Pausanias Analysis

Passage 8.29.2

← 8.29.1 8.29.3 →

Passage 8.29.2: Homer's portrayal of Giants as mortal, not divine.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

γιγάντων δὲ ἐν μὲν Ἰλιάδι οὐδεμίαν ἐποιήσατο Ὅμηρος μνήμην· ἐν Ὀδυσσείᾳ δὲ ἔγραψε μὲν ὡς ταῖς Ὀδυσσέως ναυσὶ Λαιστρυγόνες ἐπέλθοιεν γίγασι καὶ οὐκ ἀνδράσιν εἰκασμένοι, ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Φαιάκων λέγοντα εἶναι τοὺς Φαίακας θεῶν ἐγγὺς ὥσπερ Κύκλωπας καὶ τὸ γιγάντων ἔθνος. ἔν τε οὖν τούτοις δηλοῖ θνητοὺς ὄντας καὶ οὐ θεῖον γένος τοὺς γίγαντας καὶ σαφέστερον ἐν τῷδε ἔτι, ὅς ποθʼ ὑπερθύμοισι γιγάντεσσιν βασίλευεν· ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν ὤλεσε λαὸν ἀτάσθαλον, ὤλετο δʼ αὐτός. Hom. Od. 7.59-60 ἐθέλουσι δʼ αὐτῷ λαὸς ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν ἀνθρώπων οἱ πολλοὶ καλεῖσθαι.

English Translation

Homer makes no mention of Giants in the Iliad, but in the Odyssey he describes how the Laestrygonians attacked Odysseus' ships—beings he compares more to giants than men; he also has the king of the Phaeacians say that the Phaeacians are close kin to the gods, just as are the Cyclopes and the tribe of Giants. Thus, in these passages, Homer clearly indicates that the Giants are mortal and not of divine race, and even more explicitly here: "who once ruled over the arrogant Giants, but he destroyed the reckless people, and was himself destroyed." Yet in these verses, the majority of men wish to be called by the term 'people.'

Proper Nouns

gods (θεοί) deity
Cyclopes (Κύκλωπες) other Q128430
Also in: 2.20.7 7.25.6
Laestrygonians (Λαιστρυγόνες) other Q743931
Also in: 10.22.7
Phaeacians (Φαίακες) other Q128693
Iliad (Ἰλιάς) other Q8275
Odyssey (Ὀδύσσεια) other Q35160
Homer, Odyssey (Ὅμηρος Ὀδύσσεια) other Q58443039
Also in: 9.20.3 9.41.5
Odysseus (Ὀδυσσεύς) person Q21290729
Homer (Ὅμηρος) person
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