{{Short description|Female giant}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2012}} [[File:Anna Swan with her parents.jpg|thumb|Giantess [[Anna Haining Bates|Anna Haining Bates (née Swan)]] with her parents.]]
'''Giantesses''' are female [[giant|giants]]: either a [[Giant|mythical being]], such as the [[Amazons]] of Greek mythology, resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength or a human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality (see [[gigantism]]).
==Polytheism and mythology== [[File:Tithonos Eos Louvre G438 detail.jpg|thumb|300px|The ''[[Titan (mythology)|Titanide]]'' [[Eos]] pursues the object of her affection, the reluctant [[Tithonos]], on an [[Attica|Attic]] ''[[oinochoe]]'' of the [[Achilles Painter]], ca. 470 BC–460 BCE ([[Musée du Louvre|Louvre]])]]
===Baltic mythology=== In [[543]], according to the [[folk etymology]] for the name of [[Neringa Municipality]], there was a giantess girl named {{anchor|Neringa}}Neringa on the seashore formed the [[Curonian Spit]], who helped fishermen.<ref>Gitana Kazimieraitienė, ''Legendos pasakoja. Lietuvos geografiniai objektai'', Kaunas, „Šviesa“, 2008, {{ISBN|5430047694}} ([https://b-ok.cc/book/935347/12e7bb online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002014553/https://b-ok.cc/book/935347/12e7bb |date=2022-10-02 }})</ref>
===Greek mythology=== The Titanides, sisters and children of [[Titan (mythology)|Titans]], may not have originally been seen as giants, but later [[Hellenistic]] poets and Latin ones tended to blur Titans and Giants. In a surviving fragment of [[Gnaeus Naevius|Naevius]]' poem on the Punic war, he describes the Gigantes Runcus and Purpureus (Porphyrion): :''Inerant signa expressa, quo modo [[Titan (mythology)|Titani]]'' :''bicorpores Gigantes, magnique Atlantes'' :''Runcus ac Purpureus filii [[Gaia (mythology)|Terras]]''. Eduard Fraenkel remarks of these lines, with their highly unusual plural ''Atlantes'', "It does not surprise us to find the names ''Titani'' and ''Gigantes'' employed indiscriminately to denote the same mythological creatures, for we are used to the identification, or confusion, of these two types of monsters which, though not original, had probably become fairly common by the time of Naevius".<ref>Fraenkel, "The Giants in the Poem of Naevius" ''The Journal of Roman Studies'' '''44''' (1954, pp. 14-17) p. 15 and note.</ref> Other giantesses in Greek myth include [[Periboea]], the princess of the giants that participated in the Gigantomachy, and the queen and princess of the Laestrygonians who participated in the attacking and devouring of Odysseus' crew.
===Nordic mythology=== {{main|Jötunn}} [[File:Fenja_och_Menja_vid_kvarnen_Grotte_(xylograph).JPG|thumb|right|Enslaved {{lang|non|[[gýgjar]]}} [[Fenja and Menja]] plot revenge against their selfish owner, King [[Fróði]]]] Female [[jötnar]] have a prominent role in Nordic mythology, where they are referred to as {{lang|non|gýgr}}, {{lang|non|íviðja}} and {{lang|non|tröllkona}}. While these terms are often glossed as "giantess", in texts containing the oldest traditions, they are often not notably large and the terms are often left untranslated.<ref name="Motz, 1982">{{cite journal |last1=Motz |first1=Lotte |title=Giants in Folklore and Mythology: A New Approach |journal=Folklore |date=1982 |volume=93 |issue=1 |pages=70–84 |doi=10.1080/0015587X.1982.9716221 |jstor=1260141 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1260141 |access-date=6 May 2022 |issn=0015-587X|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Ásdísardóttir">{{cite book |last1=Ásdísardóttir |first1=Ingunn |title=Jǫtnar in War and Peace : the Jǫtnar in Old Norse mythology : their nature and function |date=2018 |publisher=University of Iceland, School of Social Sciences |oclc=1113408226 }}</ref><ref name="TRANSLATORS">Some translators of the ''Poetic Edda'' do not render the word {{lang|non|jötunn}} to ''giant''. For example, in the Foreword to [[Jeramy Dodds]]'s translation of the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'', Terry Gunnell says that {{lang|non|jötnar}} is "sometimes wrongly translated as 'giants{{'"}} and instead uses ''jötunns''. (Dodds 2014:9).</ref>
