Giants

Giants are enormous beings who appear in myths long before humans arrive.

Cyclopes

The One-Eyed Giant

Meet the Cyclopes, the famous one-eyed giants of Greek mythology! The slightly confusing thing is that there was more than one kind. Hesiod described three ancient Cyclopes called Brontes, Steropes and Arges. They were brilliant craftsmen who made Zeus’s thunderbolt, Poseidon’s trident and Hades’s invisibility helmet. Homer’s Odyssey gives us a completely different group of wild Cyclopes, including the terrifying Polyphemus, who traps Odysseus inside his cave. I used to think all Cyclopes were basically the same monster, but they really are not. Some helped the gods win a war, while others were enormous shepherds you definitely would not want inviting you in for dinner!

Fun fact: Some Cyclopes made Zeus’s thunderbolts. Others mostly threw enormous rocks at boats!

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Typhon

The Monstrous Storm Giant

Meet Typhon, possibly the most terrifying monster Zeus ever faced! Typhon was an enormous creature born from Gaia and Tartarus in Hesiod’s story. He had incredible strength, serpent-like heads, flashing eyes, fire and a collection of terrifying voices. Unlike monsters that threaten one hero or one town, Typhon challenged Zeus for control of the entire universe. Their battle shook the Earth, sea and sky before Zeus finally defeated him with thunder and lightning. Later stories said Typhon was trapped beneath volcanic mountains such as Mount Etna. I think he is the ultimate boss battle of Greek mythology. Zeus does not truly secure his rule until he has survived Typhon.

Fun fact: Typhon could make voices like gods, lions, bulls, puppies and hissing snakes!

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Ymir

Father of the Giants

Ymir is the first mighty being in the Norse creation story and the ancestor of the jötnar, the beings often called giants. He appears before the Earth, sea and sky have taken their familiar forms. Later, Odin and his brothers kill him and build the world from his enormous body. That makes Ymir both a living character and the raw material of creation. I find his story astonishing because mountains, clouds and oceans are imagined as parts of one ancient being.

Fun fact: Ymir’s own size must be cosmic because his body becomes the world.

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Surtr

The Fire Giant of Ragnarök

Surtr is the blazing jötunn who comes from the south at Ragnarök, carrying a sword brighter than the Sun. He fights the god Freyr and fire sweeps across the world after the gods’ final battles. His name is also written Surt or Surtur, and it probably means “black” or “the swarthy one”, perhaps suggesting something scorched. I think Surtr is frightening because he does not need a complicated plan. He waits at the edge of the mythic world until the moment when his fire can no longer be held back.

Fun fact: Surtr guards the fiery realm of Muspelheim with a blazing sword.

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