The word "giant" is derived from the Greek gigantes ("earth-born"), the giant children of Gaia. The giants were depicted in various forms, ranging from giant versions of humans to freaks with snakes for limbs and animal heads.
The giant Leon (identified with the Nemean Lion and the Sumerian Humbaba) was depicted with a human torso, the head and paws of a lion, and snakes for legs. The giant Typhon was a winged giant with serpents for legs, one hundred heads and one hundred snakes for fingers.
Norse mythology has giants (or half-giants, a distinction isn't made) who lack a humanoid form altogether. The most famous are the children of Loki. Sleipnir is an eight-legged horse, Jormungand is a giant snake, and Fenris is a giant wolf.
According to some sources Fenris ("fenman") went on to have children of his own. He took a wife from the giantesses or "troll-wives" of Ironwood, who bore giants in the shape of wolves like their father. These included Mánagarmr ("moon-hound"), Skǫll ("scorn") and Hati ("hate"). Because of the numerous similarities in asserted feats between the famous giant wolves, they are believed to be multiplications of the same figure.
So there's really no reason for giants in fantasy gaming to be limited to humanoid forms. Maybe a humanoid torso somewhere, but I still think that is arbitrarily limiting.
In the horror movie The Ritual, a grotesque giant monster appears. It is explicitly named as a jötunn (giant) and specifically a bastard child of Loki. It seems to have taken my above advice to heart.
 |
| The Ritual fan art by cinemamind |
The Slayer's Guide to Giants includes an unusual half-giant template to represent famous half-giant monsters like Sleipnir, Jormungand and Fenris.
Centaur giants have appeared in some fantasy supplements to my knowledge. I remember seeing jotun sleipnir centaurs and cyclops donkey centaurs somewhere.
Research Links
- http://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/giants.html
- http://www.theoi.com/Gigante/Typhoeus.html
- http://www.theoi.com/Gigante/GiganteLeon.html
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aether_in_battle_with_a_lion-headed_Giant.jpg
- http://www.weltevreden.com/The%20Altar%20of%20Zeus%20at%20Pergamon%20-%20An%20Analysis%20of%20the%20Classicizing%20Features%20in%20the%20Gigantomachy%20Frieze.htm
- https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/giants/fenrir/
- https://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/monsters.html#Moongarm
- https://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/aesir.html#Loki
- http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/tml/tml06.htm
- http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?119058-The-Slayer-s-Guide-to-Giants
No comments:
Post a Comment