Gigantes

The Giants in Greek mythology are called the Gigantes (Γίγαντες). They were (according to the poet Hesiod) the children of Ouranós (Ουρανός) and Gaia (Γαία) (Primordial gods of the sky and the earth), and some depictions had them with snake-like legs. They were involved in a conflict with the Olympian gods called the Gigantomachy (Γιγαντομαχία) when Gaia had them attack Mount Olympus. This battle was eventually settled when the hero Heracles decided to help the Olympians.

Types of Gigantes: The Cyclopes, Hecatoncheires, Gegeines, the northern Hyperboreans, and the cannibalistic Laestrygonians.

Giants in the Gigantomachy[]

The Giants (Gigantes)
Greek Name	English Name	Description
Ἀλκυονεύς	Alcyoneus	Usually considered to be one of the Gigantes, slain by Heracles.
Χθόνιος	Chthonius	A Giant mentioned in the Dionysiaca, presumably defeated by Dionysus.
Δάμυσος	Damysus	The fastest of all the Giants in the Greek mythology.
Ἐγκέλαδος	Enceladus	A Giant typically slain by Athena, said to be buried under the volcanic Mount Etna in Sicily.
Μίμας	Mimas	According to Apollodorus, he was killed by Hephaestus, or by others Zeus or Ares.
Πάλλας	Pallas	According to Apollodorus, he was flayed by Athena, who used his skin as a shield.
Πικόλοος	Picolous	A Giant who fled the battle but was slain by Helios.
Πολυβώτης	Polybotes	A Giant typically slain by Poseidon, said to be buried under the volcanic island of Nisyros.
Πορφυρίων	Porphyrion	One of the leaders of the Gigantes, typically slain by Zeus.
Θόων	Thoas/Thoon	A Giant killed by the Moirai.

List of Giants[]

