase [[tilting at windmills]].

Tales of combat with giants were a common feature in the folklore of the [[British Isles]]. Celtic giants also figure in [[Breton literature|Breton]] and [[Matter of Britain|Arthurian]] [[Romance (heroic literature)|romances]]. In [[Kinloch Rannoch]], a local myth has a local hill resembling a giant named as ''The Sleeping Giant''. Folklore says the giant will awaken only if a specific musical instrument is played near the hill. [[Giants (Welse folklore)|Giants]] are also prominent in [[Welsh folklore]].

Many giants in [[English folklore]] were noted for their stupidity.{{sfn|Briggs|1967|p=63}}  A giant who had quarrelled with the [[Mayor of Shrewsbury]] went to bury the city with dirt; however, he met a shoemaker, carrying shoes to repair, and the shoemaker convinced the giant that he had worn out all the shoes coming from [[Shrewsbury]], and so it was too far to travel.{{sfn|Briggs|1967|p=64}} Other English stories told of how giants threw stones at each other, which was used to explain many great stones on the landscape.{{sfn|Briggs|1967|p=65}}

Giants figure in folklore and fairy tales, such as ''[[Jack the Giant Killer]]'', ''[[The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body]]'', ''[[Nix Nought Nothing]]'', ''[[Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon]]'', ''[[Young Ronald]]'', and [[Paul Bunyan]]. [[Ogre]]s are humanoid creatures, sometimes of gigantic stature, that occur in various sorts of European folklore.

[[Rübezahl]], is a kind giant from [[German folklore]] who lived in the [[Giant Mountains]], along with the [[Bergmönch]], a giant mountain spirit.<ref>Wilhelm Grimm, Jacob Grimm: ''Deutsche Sagen''. Hamburg 2014, p. 34.</ref>

[[Antero Vipunen]] is a giant shaman that appears in the ''[[Kalevala]]'', meeting the epic hero [[Väinämöinen]] to teach him creation spells.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parkkinen.org/vipunen.html|title=Väinämöinen ja Antero Vipunen|work=parkkinen.org}}</ref>