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A giantess is a female giant. The word has at least three interpretations: Jack the Giant-Killer by Arthur Rackham. ...

• A mythical being resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength.
• A human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality (see gigantism). An example was Jane Bunford (died 1922) who grew to a height of 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m), although this is a rarity.
• A giganta, a figure several metres tall representing a woman. It is carried by a strong man in street festivals in Spain.

Jack the Giant-Killer by Arthur Rackham. ... Anna Haining Bates with her parents Greek gigas, gigantus (giant) is a condition characterized by excessive height growth and bigness. ... Jane Ginny Bunford (26 July 1895-1 April 1922) is the tallest person ever recorded in British medical history. ...

Mythical giantesses

Greek mythology

Giantesses are worthy of separate discussion from male giants for a number of reasons. To begin with, although Classical mythology contains many references to giantesses, very little information is given about them (This is in sharp contrast to the detailed stories of male giants). This may be because of the patriarchal nature of these societies, which, with the exception of goddesses, did not heavily feature female characters in their myths. Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (5th century AD... A patriarch (from Greek: patria means father; arché means rule, beginning, origin) is a male head of an extended family exercising autocratic authority, or, by extension, a member of the ruling class or government of a society controlled by senior men. ... For the 1934 film, see The Goddess (1934 film). ...

Norse mythology

Grid was a giantess who saved Thor's life. She was aware of Loki's plans to get Thor killed at the hands of the giant Geirrod and sets out to help him by supplying him with a number of magical gifts. These gifts were: a girdle of might, a pair of magical iron gloves, and a magical wand. In Norse mythology, Gríðr (sometimes Anglicized Grid) was a giantess who, aware of Lokis plans to get Thor killed at the hands of the giant Geirrod, sets out to help him by supplying him with a number of magical gifts. ... For other uses, see Thor (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Loki (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Thor (disambiguation). ... In Norse mythology, Geirrod was one of the Jotuns and father of Gjalp and Greip. ...

The giantess Gerd was very beautiful and her brilliant, naked arms illuminated air and sea. Freyr fell in love at first sight and the account of her wooing is given in the poem Skirnismál. She never wanted to marry Freyr, and refused his proposals (delivered through Skirnir, his messenger) even after he brought her eleven golden apples and Draupnir. Skirnir finally threatened to use Freyr's sword to cover the earth in ice and she agreed to marry Freyr. She became the mother of the early Swedish king Fjölnir. Skírnir tries to woo Gerd for Freyr as related in Skírnismál. ... This 19th century representation of Freyr shows him with his boar Gullinbursti and his sword. ... Skirnismal (The Lay of Skírnir), also known as Skírnirs Ride is a poem in the Elder Edda. ... In Norse mythology, Skírnir is Freyrs messenger and vassal. ... Species Malus domestica Malus sieversii Apple is the fruit (pome) of the genus Malus belonging to the family Rosaceae, and is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. ... Draupnir is a golden arm ring possessed by Odin, the ruling god of Norse mythology. ... humouristic image by Albert Engström (1869-1940): Fjölnir, Fjölner or Fjolner was a Swedish king of the House of Yngling, at Gamla Uppsala. ...

Skaði journeyed to Ásgard to avenge her father Þjazi, whom the gods had killed. She agreed that she would have that renounced if they allowed her to choose a husband among them and if they succeeded in making her laugh. The gods allowed her to choose a husband, but she had to choose him only from his feet; she choose Njord because his feet were so beautiful that she thought he was Baldr. Then Loki succeeded in making her laugh, so peace was made, and Odin made two stars from Þjazi's eyes. In Norse mythology, Skaði ‡ is a mountain giantess, wife of the Van god Njord and thus a Van goddess herself. ... Asgard (Old Norse: Ásgarðr) is the realm of the gods, the Aesir, in Norse mythology, thought to be separate from the realm of the mortals, Midgard. ... Iðunn is carried off by Þjazi in this artwork by H. Theaker, 1920 In Norse mythology, Thiazi (Old Norse: Þjazi) was a giant who kidnapped the goddess Iðunn. ... In Norse mythology, Njord or Njordr (Old Norse Njörðr) is one of the Vanir and the god of wind, fertile land along the seacoast, as well as seamanship, sailing and fishing. ... Balder redirects here. ... For other uses, see Loki (disambiguation). ... This is the article about the chief god in North Germanic tradition; for other uses see Odin (disambiguation). ...