Aezeius (Αἰζειός): His son Lycaon was possibly the maternal grandfather of a Lycaon who was king of Arcadia.
Agrius (Ἄγριος): According to Apollodorus, he was killed by the Moirai (Fates) with bronze clubs.
Alcyoneus (Ἀλκυονεύς): According to Apollodorus, he was (along with Porphyrion), the greatest of the Giants. Immortal while fighting in his native land, he was dragged from his homeland and killed by Heracles.According to Pindar, he was a herdsman and, in a separate battle from the Gigantomachy, he was killed by Heracles and Telamon, while they were traveling through Phlegra. Representations of Heracles fighting Alcyoneus are found on many sixth century BC and later works of art.
Alektos/Allektos (Ἀλέκτος/Ἀλλέκτος): Named on the late sixth century Siphnian Treasury (Alektos), and the second century BC Pergamon Altar (Allektos).
Aristaeus (Ἀρισταῖος): According to the Suda, he was the only Giant to "survive". He is probably named on an Attic black-figure dinos by Lydos (Akropolis 607) dating from the second quarter of the sixth century BC, fighting Hephaestus.
Asterius (Ἀστέριος: "Bright one" or "Glitterer"): A Giant (also called Aster (Ἀστήρ) or Astarias (Ἀστερίας)), killed by Athena whose death, according to some accounts, was celebrated by the Panathenaea. Probably the same as the Giant Astarias named on the late sixth century Siphnian Treasury. Probably also the same as Asterus (Ἀστέρος), mentioned in the epic poem Meropis, as an invulnerable warrior killed by Athena. In the poem, Heracles, while fighting the Meropes, a race of Giants, on the Island of Kos, would have been killed but for Athena's intervention. Athena kills and flays Asterus and uses his impenetrable skin for her aegis. Other accounts name others whose hide provided Athena's aegis: Apollodorus has Athena flay the Giant Pallas, while Euripides' Ion has "the Gorgon", an offspring of Gaia born by her as an ally for the Giant, as Athena's victim.
Clytius (Κλυτίος): According to Apollodorus, he was killed by Hecate with her torches.
Damysus (Δάμυσος): The fastest of the Giants. Chiron exhumed his body, removed the ankle and incorporated it into Achilles burnt foot.
Enceladus (Ἐγκέλαδος): A Giant named Enceladus, fighting Athena, is attested in art as early as an Attic Black-figure pot dating from the second quarter of the sixth century BC (Louvre E732). Euripides has Athena fighting him with her "Gorgon shield" (her aegis). According to Apollodorus, he was crushed by Athena under the Island of Sicily. Virgil has him struck by Zeus' lightning bolt, and both Virgil and Claudian have him buried under Mount Etna (other traditions had Typhon or Briareus buried under Etna). For some Enceladus was instead buried in Italy.
Ephialtes (Ἐφιάλτης): probably different from the Aload Giant who was also named Ephialtes): According to Apollodorus he was blinded by arrows from Apollo and Heracles. He is named on three Attic black-figure pots (Akropolis 2134, Getty 81.AE.211, Louvre E732) dating from the second quarter of the sixth century BC.[193] On Louvre E732 he is, along with Hyperbios and Agasthenes, opposed by Zeus, while on Getty 81.AE.211 his opponents are apparently Apollo and Artemis. He is also named on the late sixth century BC Siphnian Treasury, where he is probably one of the opponents of Apollo and Artemis, and probably as well on what might be the earliest representation of the Gigantomachy, a pinax fragment from Eleusis (Eleusis 349). He is also named on a late fifth century BC cup from Vulci (Berlin F2531), shown battling Apollo. Although the usual opponent of Poseidon among the Giants is Polybotes, one early fifth century red-figure column krater (Vienna 688) has Poseidon attacking Ephialtes.
Euryalus (Εὐρύαλος): He is named on a late sixth century red-figure cup (Akropolis 2.211) and an early fifth century red-figure cup (British Museum E 47) fighting Hephaestos.
Eurymedon (Εὐρυμέδων): According to Homer, he was a king of the Giants and father of Periboea (mother of Nausithous, king of the Phaeacians, by Poseidon), who "brought destruction on his froward people". He was possibly the Eurymedon who raped Hera producing Prometheus as offspring (according to an account attributed to the Hellenistic poet Euphorion). He is probably named on Akropolis 2134. He is possibly mentioned by the Latin poet Propertius as an opponent of Jove
Eurytus (Εὔρυτος): According to Apollodorus, he was killed by Dionysus with his thyrsus.
Gration (Γρατίων): According to Apollodorus, he was killed by Artemis. His name may have been corrupted text, as various emendations have been suggested, including Aigaion (Αἰγαίων - "goatish", "stormy"), Eurytion (Εὐρυτίων: "fine flowing", "widely honored") and Rhaion (Ῥαίων - "more adaptable", "more relaxed").
Hopladamas or Hopladamus (Ὁπλαδάμας or Ὁπλάδαμος): Possibly named (as Hopladamas) on two vases dating from the second quarter of the sixth century BC, on one (Akropolis 607) being speared by Apollo, while on the other (Getty 81.AE.211) attacking Zeus. Mentioned (as Hopladamus) by the geographer Pausanias as being a leader of Giants enlisted by the Titaness Rhea, pregnant with Zeus, to defend herself from her husband Cronus.
Hippolytus (Ἱππόλυτος): According to Apollodorus, he was killed by Hermes, who was wearing Hades' helmet which made its wearer invisible.
Lion or Leon (Λέων): Possibly a Giant, he is mentioned by Photius (as ascribed to Ptolemy Hephaestion) as a giant who was challenged to single combat by Heracles and killed. Lion-headed Giants are shown on the Gigantomachy frieze of the second century BC Pergamon Altar.
Mimas (Μίμας): According to Apollodorus, he was killed by Hephaestus. Euripides has Zeus burning him "to ashes" with his thunderbolt. According to others he was killed by Ares. "Mimos"—possibly in error for "Mimas"—is inscribed (retrograde) on Akropolis 607. He was said to be buried under Prochyte. Mimas is possibly the same as the Giant named Mimon on the late sixth century BC Siphnian Treasury, as well as on a late fifth century BC cup from Vulci (Berlin F2531) shown fighting Ares. Several depictions in Greek art, though, show Aphrodite as the opponent of Mimas. Also known as Mimon (Μίμων) or Mimos (Μίμος).
Pallas (Πάλλας): According to Apollodorus, he was flayed by Athena, who used his skin as a shield. Other accounts name others whose hyde provided Athena's aegis [see Asterus above]. Claudian names Pallas as one of several Giants turned to stone by Minerva's Gorgon shield.
Pelorus (Πέλορος): According to Claudian, he was killed by Mars, the Roman equivalent of Ares.
Picolous (Πικόλοος): A Giant who fled the battle and came to Circe's island and attempted to chase her away, only to be killed by Helios. It is said that the legendary moly plant first sprang forth from Picolous' blood as it seeped into the ground.
Polybotes (Πολυβότης): According to Apollodorus, he was crushed under Nisyros, a piece of the island of Kos broken off and thrown by Poseidon. He is named on two sixth century BC pots, on one (Getty 81.AE.211) he is opposed by Zeus, on the other (Louvre E732) he is opposed by Poseidon carrying Nisyros on his shoulder.
Porphyrion (Πορφυρίων): According to Apollodorus, he was (along with Alcyoneus), the greatest of the Giants. He attacked Heracles and Hera but Zeus "smote him with a thunderbolt, and Hercules shot him dead with an arrow." According to Pindar, who calls him "king of the Giants", he was slain by an arrow from the bow of Apollo. He is named on a late fifth century BC cup from Vulci (Berlin F2531), where he is battling with Zeus. He was also probably named on the late sixth century BC Siphnian Treasury.
Thoas or Thoon (Θόας or Θόων): According to Apollodorus, he was killed by the Moirai (Fates) with bronze clubs.

