Did Giants Once Walk the Earth?
Legends throughout the world have spoken of a race of giants that once walked the Earth.
The Holy Bible speaks about the offspring of "the sons of God and the daughters of man," indicating that angels who desired earthly pleasures impregnated the women of human origin. It is believed by some that these were the Nephilim, theorized to be gigantic in stature. Arguments have risen in the theological community for centuries as to what the Nephilim were, or if they were indeed the giants that seemed to be described. However, what cannot be argued is that Judeo/Christian doctrines are not the only ones who speak of a giant human species.
Before the Bible was even conceived of, there were oral histories passed down from generation to generation in Sumer (Mesopotamia), Greece, Rome, Egypt, and elsewhere. Many of these legends speak of powerful gods and goddesses that were larger than life. History has relegated these legends to the "myth" status, and they are not seen as actual historical accounts. However, it is noteworthy that there were many, many of these legends all over the world at one point.
How did so many different cultures who had nothing to do with each other end up with such similar stories of earlier times?
Legends of Giants in Mediterranean Countries
The legends of giants in the Mediterranean countries are probably the most widely known and discussed.
Beyond the Biblical accounts (such as David and Goliath), there are the accounts of the Babylonian king Gilgamesh. In stone tablets that have been recovered, there are images carved of Gilgamesh taking on a lion. In looking at the scale of the ancient carvings, it appears this man had to have been at least 12 to 14 feet tall taking into consideration the size of the lion he is portrayed to have slain.
The legend of Gilgamesh is very similar to the Greek's Herkales, the Roman's Hercules, and the Egyptian's Osiris.
"On the earth there once were giants. - Greek poet Homer, 400 B.C.E."
Greek Legends of Ancient Giants
The Greek accounts of ancient times are fanciful and filled with tales of giant men taking on the gods and goddesses.
Giants were referred to in writings as "gigantes" or "Titans" in the works of the epic poet Hesiod, and were said to be the offspring of Uranos and Gaea.
In both Greek and Roman scenarios, the gods and goddesses were in conflict with these giants, who wanted control over the land. It had been prophesied that the son of a god and a mortal would be needed for the Olympians to win against the giants.
In Greek legends, it was Herkales, the son of Zeus and Alcemene who went on to lead the Olympians to victory in his epic battle with the giant Antaeus.
Norse Legends of Giants
Norse mythology originates from Northern Europe, and many of the same elements are there in regards to a race of giants fighting the gods. They were referred to as the Jotun, although they were not thought to be quite as large as others of Norse lore, such as the hrimpusar (frost giant) and the bergrisar (mountain giant).
There is even a legend of humankind being created from the flesh of Ymir, who was said to be a giant of massive size.
There are also the giants that are said to defeat the gods in the final battle of Ragnarök.
Most of the giants described in Norse legends are of the monstrous variety and are to be feared.
Native American Legends of Giants
Giants appear in many other legends, including those of people indigenous to what is now the United States (more often known as Native Americans).
Nations that inhabited the North-eastern and Southwestern parts of the country often spoke of a race of "red haired" giants. One of these legends includes that of the Paiute tribe that was predominant in the southwest area of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. The legend says the giants (also known as “Si-Te-Cah”) existed before the tribe migrated there thousands of years ago. Si-Te-Cah means "tule eaters" which is a plant that grows underwater. These giants were said to be twelve feet in stature with flaming bright red hair, and are generally described as menacing.
It was said that all the tribes of the area stood together against these giants and chased them into a cave. The giants refused to leave the safety of the cave, so the Paiutes along with the other tribes, set the cave on fire. The cave then collapsed during an earthquake, sealing the entrance shut.
Interestingly enough, when the area was mined for fertilizing materials there were several fossils discovered in the early 1920s. Along with those fossils were the well preserved human like skeletons, one male and one female. The female was over six feet tall and the male was over eight feet.
Along with the discovery of the skeletons, there were many other artifacts found including a circular calendar that had the number of days and weeks of a year etched into it.
8 to 10 Foot Tall Skeletons! In 1931, two more skeletons were discovered in Lockport Nevada that measured from eight to ten feet tall.
