Giants

(ji'äntz.) [Fr. géants, from Gr. gigantos.] Persons of extraordinary or phenomenal bulk or stature. Until the beginning of the present cent., it was universally believed that G., of a size far exceeding those who are exhibited in our times, formerly existed, either as nations or as individual specimens. This belief was supposed to be confirmed by the discovery of vast bones. Modern science, however, has generally proved these bones to be the remains of animals, not of men. And, so far as research has gone, ancient tombs, mummies, armor, ., give evidence that, from the earliest historic ages, the ordinary size of the human race has been nearly the same. But the existence of certain tall tribes is neither incredible nor improbable: indeed, we know on the surest evidence that, according to climate, there is a variety in the sizes of men; the natives of the extreme north, as the Lap landers and Esquimaux, being diminutive, while those of other regions-the Patagonians, for example, and other tribes of South America-though not so gigantic as they were once represented, are remarkably tall. Tallne of stature is often found to run in families; and there are plenty of examples within modern memory of individuals attaining the extraordinary height of 7 or even 8ft. [s. 407]