A giantess is a mythical female giant who is taller, larger, and stronger than usual. They are fictitious characters, and the mythological examples of giantesses include the Amazons of Greek mythology, Gríðr of Nordic mythology, or the “Giant Mother” concept in many folklore stories. These women grow significantly larger either naturally or due to a physical condition called gigantism (see Sandy Allen or Trijntje Keever).
Examples of Giantess Around the World
Greek Fables
The name “Gigantes” is used to refer to male and female giants in Greek mythology, who were generally depicted as powerful and aggressive figures.
While the giantesses are mentioned often in Greek ancient mythology, we don’t learn nearly as much about them as we do about the male giants. The traditional patriarchal structure may be at fault here since the concept of giantess is fundamentally opposed to the notion of women’s emancipation.
- Gaia: The Gigantes originated when the Earth goddess Gaia, also a giantess, became pregnant with the blood of the sky deity Uranus.
- Periboea: She was the daughter of the giant Eurymedon and she was probably a giantess as she led other giants in the battle of Gigantomachy.
- Amazons: As a warrior women’s tribe, the Amazons were often depicted as being tall and imposing.
- Other: The Odyssey mentions Antiphates’ wife and daughter as giantesses.
Giantess in Hinduism
Despite being India’s foundational scripture, the Rigveda (around the 2nd millennium BC) makes no references to female giants. On the other hand, the narrative of the giantess demon Putana first appears in the Mahabharata (an epic religious literature written about the third century BC) in the context of Krishna mythology. After feeding infant Krishna poisoned breast milk, she was murdered by Krishna herself.
According to legend, she disguised herself as a normal-height country lady and poisoned her nipples to murder the newborn divinity Krishna at the behest of his uncle, the wicked King Kamsa. While she was nursing, Krishna sucked her “vital breath” or her prana, or spiritual energy.
At that point, she was unable to maintain her disguise and returned to her previous height of several hundred feet, crushing a whole forest with her descent. Despite her poor karma as a demoness, she was able to enter the spiritual realm since Krishna accepted her, if only temporarily, as a nurse.
Giantess Mythology in the North
Giantess figures in Nordic mythology represent the higher status of women in Viking culture by dictating the flow of events and demanding their own terms. They are called Jötunn (singular) or Jötnar (plural).
— Gríðr: According to the Prose Edda, the giantess Gríðr was the mother of Odin’s son Víðarr. Thor’s life was spared by Gríðr (Gríd) who was a Jötunn, a race of giants. Knowing that Loki intended for Thor to die at the hands of the gigantic Geirröd, the giantess decided to aid Thor with magical presents. These included a potent belt, enchanted iron gloves, and a wand.
The arms of the giantess Gríðr gleamed brilliantly, lighting up the sky and the ocean. Freyr fell in love with her at first sight, and the eddic poem Skrnismál describes their relationship. Even after receiving eleven golden apples and the golden ring Draupnir, Gríðr still refused to marry Freyr, who had proposed to her via his messenger, Skírnir. Gríðr later decided to marry when Skírnir threatened to freeze the world with Freyr’s sword. Fjölnir, the first king of Sweden, would also have his children from her.
— Skaði was a Jötunn goddess in Norse mythology. She went to Asgard to seek revenge for her murdered father, Þjazi, at the hands of the gods. If they would let her choose a spouse from among them and make her laugh, she would drop her claims. The gods gave her the ability to pick a spouse, but she could only do it by gazing at their feet. Skaði married Njörðr because she thought Balder must have lovely feet, but they were not Balder’s.
Then Loki made her laugh, bringing about peace, and Odin created two stars from Þjazi’s eyes. They eventually split up because he preferred life by the sea in Nóatún and she preferred life in the highlands in Þrymheimr. Skaði eventually married Odin and bore him many offspring, as told in the Ynglinga saga.
— Hyrrokkin, a giantess who rode in on a wolf, appeared at Balder’s funeral and sent the burial ship adrift in the ocean. She pushed the ship with such vigor that flames shot from the rollers and the ground shook.
