Giants

Here's something that's been bugging me for at least a week: why are giants so prevalent in mythology? It seems, at least in Greek myths, that there are only a few non-human categories: the titans, their offspring (the Olympians), the children of the Olympians (a few gods and immortal hero people), and giants (the children of Uranus and Gaea).

After some research, I found that "giant" comes from the Greek "gigantes". I suppose this is somewhat irrelevant, but etymology knowledge seems to be one of those things that people like to have and store away, but rarely use in day-to-day happenings; like roller blades?

I also learned that giants were not always colossal, one-eyed monsters. In the Old Testament, Goliath was considered a giant. In Islam, God (Allah) created Adam to be 30 meters tall. Since then, his offspring have gotten shorter. The Prophet Mohamed said "so whoever will enter Paradise will be of the shape and form of Adam". In European tales, giants appear cruel and stupid. Heroes who kill the often did so more by wit than by strength.

I'd like to reach some general consensus about the main reason for giants in mythology. Unfortunately, there appears to be nothing consistent between all ancient cultures. In Hesiod's Theogony, (Greek mythology) Zeus releases three cyclops (giants) from the dark pit of Tartarus, where their father had banished them. They provide Zeus' thunderbolt, Hades' helmet of invisibility, and Poseidon's trident. Greeks believed some cyclops were buried under the earth and their tormented quivers resulted in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Giants might seem to consistently act as primeval creatures associated with chaos and wild nature. If it weren't for Islam, this would be true. Thanks a lot, Islam. You may have made incredible contributions to literature, architecture, art, and provide slightly over twenty percent of the world's population with a religion, but you sure do create annoying outliers in world mythology.