Giant

**Giants** are often depicted as humanoid creatures of abnormal size, at times hundreds of feet tall, and unlike the monstrous ogre, a Giant tended to be depicted as very much a normal human, albeit greatly magnified.

## Description

Although not as hideous or dimwitted as ogres, Giants were once benevolent yet somewhat ruthless rulers of the Earth. They fiercely defended the lands they ruled with unwavering resolve and tenacity making them highly formidable enemies to both the Ogdru Hem and the gods as well.

However, upon being driven away by the gods in order for the latter to assume their claim as rulers over the Earth in place of the giants, their relatives who also count as Giants became cruel and often cannibalistic, for they would lord over some distant domain and often hoarded treasure or other goods and would sometimes attack villages or travelers in their spare time. Also, unlike the almost universally malevolent ogre, the Giant was seen as a being that could choose to be good or evil and a great many Giants aided humanity as well as opposed it.

Much like the ogre, a female giant was known as a Giantess and she was often depicted as strikingly beautiful. In most fairy tales and folklore the Giantess was almost universally peaceful and when malignant was more of a deceiver or trickster than a brute, though exceptions existed. The word 'giant' is a colloquial term referring to any entity of either divine or monstrous origin such as Titans or generic Giants.

## History

### Origins

In some cultures (most notably the Norse) Giants were also seen as embodiment of nature itself and were seen as formidable opponents of the gods (perhaps a throwback to memories of the Titans, a similar race of gigantic beings that warred with the Olympian gods in antiquity). It is also revealed that the Giants were in fact the first line of defense against the Ogdru Hem in protecting the Earth from their darkness. As their primordial parents would work to aid the Archangels in developing the universe, the Giants would be given reign over the Earth and certain aspects of existence when it came to fruition.

Giants have walked the Earth during its primordial age and they roamed the valleys and plains long before people or other creatures set foot there. It is believed that one of the main reasons as to why Ogdru Hem did not move against the Earth was due to it being inhabited by these divine titans. These giants could reach heights up to the size of mountains. However, with the coming of the third generation of divinity, those being the gods, things became rather tense. Even so, some of the Giants would often be the uneasy allies of the gods that took residence on Earth. Due to being the embodiments of nature they were believed to have been spawned by the Earth itself although the method on how they were created is unknown.

### Banishment

Back then, Giants were the Earth's guardians alongside the gods. It was important that one giant must be sat atop the tallest mountain, which was a long-forgotten peak in the north at all times. On top, they would just sit and stare, being on "watch duty" for anything that might attack the Earth from up above. Young giants mostly served as guardians, and their guard duty could be a millennia-long duty. However, as time passed, space for the giants started to get smaller as humans appeared and built their cities and villages and the relationship between the giants and gods started to grow more strained. The reason why is because the gods yearned for the mortals' worship and grew anxious over the idea that they might instead worship the giants so the gods drove them away. This provided the Ogdru Hem with the opportunity to attack and take the Earth for themselves seeing as the gods are in great disarray over their arrogance and hostility towards one another.

Their current whereabouts unknown, though some thought that the giants jumped as high as they could and floated off into the stars which inspired the fairytale of giants residing in the clouds like in *Jack and the Beanstalk*.

## Types of Giants

* Nephilim (Abrahamic)
* Gigantes (Greek)
* Titans (Greek)
* Cyclops (Greek)
* Jötunn (Norse)
* Fomorians (Irish)
* Daitya (Hindu)
* Oni (Japanese)
* Kapre (Philippine)
* Div (Persian)