Gigantes
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Image:Dionysos Giant Louvre G434.jpg In Greek mythology, the Gigantes were a race of giants, children of Ge (the primordial Earth mother), who was fertilized by the blood of Ouranos that resulted from his castration by Cronus.
The primordial Gigantes rose up in arms against the Olympians in an attempt to end the Olympian reign. They tested the strength of the Olympian gods in what is known as the Gigantomachia or Gigantomachy. Led on by Alcyoneus and Porphyrion, the Gigantes hoped to reach the top of Mount Olympus by stacking the mountain ranges of Thessaly, Pelion and Ossa, on top of each other. The Olympians called upon the aid of Heracles after a prophecy warned them that he was required to defeat the Gigante. Heracles slew not only Alcyoneus, but dealt the death blow to the Gigantes who has been wounded by the Olympians. "Power is latent violence, which must have been manifested at least in some mythological once-upon-a-time. Superiority is guaranteed only by defeated inferiors," Walter Burkert remarked of the Gigantomachy (Burkert p 128) Image:Encelade versailles.jpg
This battle parallels the Titanomachy, a fierce struggle between the upstart Olympians and their older predecessors, the Titans (who lost the battle). In the Gigantomachia, however, the Olympians were already in power when the Gigantes rose to challenge them. With the aid of their powerful weapons and Hercules, the Olympians defeated the Gigantes and quelled the rebellion, confirming their reign over the earth, sea, and heaven, and confining the Gigantes to the Netherworld.
Whether the Gigantomachia was interpreted in ancient times as a kind of indirect "revenge of the Titans" upon the Olympians—as the Gigantes' reign would have been in some fashion a restoration of the age of the Titans— is not attested in any of the few literary references. In iconic representations, however, the Gigantomachy was a favorite theme of the Greek vase-painters of the fifth century (illustration above right).
The Gigantes were Alcyoneus or Alkyonios, Athos, Clytias or Klytias, Enceladus (or Enkelados), Echion and Pallas.
References
- Walter Burkert, Greek Religion 1982. p 128
- Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities: "Gigantes"cs:Gigant
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