Myth of the Giants
The Giants, illustration Gustave Dorè, Divine Comedy, Hell, Canto XXXI
Places indicated in the IWB register of the Sicily Region (Places of Identity and Memory) - Sector "Places of gods and minor divinities:
- Lentini (province of Syracuse)
- Bosco di Aci (Acireale, province of Catania
- Messina
The myth of the Giants is in some way in close correlation with that of the Cyclops, therefore in our study we put Cyclops and Giants on the same level. The Sicily region, as regards the inclusion in the Register of places of memory (IWB) distinguishes them clearly. To see the places associated with the Cyclops included in the IWB, see the "The Cyclops"
The people of the Cyclops, also mentioned by the historian Thucydides (lib VI.2) is, according to Homer, a people of anthropophagous Giants, strong and dedicated to pastoralism. What characterized this people, besides their great stature, was the fact that they had a single eye in the middle of the forehead. Tommaso Fazello[1], speaking of the people of the Giants, he portrays them as great bad guys:
“These, trusting in the greatness and strength of their bodies, invented weapons, did violence to everyone and, slaves to pleasures, they procured large and luxurious residences, musical instruments and every delight. They were man-eaters, procuring unborn children, and preparing them for meals; moreover, they joined carnally with mothers, daughters, sisters, males, brutes. There was no crime that they did not commit, contemptuous, as they were, of religion and of the gods ”.
The Fazello who believes in the Cyclops calling them the people of giants, tells of numerous findings in Sicily of the corpses of giants, which however, once they come to light, are reduced to dust, leaving no traces except a few teeth.
Here are some of these findings indicated by Fazello as told by Giovanni di Blasi:
“The year 1342. He says, some peasants digging up the land to make the foundations of their house. They fell into a very large cave, where, having entered, they found a man of immeasurable size sitting down. Startled they ran to the ground and told the Ericini about the frightening monster they had seen; these took up arms, and brought with them lighted torches, entered the other, they found the indicated human corpse, which was sitting leaning with the left on a stick, like a ship's mast. It appeared to be whole, but as soon as it was touched, the stick and the body dissolved into dust, except for a large lead of lead which was inside the stick, three maxillary teeth of incredible size, and the front part of the skull, which could enter several moggia. of crano that remained firm and whole. The body of Erice, son of Buthe, was believed to be Boccaccio[2] says killed by Hercules. Another gigantic corpse was found in the year 1516 in Mazarin with a head so large, that it looked like a barrel, but this one with the usual success, as soon as touched, was resolved into dust, leaving only the maxillary teeth each of which weighed five ounces.[3]. "
[1] History of Sicily first book, sixth chapter.
[2] Giovanni Boccaccio: Genealogy of the Gods, lib. 4, chap. 68
[3] Giovanni E. Di-Blasi: History of the Kingdom of Sicily. Vol. I p.13:
Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero
Photo: web
Information contributions: Ignazio Caloggero, Region of Sicily
