Monsters,+Ogres,+and+Giants

Lauren Smith, Madeleine Kim and Kaylene Barber

=Monsters= A monster is defined as any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, which is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions. The word connotes something wrong or evil; a monster is generally morally objectionable, physically or psychologically hideous, and/or a freak of nature.

The Significance of Monsters:

Greek Mythology: In ancient times, monsters were used in stories to ill or be killed. The main function was to either defeat or be defeated by the hero. Most of the time monsters were used to show off someone’s strengths or used as a punishment. Kharybdis in the Odyssey was turned into a sea monster because she angered the gods. The Labors of Hercules were meant as a punishment for killing his family.

In this passage, Odysseus uses the Cyclops in almost a selfish way because he wants the world to know that he was the one who defeated him. In this way the monsters only role in the story is to be hated and defeated.

‘So they spoke, but could not persuade the great heart in me, but once again in the anger of my heart I cried to him: “Cyclops, if any mortal man ever asks you who it was that inflicted upon your eye this shameful blinding, tell him that you were blinded by Odysseus, sacker of cities.”

Medieval Times: Monsters in the medieval times were signs of the evils existing outside of the church. They served as a warning as to what would happen if someone disobeyed or left the church.

18th Century Monsters: Monsters were taking shape as sea monsters. Sailors brought back wild stories of sea serpent sightings. This might have been because of the Enlightenment in Europe during this time. Monsters would have moved away from being symbols of the evils of the world because the Enlightenment was all about promoting an intellectual cultural movement.

Pre World War II: Monsters before WWII tended to be human sized such as Frankenstein and the Vampire. Now monsters become more plausible because they look and maybe act like humans.

Post World War II: This was the era of giant monsters and has been causally linked to the development of nuclear weapons, often pitting the monstrous against the scientific elite.

Modern Monsters: Today’s monsters are very different and are usually friendly and sympathized with like the Muppets and Sesame Street.

Tip Offs: If the creature is hideous, reeks havoc on people by eating or killing them, is stupid, diabolical and evil then it is probably a monster.



=﻿Ogres : K=

An ogre is a creature in fairy tales and myths, often portrayed as an oversized, hideous, humanoid. They are barbarous; they feed on human flesh! The word //ogre// comes from the Latin word //Orcus//, which means the underworld, or prison of the dead. Meaning, ogres are supposed to represent evil and imprisonment.

The first mention of ogres in literature was in the Arthurian Legend, //Perceval, the Story of the Grail// from the 12th century: "And it is written that he will come again to the all the realms of Logres, known as the land of ogres, and destroy them with that lance."



A not able work of literature that involves creatures based on Ogres (Orcs) is The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) by J.R.R. Tolkien, part of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. They share certain characteristics with ogres, like the trait of eating human (or hobbit) flesh. They are even known to eat each others’ flesh! However, it seems against the archetype of an ogre to follow orders under a lord, like Lord Sauron, oreven spend that much time around other ogres.

In 2001, Shrek was released in theaters. Shrek is a movie about a peaceful ogre who stayed away from people and other creatures and lived in a swamp. Humans who lived in the nearby town hated and feared him. His swamp was seized by Lord Farquad. In order to claim it back, he traveled with an annoying donkey to rescue Princess Fiona, and bring her to Lord Farquad. Shrek and Fiona fell in love, Lord Farquad got eaten by a dragon, and they lived happily ever after.



Shrek breaks the archetype of the typical ogre. An ogre is usually awful and mean, but since Shrek is the main character, he shows that ogres can be kind, to create a character we can sympathize with.

Ogres began as a creature feared by humans in stories, but like other humanoid beasts, they ended up becoming something that storytellers decided to elaborate upon, and let the ogres tell their side of the story.

