|
|
|
The giants are the
personification of wild and unordered nature, and are thus
the born enemies of man, who can only exist on earth by
curbing nature and bringing it under the power of his
culture.
Through work man enjoys the support and the example of the
Gods. This forms the basis of the battle between the gods
and the giants that is one of the most popular themes in
mythology.
- In Germanic mythology for example, you have the thunder
demons who are challenged by Thor the God of thunder. Then
there are the Midgard serpent and the Fenris wolf etc.
- At the battle at the end of the world (Ragnarök) all the
giants will rise up against the Gods under the command of
Surtr (Surt) the God of fire, and the earth, the gods and
man will all be destroyed.
- As it was at the end, so it was at the beginning of the
world with the giants ever present; as everything is shaped
from the body of the primeval giant Ymir, the forefather of
the Hrimtrursen, who was killed by Odin... The cultural life
of men and gods is as a stage between the chaos of the
beginning and the end.
- For the Greeks it was the monsters of the Cyclops who
threatened man and God in the primeval times of the Titans
in their battle with Zeus.
. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Of the several hundred giants in Belgium,
the majority date from after 1830. Of the oldest ones there
are ‘het
Ros Beiaard’ (Bayard Steed) (1462) and ‘Goliath’
(Gouyasse 1486) in Ath. Aaten, the giant of
Mechelen, who, along with
the Giantess of 1549, the Grandfather of 1600 and the giant
children Janneke, Mieke and Claesje (Klaasje) of 1618 make
up the oldest complete giant family in Belgium. (The giants
are part of the UNESCO world heritage). There is also the
well-known legend of the giant
Druoon Antigoon which is
linked to the name Antwerp (hand throwing). Antigoon
demanded a toll from the mariners on the Scheldt until the
time that he was overthrown by the Roman soldier Brabo, who
chopped off his hand and threw it into the Scheldt at the
place where Antwerp now lies. |
|
Giant procession Roeselare |
Dendermonde 'Het Ros
Beiaard' |
|
|
|
|
The earliest mention of a giant in
Northern Holland is that of
Sint-Christoffel, who joined the procession
in Amsterdam in 1398. In Venlo Goliat (later called Valuas) was
carried around in 1485, and next to Valuas you could recognise his
spouse Geertrui, both belonging to the
Akkermansgilde. (arable farmers’ guild).
New giants appeared in Boxtel, Tilburg (1932) and Oesterwijk (1933).
LITT. C. de Baere, 'Onze ommegansreuzen’ (Our procession giants)
(1930); R. Meurant, 'Les géants de cortège en Belgique’ (Procession
giants in Belgium) (1958). |
| |
Folklore |
|
In Holland giants used to take part in ecclesiastical
processions. See Oekene,
the procession of the giants round the central
church tower.
In the Old Testament 1 Samuel 17. 'DAVID
and the giant GOLIATH'. The defeat of Goliath by the shepherd
boy David has taken on a theological theme – the emphasis is on ‘God’s
help’.
| |
From GREEK MYTHOLOGY: the mortal
GIANTS (awesome giants) brought forth by Mother Earth. |
|
 |
 |
AGRIOS, ALKYONEUS, ATHOS,
ECHION, ENKELADOS, EPHIALTES, EURYMEDON, EURYTOS, GRATION,
HIPPOLYTOS, KLYTIOS, MEROPS, MIMAS, PALLAS, POLYBOTES, PORPHYRION,
RHOITOS, THOAS, THOÖN. |
| Alkyoneus was immortal as long as he
remained in the land of his birth, Pallene. He fell to Mother earth,
slain by deadly arrows and when he began to come to his senses again
Hercules dragged him away, still in a dazed state, so that he would
die far from his own country. |
One of Zeus’ dogs kills a Titan. Scene on the
altar in the Temple of Pergamon (ca. 180 B.C.) |
| |
|
| |
From GREEK
MYTHOLOGY: the immortal TITANS |
 |
Greek mythology, Titans (Greek: Titanes),
a battle of the giants, this leads to the children of Uranus, heaven and
Gaea, Mother earth. (Gaja, Gaia):
six sons: |1 Oceanus, Okeanos|
|2 Coeus, Koios| |3 Crius, (Krios)| |4 Hyperion| |5 Iapetus, Japetos| |6
Cronus, Kronos| and six daughters: |1 Thea, Theia| |2 Rhea|
|3 Themis| |4 Mnemosyne| |5 Phoebe, Phoibe| | en |6 Thetis, Tethys|.
| |
Greek mythology: The Cyclops (Greek:
Kukloopes) |
|
Greek mythology: The Cyclops (Greek:
Kukloopes), giants with one eye in the middle of their forehead. Hesiodus (Greek
philosophical poet) knows three Cyclops, sons of Uranus and Gaea (Gaia, Gaja),
who were thrown into Tartarus (the kingdom of eternal darkness. Unfathomable
depths under the earth), but were freed by Zeus. They helped Zeus in his
battle against the Titans and forged his thunderbolts. They were probably
originally fire demons. |