List of Minor Giants[]

Greek myth also includes a myriad of figures referred to as "giants," that are not members of the Gigantes that attempted to overthrow the Olympians. Many of these giants were said to live in far off and secluded lands. A few of such giants were mortal sons of the god Poseidon.

Aloadae (Ἀλῳάδαι), twin giants who attempted to climb to Olympus by piling mountains on top of each other
- Otus or Otos (Ότος), one of the Aloadae son of Poseidon and Iphimedeia, twin of Ephialtes.
- Ephialtes (Εφιάλτης), one of the Aloadae son of Poseidon and Iphimedeia, twin of Otus.
Anax (Αναξ) was a giant of the island of Lade near Miletos in Lydia, Anatolia.
Antaeus (Ἀνταῖος), a Libyan giant who wrestled all visitors to the death until he was slain by Heracles.
Antiphates (Ἀντιφάτης), the king of the man-eating giants known as Laestrygones which were encountered by Odysseus on his travels.
Argus Panoptes (Ἄργος Πανόπτης), a hundred-eyed giant tasked with guarding Io.
Asterius (Αστεριος), a Lydian giant.
Cacus (Κακος), a fire-breathing Latin giant slain by Heracles.

Cyclopes (Homeric), a tribe of one-eyed, man-eating giants who herded flocks of sheep on the island of Sicily.
- Polyphemus (Πολύφημος), a Cyclops who briefly captured Odysseus and his men, only to be overcome and blinded by the hero.
Damasen, a Lydian giant son of Gaia, he helped the hero Tylon and Moria.
The Gegenees (Γηγενέες), a tribe of six-armed giants fought by the Argonauts on Bear Mountain in Mysia.
Geryon (Γηρυων), a three-bodied giant who dwelt on the sunset isle at the ends of the earth. He was slain by Heracles when the hero arrived to fetch the giant's cattle as one of his twelve labors.
The Laestrygonians (Λαιστρυγόνες), a tribe of man-eating giants encountered by Odysseus on his travels.
Orion (Ὠρίων), a giant huntsman whom Zeus placed among the stars as the constellation of Orion.
Talos (Τάλως), a giant forged from bronze by Hephaestus, and given by Zeus to his lover Europa as her personal protector.
Tityos (Τίτυος), a giant slain by Apollo and Artemis when he attempted to violate their mother Leto.
Typhon (Τυφῶν), a monstrous immortal storm-giant who attempted to launch an attack on Mount Olympus but was defeated by the Olympians and imprisoned in the pits of Tartarus.

Gallery[]

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