After a while, she and her husband separated, because she loved the mountains (Þrymheimr), while he wanted to live near the sea (Noatun). The Ynglinga saga says that later she became wife of Odin, and had many sons by him. In Norse mythology, Thrymheim (house of uproar) was the abode of Þjazi, a giant, located in Jötunheimr. ... In Norse mythology, Noatun (enclosure of ships) was the sea-side abode of Niord. ... The Ynglinga saga was originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. ...

At Baldr's funeral, his burning ship was set to sea by Hyrrokin, a giantess, who came riding on a wolf and gave the ship such a push that fire flashed from the rollers and all the earth shook. Balder redirects here. ... In Norse mythology, Hyrrokkin is a giantess. ...

Upon Frigg's entreaties, delivered through the messenger Hermod, Hel promised to release Baldr from the underworld if all objects alive and dead would weep for him. And all did, except a giantess, Thokk, who refused to mourn the slain god. And thus Baldr had to remain in the underworld, not to emerge until after Ragnarok, when he and his brother Hod would be reconciled and rule the new Earth together with Thor's sons. For other uses, see Frigg (disambiguation). ... In Norse mythology, Hermód the Brave (Old Norse Hermóðr Courage-Battle) appears clearly among the gods only in Snorri Sturlusons Gylfaginning where Hermód is the messenger sent by Odin to find out what ransom Hel would accept to return Baldur to Asgard. ... Indy Norse mythology, Hel is the queen of Helheim, the Norse underworld. ... For other uses, see Underworld (disambiguation). ... In Norse mythology, Thokk (actually Loki in disguise) was the giantess who refused to weep for the slain Baldur, thus forcing him to stay dead until Ragnarok. ... Look up Ragnarok in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Eastern mythology

Giantesses are fairly common in Indian mythology. The demoness Putana (who attempted to kill the baby Krishna with poisoned milk from her breasts) is usually drawn as a giantess. This article is about the Hindu deity. ...

Celtic mythology

Giantesses are common in the folklore of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. They were often depicted as loving and beautiful people and, in later versions of myths, seemed to resemble Vikings, who had raided the coasts, in appearance^{[citation needed]}. A notable giantesses in Irish mythology is Bébinn. This article is about the country. ... This article is about the country. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... In Early Irish mythology, Bébinn was a goddess associated with birth and the sister of the river-goddess, Boann. ...

Medieval European literature

Giantess representation of "Ecclesia," from Hildegard von Bingen's Scivias II:5

A notable example of the depiction of giantesses in art and literature arose in the medieval period. In her book Scivias, St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) used the giantess as a representation of "Ecclesia", the Church as the Bride of Christ. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 467 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1283 pixel, file size: 137 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hildegard of Bingen ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 467 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1283 pixel, file size: 137 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hildegard of Bingen ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... A medieval illumination showing Hildegard von Bingen and the monk Volmar Hildegard von Bingen or Hildegard of Bingen (September 16, 1098 - September 17, 1179) was a German abbess, monastic leader, mystic, author, and composer of music. ...

Later European literature

The giantess appears occasionally in more recent European literature. Charles Baudelaire, in his poetic cycle Les Fleurs du mal (1861) presents the giant woman as a powerfully erotic symbol: “Baudelaire” redirects here. ... Les Fleurs du Mal (literal trans. ...

Once, when Nature's overpowering vigorousness

Conceived each day children this monstrous

I would love to have lived with a young giantess

Around her feet like a cat to a queen voluptuous.

Would love to have seen the spirit that grew out of her

Distending as she played her terrible game

From the damp mist that swam in her eyes to wonder

If her sullen heart would catch into flames.

Alice from Carroll's Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland.

In contrast to this, A Voyage to Brobdingnag, the second part of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726), describes the hero's revulsion at the female form enlarged to gigantic proportions, however he does have some intimate relationships with giant maids of honor. This view of the giantess as an anerotic symbol persisted into the 20th Century: C. S. Lewis's short story The Shoddy Lands describes a journey through the mindscape of the "modern woman." The woman herself appears giant-sized and subsequently (in Lewis' view) repulsive; obsessed with her own beauty, she has become oblivious to the way that beauty is perceived by its intended admirers, i.e., men. In Lewis Carroll's story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, there are several scenes where the heroine Alice grows to gigantic size by means of eating something (like a cake or a mushroom). Similarly Arthur C. Clarke's story Cosmic Casanova describes an astronaut's revulsion at discovering that an extraterrestrial female he adored on a video screen is in fact thirty feet tall. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Irish cleric, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for Whigs then for Tories), and poet, famous for works like Gullivers Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, The Drapiers Letters, The Battle of the Books, and... For other uses, see Gullivers Travels (disambiguation). ... Clive Staples Jack Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an Irish author and scholar. ... The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (IPA: ) (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll (), was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer. ... Alice in Wonderland redirects here. ... Sri Lankabhimanya Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE (16 December 1917–19 March 2008), was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, most famous for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, written in collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, a collaboration which led also to the film of the same name...

