Illustration of giants from Mundus Subterraneus by Athanasius Kircher (1664). The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. Giant is the English word commonly used for such bein


Illustration of giants from Mundus Subterraneus by Athanasius Kircher (1664). The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. Giant is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived he gigantes of Greek mythology. In various Indo-European mythologies, gigantic peoples are featured as primeval creatures associated with chaos and the wild nature, and they are frequently in conflict with the gods, be they Olympian, Nartian, Hindu or Norse. There are also accounts of giants in the Old Testament, most famously Goliath. Attributed to them are extraordinary strength and physical proportions. Fairy tales such as Jack the Giant Killer have formed our modern perception of giants as stupid and violent monsters, sometimes said to eat humans. In some more recent portrayals, giants are both intelligent and friendly, as in Gulliver's Travels.


Size: 3000px × 3726px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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