Giants in Greek Mythology: 5 Well Known Giants from Greek Mythology

Giants in Greek Mythology: The giants play a huge role in the battles of Greek mythology, and the mythology itself. According to this mythology, about 100 different giants took birth from the earth when Uranus’ blood fell upon the ground at Phlegra of Pallene. Not all the giants in Greek Mythology are similar in size but they all had supreme strength. In this article, we are going to read about 5 well known giants from Greek Mythology.

Alcyoneus

According to an ancient Greek writer named Apollodorus, Alcyoneus was the king of all giants. His height was 12.5 feet and he had extreme physical strength and obstinate character. He had the gift of immortality but only in Phlegra, the land of the giants. During Gigantomachy, Heracles or Hercules’ arrow hit Alcyoneus. Hercules then dragged him out of the land of giants and Alcyoneus died in a foreign land. The seven daughters of giant Alcyoneus are known as Alcyonides. When Alcyonides heard the news of their father’s demise, they threw themselves in the sea. Amphitrite, the sea goddess turned Alcyonides into halcyons, a mythical sea bird. And, Alcyoneus was buried beneath Mount Vesuvius.

Asterius

Asterius or Aster was the son of Anax. He was about 15 feet tall, and he fought bravely in the Gigantomachy. But the goddess who was responsible for his downfall was none other than Athena, daughter of the superior Zeus and the goddess of war. Some even believe that Athena killed Asterius and used his strong skin as her shield or Aegis, as she sustained to fight against other giants.

Enceladus

Enceladus was perhaps one of the most unattractive giants. Some accounts say that he had lower legs like that of a serpent and his feet were covered with the scales of a dragon. Just like Asterius, Enceladus was also the victim of goddess Athena in the Gigantomachy. Athena stabbed him with a spear on one side causing a near-fatal wound. While Athena wounded him, some accounts say that it was Zeus who killed Enceladus. According to tales, Enceladus was buried in Sicily, beneath Mount Etna. Like Alcyoneus, the fiery outbursts of this mountain were also believed to be Enceladus’ breath. The tale of Enceladus is so popular that still in some places of Greece people refer to an earthquake as “a strike of Enceladus”.

Mimas

Mimas fought a heroic battle in the Gigantomachy, but he was eventually destroyed. Different mythological tales present different causes for Mimas’ demise. According to Greek writer, Apollodorus Mimas was overpowered by Hephaestus, Athena’s husband, and his relentless “missiles of red-hot metal”. According to Euripides Mimas was killed by Zeus’ thunderbolt. Claudian writes that Mimas was killed by Athena’s brother and the god of war Ares. He was buried beneath Prochyte, an island off the shore of Naples. Some believe that after being buried his legs transformed into legs and went out to seek revenge.

Polybotes

Polybotes was said to be the most powerful among giants. Some accounts claim that he was about 18-20 meters long with venomous spikes and a fishy tail. His face was a hollow space crammed with poisonous pointed teeth and he had huge eyes that shine beneath the water to fright the passerby. He was capable of causing sea storms and tornados so he was big intimidation to fishermen. The sea god Poseidon was Polybotes’ great nemesis and they followed each other across the sea in an exaggerated exhibit of aggression. Eventually, Poseidon succeeded to entrap Polybotes in a cave by tossing an island on top of him and Polybotes could not do any further destruction and remained there.

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