Notable {{lang|non|gýgjar}} include: * [[Gríðr]] - a gýgr who saved [[Thor]]'s life. She was aware of the jötunn [[Geirrod]]'s plans to get Thor killed and sets out to help him by supplying him with a belt of strength, a pair of magical iron gloves, and a [[magical wand]].<ref name="Simek">{{cite book |last1=Simek |first1=Rudolf |title=Dictionary of northern mythology |date=1993 |publisher=D.S. Brewer |location=Cambridge [England] |isbn=9780859915137}}</ref> * [[Gerðr]] - A beautiful gýgr with whom [[Freyr]] fell in [[love at first sight]], as told in [[Skírnismál]]. After marrying him, she became the mother of the mythic Swedish king [[Fjölnir]].<ref name="Simek"/> * [[Skaði]] - The daughter of [[Þjazi]], whom the gods had killed. After journeying to [[Ásgarðr]] from [[Þrymheimr]], she agreed that she would renounce her vengeance on two conditions: that they allow her to choose a husband from among them, and that they succeed in making her laugh. The gods allowed her to choose a husband, but she had to choose him only from his feet; she choose [[Njörðr]] 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. After a while, she and her husband separated because she loved the mountains, while he wanted to live near the sea in [[Nóatún (mythology)|Nóatún]].<ref name="Simek"/> * [[Hyrrokin]] - A gýgr who came riding on a wolf to [[Baldr]]'s funeral and gave the ship he had been lain upon such a push that fire flashed from the rollers and all the earth shook.<ref name="Simek"/> * [[Thokk]] - The only being who refused to weep upon Baldr's death, resulting in [[Hel (goddess)|Hel]] not releasing the god from the [[underworld]] until after [[Ragnarök]]. According to [[Snorri Sturluson]], Thokk was [[Loki]] in disguise.<ref name="Simek"/>
===Hinduism=== Giantesses are fairly common in the [[Hindu]] religion. The demoness Putana (who attempted to kill the baby [[Krishna]] with poisoned milk from her breasts) is usually drawn as a giantess.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hare Krsnas - Krsna's Vrindaban Pastimes - The Demon Putana |url=https://harekrsna.com/philosophy/associates/demons/vrindaban/putana.htm |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=harekrsna.com}}</ref>
===Celtic mythology=== Giantesses are common in the folklore of [[Great Britain|Britain]] and [[Ireland]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. A notable giantess in [[Irish mythology]] is [[Bébinn]] who comes from a kingdom known as "The Land of Maidens" which is entirely populated by other giantesses, who are her one hundred and forty nine sisters, with the only males in her land being her father and three brothers.
=== Turkish folklore === In Turkish folklore, a man sucking milk of a "giant mother" ({{Lang|tr|dev anası}}) is a common narrative. In this theme, a man is supposed to drink the milk of a giantess without being noticed. Thus, he will become an adoptive child of her and the giantess will not attack him. Those motives are encountered in stories such as {{Lang|tr|Altın Bülbül}} (Golden Nightingale) and {{Lang|tr|Seksen Göz}} (Eighty Eyes).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Türk Halk Anlatmalarında Süt|trans-title=A Research on Milk in Turkish Folk Narratives|url=https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/tezDetay.jsp?id=cZIdjK7k13nQ-uluvPrXgQ&no=gEabvxJYp7RStZ5e8pGCHQ|access-date=2021-05-13|website=tez.yok.gov.tr}}</ref>
==Modern art and literature== ===Books=== In [[Lewis Carroll]]'s story ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'', there are several scenes where the heroine [[Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|Alice]] grows to giant 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.
===Comics=== Size-changing heroines have appeared in such comics as ''[[Doom Patrol]]'', ''[[The Mighty Avengers|Mighty Avengers]]'', ''[[Marvel Adventures]] [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]]'', ''[[Team Youngblood]]'', and ''[[Femforce]]''. In the latter series, the giantess-superheroines [[Tara Fremont|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 crush their foes. Giantesses are also common in the [[manga]] and [[anime]] mediums of [[Japan]]. [[She-Hulk]]'s nickname is "The Jade Giantess", due to the main character growing in size and more powerful when becoming She-Hulk.
