Was there ever a time when giants strolled around on the Earth? It is one of those topics where you get caught and imagine it-especially since tales of giants seem to pop up in cultures all over the world. From the time of Goliath in the Bible to the giant race of Norse mythology, the Jotnar, giants have loomed large in our imagination for centuries. The question is, though, if these are just exaggerated tales or legends rooted in some actual historical truth.
The Stories
Let's begin with the myths. It would appear that practically every culture in the world has some version of giants. Greek mythology contains the Titans, giant god-like creatures defeated by the Olympians, and the Bible contains one of the most famous giants in Goliath who, depending on translation, stood over nine feet tall and was felled by the much smaller David. While in Norse, giants were a whole race of beings, contrasting with gods by fighting them and sometimes even mingling with people.
Interesting here is the fact that these stories cross over several continents and even centuries. Not that the Vikings sat around telling stories with people from the Middle East in the distant past, but these massive, human-like creatures appeared in both mythologies. It begs the question of whether there is some universal human fascination with the idea of giants. Alternatively, was there something people encountered that made them think there really was such a thing as a giant?
Digging for Clues
If you have ever been down the internet rabbit hole regarding this subject, you have no doubt seen various claims regarding the discovery of "giant skeletons" throughout the world. Headlines like "18-foot skeleton unearthed! " are usually accompanied by some blurry photo that looks like it has been through one too many Photoshop filters. The truth is, many of these images have been debunked as hoaxes.
That said, there is some hard science that can account for where such tales may have originated.
Take gigantism, for instance. That is a very rare condition resulting in too much growth and often finds individuals towered above average. Robert Wadlow, the tallest man recorded, actually reached 8 feet 11 inches—and he lived in the 20th century! Imagine some kinda guy like that livin' in a time when people are shorter, and there's no such thing as modern medical explanation for it. Of course, people would think they were seeing a giant.
But what about ancient giants? Well, some scientists theorize that the finding of massive bones from extinct animals-be it mammoths or even dinosaurs-may have led early humans to believe they were simply uncovering the remnants of huge human-like animals. After all, if you found a femur the size of you being tall, you can almost appreciate how fanciful your imagination may run.
The Nephilim: Fact or Fiction?
The most interesting theories about giants originate from the combination of religion and archeology. It is in the Bible that one finds the mention of the **Nephilim**-a race of giants, the offspring of "the sons of God" and the "daughters of men." There are people who take this to be the evidence for the fact that giants really walked on Earth, and there has been sufficient speculation about the Nephilim-who they actually were or what they actually were.
Theories vary from their being a metaphor for fallen angels to a historical race of people with unusual height. Of course, there's no hard scientific evidence to support such an idea that the Nephilim really existed, but the concept is definitely intriguing, and it's one of those ideas that keeps on popping up in both religious and conspiracy circles.
Fossils, Legends, and Misunderstandings
Add to that the fact that our ancestors were not as enlightened concerning fossils and anatomy as we are today, and when they did happen upon the remains of large animals, it was unknown to them that they were dealing with a now long-extinct species of animal. The natural conclusion perhaps might have been that these were the bones of an ancient race of enormous people. This theory derives some weight from the fact that ancient texts sometimes refer to creatures that sound suspiciously like dinosaurs.
And of course, there is the cultural explanation for it: giants in myths are often symbolic, representing bigger-than-life challenges or fears. And then there is just something in the concept of huge and humanoid that really captures people's attention. It speaks to our understanding of the world as being full of both wonder and danger.
Wrapping It Up
And so, did giants really exist? It is difficult to ascertain conclusively. The evidence, at best, is shaky; the legends and stories persist, however. Maybe the truth lay somewhere in between: maybe the giants of myth were inspired by real people who were unusually tall for their times, or by the discovery of oversized bones that could not be explained quite so easily.
One thing is for certain: giants are here to stay. Whether they actually existed or not, they'll be stuck in our minds, towering over us, at least in stories and folklore, if not indeed an occasional conspiracy theory. For, honestly, who doesn't love a good mystery?
Final Thoughts: What Do You Think?
Is there any forgotten truth in the stories of giants, or do they exist only in fantasy? It's a question to which one might never know the real answer, but it's fun to speculate. Next time you hear that rumble in the distance, maybe you'll be thinking, "Was that just thunder, or is something big coming our way?