Comic book art

Size-changing heroines have appeared in such comics as Doom Patrol, Mighty Avengers, Marvel Adventures Avengers, Team Youngblood, and Femforce. In the latter series, the giantess-superheroines Tara and Garganta combine immense size and strength with beauty and femininity, and have a cult following among both men and women. Conversely, size-changing villainesses, such as Wonder Woman foe Giganta, use their strength and beauty for less altruistic purposes as a weapon to dominate their foes. Giantesses are also common in the Manga/Anime mediums of Japan. The Doom Patrol is a fictional superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. ... Mighty Avengers is a monthly comic book currently published by Marvel Comics, starring the superhero team The Avengers. ... Marvel Age is an imprint of Marvel Comics intended for younger audiences, including children, established in 2003. ... The Avengers is a team of fictional superhero characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. ... Cover to Youngblood #1 (April 1992). ... Femforce is a comic book published by A.C. Comics, drawn by (amongst others) Bill Black, Stephanie Sanderson and Mark Heike. ... Tara Fremont (right) with Garganta (left) on the cover of Femforce #64 Tara Fremont (a. ... Garganta is a fictional comic book character published by A.C. Comics appearing in several of their titles, most commonly Femforce the title in which she debuted in 1990 (Giganta, the 50ft Woman, Femforce issue 30). ... For other uses, see Wonder Woman (disambiguation). ... Giganta is a fictional character, a red-haired super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. ... This article is about the comics created in Japan. ... Animé redirects here. ...

Motion pictures

The giantess theme has also appeared in motion pictures, often as a metaphor for female empowerment or played for absurd humor. The 1958 B-movie Attack of the 50 Foot Woman formed part of a series of size-changing films of the era which also included The Incredible Shrinking Man and Village of the Giants. The 1993 remake of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, starring Daryl Hannah in the title role, was advertised as a comedy; many scenes did parody earlier size-changing movies (most notably The Amazing Colossal Man), although the central theme was feminist. The heroine Nancy, formerly a cipher to her domineering father and husband, is empowered by her new-found size and starts to take control of her destiny, and encourages other women to do the same. Both versions of the movie enjoy a cult following. Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a 1958 science fiction film produced by Bernard Woolner for Allied Artists Pictures. ... The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man. ... Village of the Giants is a 1965 science-fiction/comedy movie produced, directed and written by Bert I. Gordon, based loosely on H.G. Wellss book The Food of the Gods. ... Daryl Christine Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American film actress. ... The Amazing Colossal Man is a 1957 black-and-white science fiction film, directed by Bert I. Gordon and starring Glenn Langan. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ...

More recent movies with giantess themes are the 2000 film Malèna, the 2001 movie Dude, Where's My Car?, and the 2002 Hable con ella a.k.a. Talk to Her. In Malèna, there is a scene where the young protagonist, Renato Amoroso, fantasizes about being a few inches tall and having Monica Bellucci (Malena), pick him up and take him to her bosom. In Dude, Where's My Car?, five nubile female characters morph into an extraterrestrial giantess played by Jodi Ann Paterson (Playboy Playmate of the Year 2000). Talk to Her features a sequence in the style of early silent cinema called 'The Shrinking Lover,' where an accidentally shrunken scientist is rescued from his mother's clutches by his lover, who carries him home in her handbag. The shrunken scientist then roams his lover's body whilst she lies in bed. Malèna is a 2000 Italian drama/romance film starring Monica Bellucci and Giuseppe Sulfaro. ... Dude, Wheres My Car? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. ... Talk to Her (Hable con ella) is a 2002 film written and directed by the Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, and Rosario Flores. ... Talk to Her (Spanish: Hable con ella) is a 2002 film written and directed by the Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin and Rosario Flores. ... Malèna is a 2000 Italian drama/romance film starring Monica Bellucci and Giuseppe Sulfaro. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (born September 30, 1964 or 1968) is an Italian actress and fashion model. ... Dude, Wheres My Car? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. ... Jodi Ann Paterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American model, actress and former beauty queen. ... Talk to Her (Spanish: Hable con ella) is a 2002 film written and directed by the Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin and Rosario Flores. ...