The giantess also appears in modern-day art, illustration and fashion. UK based illustrator Emma Melton has used the giantess as a symbol in her illustrated fashion line 'Blessed by a Giantess', which aims to promote healthy body image in young girls and spread the message that 'We are all beautiful.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wix.com/blessedbyagiantess/shop|title=Blessed by a Giantess}}{{Dead link|date=November 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>
===Motion pictures=== {{excessive examples|section|date=December 2024}} [[File:Attackofthe50ftwoman.jpg|thumb|Poster of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman]] 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]]'', ''[[The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock]]'', and ''[[Village of the Giants]]''. The 1993 remake of ''[[Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1993 film)|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.
In ''[[Dude, Where's My Car?]]'', five nubile female characters morph into an extraterrestrial 20 foot tall giantess played by [[Jodi Ann Paterson]] who picks up one of the characters and [[voreaphilia|eats]] him. ''[[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 while she lies in bed. ''[[Monsters vs. Aliens]]'' features a satirization of ''Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'' in which the main protagonist, Susan Murphy, is clobbered by a radioactive meteor that causes her to grow up to 49 feet, 11½ inches, becoming Ginormica. In ''[[Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader]]'', Cassie Stradford, a college student, steals a drug and injects herself with it to make her pretty. However, the drug had a side effect when she starts to grow taller and taller until she is a 50-foot-tall giantess. ''[[The Incredible Shrinking Woman]]'', which parodies ''The Incredible Shrinking Man'', ends with [[Lily Tomlin]] becoming a giantess.
Outside of [[Cinema of the United States|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.
Giantesses have also appeared in advertisement campaigns, with similar erotic/humorous intent. In 2003, a commercial for the [[Italy|Italian]] company Puma featured the theme. The giantess, played by model/actress Valentina Biancospino, stomps around town causing havoc and swallowing a man whole before finally picking up a man (played by Italian footballer [[Gianluigi Buffon]]) and kissing him.
[[Natasha Stefanenko]] plays a giantess in the Italian advert ''Natasha Stefanenko : La gigantessa'', where she rescues a horse from a spaceship and puts it back in its place and she accidentally breaks a building by sitting on it and [[Anna Campori]] provides the voice of Natasha in this advert.
Giantesses have also appeared in some television series such as ''[[Genie in the House]]'', ''[[Snorks]]'', ''[[Schoolhouse Rock]]'', ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]'', ''[[Braceface]]'', ''[[The Electric Company]]'', ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'', ''[[Futurama]]'', ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', ''[[Animaniacs]]'', ''[[Toonsylvania]]'', ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door|Kids Next Door]]'', ''[[Archie's Weird Mysteries]]'', ''[[Harley Quinn (TV series)|Harley Quinn]]'', ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' in ''Attack of the Fifty Footed Woman'', ''[[Totally Spies!]]'' episode in ''Attack Of The 50 Ft Mandy'', ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'', ''[[Rick and Morty]]'', ''[[The 7D]]'', ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy]]'', ''[[Disenchantment (TV series)|Disenchantment]]'', ''[[The Cuphead Show!]]'', ''[[Jelly Jamm]]'' and ''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]''. The ''Snorks'' episode "The Littlest Mermaid" features a scene where a mermaid grows into a giantess caused by a machine. The ''Schoolhouse Rock'' episode "Unpack Your Adjectives" includes a scene where a tall girl grows into a 34-foot giantess, causing only her legs and sandals to be seen. She then stomps on a small boy who wouldn't stop laughing at how tall she grew. In the first episode of ''The Electric Company'', [[Judy Graubart]] grows into a giantess while holding up a sign for the kid audience to read that says "giant".
===Music videos=== [[Pamela Anderson]] plays a giantess version of her V.I.P. Character Vallery Irons in the music video for "[[Miserable (song)|Miserable]]" by the [[Rock music|rock]] group [[Lit (band)|Lit]]. In the video, the band members perform on Anderson's body and are eventually [[Vorarephilia|devoured]] by her at the end, serving as a metaphor for women who are "maneaters."
[[Kylie Minogue]] appears as a giantess in the music video for the single "[[Giving You Up]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lCylDr5X1Y |title=Kylie Minogue - Giving You Up (Official Video)|website=[[YouTube]] |date=6 April 2010 }}</ref>
[[Lana Del Rey]] plays a giantess walking around [[Los Angeles]] in the music video for her cover of [[Sublime (band)|Sublime]]'s "[[Doin' Time]]".
== See also ==
* [[Macrophilia]] * [[Vorarephilia]]
==References== {{reflist}}
[[Category:Female legendary creatures]] [[Category:Fairy tale stock characters]] [[Category:Fictional giants]] [[Category:Giants|*]]