Giants... the children of Uranus and Gaia
When Giants are the subject of conversation almost everyone is bound to think of the tale of "Jack and the Beanstalk" or "The BFG" by Roald Dahl. Yes, when you think about it, giants really do add the extra to the ordinary when one sees them as gargantuan beings who inhabit the human form and who obviously aren't plagued by the growth problems that many humans suffer (particularly the sore head after having bumped into that obstacle called a door frame!). Well, that's why some courteous soul designed their bodies especially for the comfortable fitting - that means no over-stretched limbs, no pressured bones and so on.
The Giant's frightening immensity really is the pith, the quintessence, the being of this unique monstrum - but that's really it. There is no great brilliance of mind (as that of the wizard) or ability to transform it's figure in order to protect it's anonimity (as the clever pixi might) - no, they are "just" flesh, blood and bones of the grandest kind, they are the elephants and whales of fantasy, a perfect scale with which other fantasmic inhabitants can judge material capacity.
When we, in our society today, say things like "Blimey! Did you see that giant of a man pass by just now?", we really use the description in vain for they are not in the least comparable with a tall human. They are beings of fantasy, fairy tale beings (which - by the way - is not a negation of their reality, for they are very real indeed!).
The "job" of the Giant in tales, legends etc. usually concerns either the reflection of plain good or evil, for the mass of their brain or intellect could hardly sustain any complicated "in-between". This would clearly be asking too much. The book "BFG" is a good example of this fact. On the one hand you have this Big Friendly Giant who sneeks around at night blowing good dreams into the open windows of sleeping children and who eats the most repulsive cucumber-like vegetables because he wouldn't dream of stealing any alternative foods out of human gardens. On the other hand you have awful, repulsive beings who form the perfect counter-weight to the BFG - Giants with absolutely no sense for righteousness what-so-ever, whose existance is based on nightly escapades into the human world, eating children of the countries for which they have developed some perverse appetite.
Some of the Giants I've heard of live in "herds" or in small groups with others of their kind. This is probably because of the fact that they like to share the company of others who certainly aren't the brightest. Surviving in a world of fantasy doesn't necessarily mean using physical strength to defend one's self, you'll probably find that it's quite the other way around and that mental power and the ability to analyze situations in an intelligent way are the main assets that enable most fantastic creatures to stay alive when in conflict. That is yet another reason why they often live in groups, for in their case mental strength has to be overruled by the physical power of which they have more than enough.
The "Ogre" is the counterweight to the more gentle, foolish Giant. The name "Ogre" belongs to a monstrous type of blood thirsty, man-eating creature whereas this word can also describe a cannabal creature of mortal size.
One with whom many are not acquainted is "Jack-in-Irons". He's from Yorkshire in England and tends to haunt lonely roads.
Giants carried some importance in greek myth. One of the children of Uranus and Gaia started a family known as the Titans. These three one-eyed Titans (also called Cyclops) forged thunderbolts for Zeus on the island of Sicily. The Titans tried to rule heaven but were over thrown by the family of Zeus.
In Great Britain a Giant called Bran the Blessed is seen as a protective symbol. His decapitated head was seen as a blessing wherever it was carried and was supposed to defend Britain from invasions as long as it was kept in London.
Another, called Cerne Abbas, was even recognized as a fertility god and was generally seen as a protective figure.
The Giant of Grabbist was a stone thrower and was said to compete with the Devil. His less destructive second-nature was revealed, however, as he lifted a fishing-boat out of a tumultuous sea in order to return it safely to the harbour.
Are Giants just great brutes of Fantasy? Some sort of human that comes in XL and whose purpose is to fill in the empty spaces that imagination has left behind, the good and the bad sort of character, the overwhelming strength and so on? We shall have to find an answer as to what they really are, an answer that provides big enough room to store his immense presence.
If you would like to see more of my images of giants then please click on the "Image Gallery" link in the navbar.
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