Outside of Hollywood, giantesses have also appeared in special interest films. AC Comics giantess Garganta is featured in a live action DVD movie available from accomics.com entitled Gargantarama, which also includes giantess scenes from many movies as well as the feature length 1958 B-movie Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Embracing the use of the giantess in popular culture, AC has made it a frequently recurring theme in their products. ... AC Comics evolved out of Paragon Publications, and was known as Americomics in its first year of existence. ... Garganta is a fictional comic book character published by A.C. Comics appearing in several of their titles, most commonly Femforce the title in which she debuted in 1990 (Giganta, the 50ft Woman, Femforce issue 30). ... Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a 1958 science fiction film produced by Bernard Woolner for Allied Artists Pictures. ...

Giantesses have also appeared in advertisement campaigns, with similar erotic/humorous intent. In 2003, a commercial for the Italian company Puma featured the theme. The giantess, played by model/actress Valentina Biancospino, stomps around town causing havoc until finally picking up a man (played by Italian footballer Gianluigi Buffon) and kissing him. The following year, Lee Dungarees commercials used the giantess theme alongside the slogan "Whatever Happens, Don't Flinch," hiring model Natalia Adarvez to play a 90 foot tall giantess. Also that same year, Victoria Silvstedt (1997 Playboy Playmate of the Year) posed as a giantess for an advertisement for Max Power London, a car show held in London in November of 2004. In the February 12th, 2005 edition of the UK newspaper, The Sun, Miss Silvstedt again posed as a giantess of Godzilla height next to various London landmarks. This article is about the Italian goalkeeper. ... Victoria Silvstedt [IPA: vɪktuːriːja sɪlvstɛt] (born September 19, 1974 in Skellefteå, Sweden) is a Swedish fashion model and actress. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the character itself. ...

The giantess theme occasionally manifests in music videos as well, notably Pamela Anderson's role as a giantess in the video Miserable for the rock group Lit. In the video, the band members perform on Anderson's body and are eventually devoured by her at the end, a metaphor for the notion of a woman as "maneater." A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian/American[1] actress, sex symbol, glamour model, producer, TV personality, and author. ... This article is about the genre. ... Look up lit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

There is a growing scene of independent producers of giantess videos, one of the most prominent and prolific using advance blue-screen technology and very realistic buildings and props is Giantess Media World.

Adult art and literature

Given that macrophilia is a paraphilia, it is unsurprising that there is a wide assortment of adult art and literature devoted to the fantasy of giant women. Often, artists will produce collages, in which an image of a woman is placed into an image of a cityscape of differing scale, or an image of one or more small men is inserted into another image of normal scale. Additionally, drawings have been produced, as well as works of erotica and even some pornographic movies. As in the examples of the giantess theme in popular culture, the macrophiliac interest in the concept is influenced by notions of female empowerment, eroticism, and the idea of feminine beauty on an exaggerated scale. David Sedaris wrote a humorous essay called "Giantess", published in Barrel Fever, about writing for a magazine specializing in erotic stories about giant women and the particular attention that must be paid to the transformation and tearing of clothes. Macrophilia refers to sexual fantasy involving fictitious giants. ... Look up paraphilia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Collage is the assemblage of different forms creating a new whole. ... The concept of scale is applicable if a system is represented proportionally by another system. ... Drawing is one way of making an image: it is the process of making marks on a surface by applying pressure from or moving a tool on the surface. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Pornographic movies appeared shortly after the creation of the movie technology that made them possible. ... David Sedaris (born December 26, 1957) is a Grammy Award-nominated American humorist and radio contributor. ... Barrel Fever published in 1994 is a collection of short stories and essays by David Sedaris. ...

Spanish street festivals

In Spanish festivals, it is common to find a procession of gigantes y cabezudos ("giants and big-heads"). The giants are hollow figures several-meters tall depicting the upper part of a person and having a skirt. The skirt covers a strong man that carries a harness linked to the internal structure. The porter turns and shakes the giant to the tune of a marching band. Giants usually parade in couples of gigante and giganta. Rich towns have more than one couple. The figures usually depict archetypes of the town, such as the bourgeois and the peasant woman, or historical figures of local relevance, such as the founding king and queen. Fiesta can mean: A festival , party, or pasta. ... In Spanish festivals, it is common to find a procession of gigantes y cabezudos (giants and big-heads). Gigantes The giants are hollow figures several-meters tall depicting the upper part of a person and having a skirt on the lower part. ... Bourgeois at the end of the thirteenth century. ... In a detail of Brueghels Land of Cockaigne (1567) a soft-boiled egg has little feet to rush to the luxuriating peasant who catches drops of honey on his tongue, while roast pigs roam wild: in fact, hunger and harsh winters were realities for the average European in the...

See also

• Giant (mythology)
• Macrophilia