=Giants : M=

The term giant is usually defined as a legendary and human-like being of great stature and importance. The word giant came from the Middle English word //giaunt//, which in turn came from the Anglo-French //geant,// from the Latin word //gigant,// from the Greek //gigas.//

The term giant was first directly used in Greek and Roman mythology. This term was used to apply to a race of beings that looked like people, but were much larger in proportion. The Greeks and Romans believed that humans and giants were originally one race, and that humans had grown smaller over time. They believed their ancestors, the giants, to be huge individuals of great strength and power. Please watch from 30 secs to 1:20 secs. You may watch the rest if you want. media type="youtube" key="k5h856_2wVU" height="315" width="420" align="left" Another representation of giants in Greek mythology comes in the form of the first gods, the Titans. They were said to have been born from the blood of the gods Uranus and Gaea, heaven and earth. There were twelve Titans, and each pair of Titans was associated with an element of nature, for example, Oceanus is the unending stream of water encircling the world and his wife and sister Tethys is the goddess of the rivers. One of the better known Titans is Atlas, who was given the task of holding the world on his shoulders. This task very effectively demonstrates the size of the Titans, or giants, as a matter of necessity. After the emergence of the newer Greek gods, such as Zeus and Athena, the idea of large stature became less related to being a god a more with sheer power. This led to the emergence of monsters of gigantic proportions in the Greek and Roman myths such as Cyclops.

There are several instances where beings of large stature are mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis 6:4 it is said “There were Nephilim [giants] in the earth those days; and also after that when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Many scholars believe that these sons of god were fallen angels and the relationship between them and the daughters of men was unauthorized. Therefore many of the beings of gigantic stature within the bible are made to suffer great trial and tribulations to make up for their parents sin. The example of King Og, he is the very last of his race and kingdom, his people have been hunted into near extinction. In Deuteronomy 3:11 it is stated that the iron bed of King Og of Bashan is 9 cubits long and 4 cubits wide, or approximately 14 feet long and 6 feet wide. This example is significant because it provides specific dimensions for the giant. A more famous example of giants in the Bible is the story of David and Goliath. Goliath is another supposed offspring of the aforementioned unsanctioned relationship, Goliath’s height is written as six cubits, which translates to about nine feet tall.

The first indirect reference to giants occurs in the Epic of Gilgamesh, were Gilgamesh is described as a man of super-human strength. He was also considered to be a demigod and, in the Sumerian king list, is recorded to have reigned for 126 years. Later in the //Book of Giants //, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found near Qumran, Gilgamesh is referenced as one of the antediluvian, or pre-deluge, giants. The Arabic form of Gilgamesh, //Jiljamish //, is the name of a large demon.

In modern times it has emerged that there is a strange consistency to the myths of the ancients. Many of them include ‘White Giants’ who arrived on ships after their homelands had been destroyed by floods. These ‘white giants’ appear in the mythology of North and South America as well as Europe and Middle East. In addition to having similar stories many have similar names. For example, Votan is a white giant that appeared to the people of South America and helped to form their culture. Another white giant, by the name of Wotan, appeared in Northern Europe with the same myth about the same time. Many of the mythical giants are said to live in hollow hills or volcanoes, as well as subterranean palaces. Many of the mythological names translate to ‘the Shining Ones’. The heights of the giants range from seven to fourteen feet. In addition to this, there are multiple examples of excavations in the 18th century uncovering human skeletons of gigantic proportions, and then promptly misplacing the evidence. This has led to the topic of giants becoming a sort of conspiracy theory.

Giants have come to be portrayed as sympathetic but dumb and violent creatures in popular culture. Such as the giant Grawp, Hagrid’s brother, in the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Hermione and GrawpTheir only purpose is to serve as comical relief or dumb brutes used as war machines by the nefarious villain.They are often portrayed as hard to control, but easily manipulated, beings, with no control over their emotions. They are also usually portrayed with a child-like level of intelligence.

Giants started as gods to be revered above all else, they then turned into naughty children of fallen angels. During the middle ages, they became the frightening thing lurking in the night, and within the last 200 years or so have become items of idle curiosity for the more ludicrous of conspiracy theorists. They have now further devolved into dumb, easily manipulated, brutes.

Tip Offs – Any mention of superhuman power, strength, or stature. In a more historical text, a reference to fallen angels, gods, deities or Niphilim signifies a likely giant. In a more recent text, a mention of unusual size, brawn, lack of intelligence, or brash emotions will imply a giant.

Monsters Ogres and Giants Presentation