Claude-Nicholas Le Cat: where would modern giantology be without him? (image from Wikimedia Commons) If you're interested in where the modern mythology of "giants" comes from, make sure you check out Jason Colavito's excellent blog posts from last week. He has done some great work researching accounts of "giants" from pre-1800s Europe, beginning with this post about a mid-1700s address by Claude-Nicolas Le Cat, versions of which became entrenched on both sides of the Atlantic. Information from that address was reprinted numerous times in U.S. newspapers during the boom in giant accounts of the mid- to late-1800s. It will take some analysis to try to figure out how those things might be connected, but being able to trace the source of what may be one of the foundations of the modern belief in giants is an important piece to the puzzle.
Jason's other posts on giants from last week:
Jason's other posts on giants from last week:
- Odds and Ends: A Roswell Slides Apology and More on the Fossil Origins of Giant Myths
- The Fossil Dragon Bones of Poland's Wawel Cathedral
- The Gigantic Corpse of Pallas: A Medieval Mystery
- More on the Discovery of the Giant Bodies of Classical Heroes
- The "Giant" Bones and Relics in Early Modern Europe's Churches
- A Few More Giants and the Adventures of Pietro della Valle in the Near East
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