← All documentaries

Giants in the Old Stories

A ten‑minute visual tour of how ancient Near Eastern, Norse, and Greek traditions speak of giants, and how early art reflects those ideas.

Chapters

• 0:07 Biblical Giants
• 1:25 Norse Jötnar
• 2:34 Greek Giants
• 4:01 Artistic Depictions

On-screen text

• 0:07 Biblical Giants
• 0:14 Biblical Giants
• 0:31 Nephilim in Genesis 6:4 Historical record · Genesis 6:4 (Masoretic Text)
• 0:49 Anakim reported by Israelite spies Historical record · Numbers 13:33 (Masoretic Text)
• 1:07 King Og, last of the Rephaim Historical record · Deuteronomy 3:11 (Masoretic Text)
• 1:16 Rephaim as ancient hill peoples The Institute's interpretation · John H. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (2006)
• 1:25 Norse Jötnar
• 1:32 Norse Jötnar
• 1:49 Jötnar in the Poetic Edda Tradition / scripture · Poetic Edda, Völuspá (13th c. manuscript)
• 2:07 Thor's battles with jötnar Tradition / scripture · Prose Edda, Gylfaginning (13th c. manuscript)
• 2:25 Thor vs. giant on Gotland stone Historical record · Gotland picture stone U 112 (c. 1000 CE)
• 2:34 Greek Giants
• 2:41 Greek Giants
• 2:58 Titans in Hesiod's Theogony Historical record · Hesiod, Theogony (8th c. BCE)
• 3:16 Gigantes in Apollodorus Historical record · Apollodorus, Library 1.6.2 (1st c. CE)
• 3:34 Polyphemus in the Odyssey Tradition / scripture · Homer, Odyssey 9.105‑115 (8th c. BCE)
• 3:52 Gigantomachy on Pergamon Altar Historical record · Pergamon Altar frieze (c. 180 BCE)
• 4:01 Artistic Depictions
• 4:08 Artistic Depictions
• 4:25 Lion Gate relief at Mycenae Historical record · Lion Gate, Mycenae (c. 1250 BCE)
• 4:43 Giant relief at Temple of Aphaia Historical record · Temple of Aphaia, Aegina (c. 500 BCE) – marble relief of a giant
• 5:01 Large figures at Yazılıkaya Historical record · Yazılıkaya sanctuary relief (c. 1300 BCE)

Sources

Historical record: Genesis 6:4 (Masoretic Text) · Numbers 13:33 (Masoretic Text) · Deuteronomy 3:11 (Masoretic Text) · Gotland picture stone U 112 (c. 1000 CE) · Hesiod, Theogony (8th c. BCE) · Apollodorus, Library 1.6.2 (1st c. CE) · Pergamon Altar frieze (c. 180 BCE) · Lion Gate, Mycenae (c. 1250 BCE) · Temple of Aphaia, Aegina (c. 500 BCE) – marble relief of a giant · Yazılıkaya sanctuary relief (c. 1300 BCE)

Tradition / scripture: Poetic Edda, Völuspá (13th c. manuscript) · Prose Edda, Gylfaginning (13th c. manuscript) · Homer, Odyssey 9.105‑115 (8th c. BCE)

The Institute's interpretation: John H. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (2006)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 223 s of CPU.