— Thökk: Frigg begged Hel to free Balder from the underworld by sending Hermod to deliver her message, and Hel agreed, saying she would do it provided every living and nonliving thing mourned for him. Except for one giantess called Thökk (Þökk), who refused to weep for the death of the deity, everyone else did. Thus, Balder was doomed to spend eternity with Hades until Ragnarök, when he and his brother Höðr would make peace and jointly govern the new world with Thor’s offspring.
Giantess in Literature
In Europe’s Middle Ages
The medieval period saw a significant increase in depictions of giantesses in art and literature. In her book “Scivias,” Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) depicted a giantess as “Ecclesia,” the Church as the bride of Christ. The giantess’ use as a symbol may not be coincidental, given that Hildegard is generally seen as a pioneer of the feminist movement.
In Newer Literature
In certain cases, giantess characters may be found in contemporary European literature. In his French poetry cycle “The Flowers of Evil” (1861), Charles Baudelaire uses the giantess as an amorous metaphor.
The Giantess
At the time when Nature with a lusty spirit
The Flowers of Evil Poem
Was conceiving monstrous children each day,
I should have liked to live near a young giantess,
Like a voluptuous cat at the feet of a queen.
The protagonist in Jonathan Swift’s “A Voyage to Brobdingnag” (1726), the second installment of “Gulliver’s Travels” (1667-1745), is repulsed by oversized depictions of women.
Inside the 20th century, this anti-erotic view of giantesses lingered; C. S. Lewis’ “The Shoddy Lands” is a voyage inside the psyche of a “modern woman.” This woman is monstrously large and unattractive because she is so caught up in her own idea of beauty that she has forgotten how men really evaluate attractiveness.
In a similar vein, the protagonist of “Cosmic Casanova” by Arthur C. Clarke is disgusted to learn that the alien woman he has been romantically involved with on TV is really 30 feet tall.
Giantesses as Cultural Icons
Comics
Not all giantess motifs are necessarily averse to sensual content. The rise of strong female protagonists in comics reflects the trend toward empowering women. With the exception of Wonder Woman (who debuted in 1942), female superheroes have always been met with less enthusiasm and given supporting roles than their male counterparts.
But things have changed in the last several decades, and strong female characters are now widely read and admired by males. Doom Patrol, Team Youngblood, and Femforce are few of the comics that feature female heroes who can alter their physical appearance. Later Femforce series include giantess superheroines like Tara Fremont and Garganta, who are admired by both sexes for their attractiveness and power.
Even more often seen in Japanese manga and anime comics are giantess characters. Diana is a benevolent giantess who appears in the manga/anime “The Seven Deadly Sins” (Nanatsu no Taizai). Some of the characters in the manga “Attack on Titan” (Shingeki no Kyojin) have the ability to change into monstrous Titans, including Annie Leonhart, Ymir, Frieda Reiss, and Pieck Finger. In fact, Ymir Fritz, a young woman, was the first person to get access to turn into a giantess.
Cinema
There are also a number of noteworthy films. The 1958 B-movie “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” was one in a line of movies about size manipulation that also included “The Incredible Shrinking Man” (1957). Daryl Hannah played the big woman in a 1993 version of the film, which was marketed as a comedy. Although feminism served as the film’s overarching concept, several sequences were essentially parodies of the preceding picture (most notably, “The Amazing Colossal Man”). Formerly a doormat pushed aside by her overbearing father and husband, Nancy is now able to take charge of her fate, since she has now turned into a giantess, and inspire other women to do the same. Both movies have a dedicated fan base.
Erotica
There is a type of crush-related erotica that centers on the paraphilic dream of being crushed by giants. Other fantasies include regular-sized males having sexual intercourse with or just hanging out with giantesses. They also include cases where the woman is typical in stature and the man is diminutive. Macrophilia, the sexual attraction to large entities (human or animal), describes these distressingly disordered thoughts.
Literature
A giantess is stated as being Rubeus Hagrid’s mother in the Harry Potter novels. French magic school Beauxbatons’ headmistress, Olympe Maxime, is said to be a half-giantess (the offspring of a human and a giant).