Giant Human Femur
Model of a giant human femur is on exhibit at Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum.
The sculpture is mounted over a drawing to scale to show how large this person was.
Is this proof that giants did in fact exist and the Earth in the past?
Legends of Giants in Ancient Cultures
The list goes on for areas of the world whose ancient cultures made references to giants.
The area that spans the borders of France and Spain, called the Basque Country, was said to be inhabited at one time by the jentilak and the mariuak. These giants were certainly intimidating, however they were advocates for the Basque people who were resistant to the Christian doctrines.
Many of these giants have similarities to ones referred to in other cultures, such as the one eyed giant Tartalo that resembles the Greek Cyclops.
There are some that believe the giant megaliths that have been built throughout the world were indeed built by these massive creatures.
Gigantism
Gigantism, a disease that affects a scant few of the world's population, can cause a person to become unusually tall, and yet that would not explain that an entire race (or races) of giants would have once walked the earth.
There has certainly been enough found to pose the question of these creatures once inhabiting the planet, and the similarities of different legends involving giants are also noteworthy. What happened to them? Were they truly the fallen angels that disobeyed God and felt the wrath or were they here long before humans walked the earth?
These questions and many others continue to be asked as searchers for the truth keep looking for the answers.
Artifacts and Skeletons of Ancient Giants
There are more than just the legends to support the existence of giants.
Artifacts and skeletons have been found which indicate there have indeed been people at one time who were much larger than average height. Some have turned out to be hoaxes, but there have been tools found in various parts of the world. Large sledgehammers in abandoned mines have been discovered in such places as Wales and India as well as giant axes and swords in Iran.
There was also a mass grave of giants reported to have been found in South-eastern Turkey in the 1950s whose leg bones were measured at nearly four feet tall from hip joint to knee. It is interesting to note that while many of these findings claim to be documented, it is difficult to find anything concrete. It certainly isn't helped by deliberate hoaxes such as the giant skeleton that was said to have been uncovered in the Arabian desert. Reported as fact, even sometimes to this day, it was actually a contest entry for a convincing photograph of an archaeological find.
There are some very interesting theories as to why the documentation is hard to locate, and much of it involves the alleged efforts of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian is a large museum and research complex that is located primarily in Washington DC, however there are sites in New York City, Virginia, and others.
When evidence of the Adena (mound builders of North America that were very large in stature) was discovered, members of the institution wanted to portray their own interpretation of what history had been. Rather than the Adena being a race separate from the indigenous people, they were actually evidence of how advanced the Native Americans were, according to these proponents. Some claim that this is why any evidence of giants is sequestered away, hoping that it will be forgotten. It must be noted that this is a theory, and the Smithsonian has denied any efforts to conceal facts.
The Sumerian Civilization tells of a race of giants which ruled over the Sumerians, and there are many depictions of them. Sumerian records speak of a giant king by the name of Gilgamesh who ruled for 126 years. He is generally seen by scholars as an actual historical figure since inscriptions have been found which confirm the existence of other figures associated with him. In Ancient Egypt, there are hundreds of depictions of giants, and the Egyptian records describe the old pharaoh dynasties to be a race of tall giants, and hundreds of giant sarcophagus were also found, but the mummies there were long looted.
The Book of Genesis, which is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, tells us the story of an ancient giant race called the Nephilim. The story of the Nephilim giants is in other ancient manuscripts – The Book of Enoch. The Watchers who were fallen angels, interbred with the women on earth, and as a result, the Nephilim giants were born.
It seemed to be quite "normal" to find bones of giants in the USA when the first settlers dug ancient mounds to prepare for roads, gardens and buildings.
I have found quite a lot of old newspaper articles:
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Download all newspaper articles here:
To search Library of Congress for digitalized newspaper articles for more about giants - click here!
On Demand Documentary's
There has been more than 1,500 articles/reports of giants in newspapers and journals so have the giants of the old been covered up? you decide here is a good read:
The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America:
The Missing Skeletons and the Great Smithsonian Cover-Up
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