Gigantomachia: Olympic Gods Vs Giants

30/11/2020

     Gigantomachia or simply War of the Giants is an episode of Greek Mythology, after Titanomachy. And it was the fight between the Olympic Gods against the Giants, check.

CAUSE OF WAR:

     Zeus arrested the Titans in Tartarus. Gaia, his grandmother, mother of Cronos and Reia, became angry and spawned the Giants, who engaged in combat against the Olympian gods. Higino names 24 Giants.

     Another version says that Gaia spawned the giants as revenge against the gods along with Tartarus, creating a counterpart for each god.


PREPARATIONS:

     The gods of Olympus knew of an oracle that said that the Giants could not die at the hands of the gods unless a mortal fought alongside them, so Zeus called Hercules through Athens.

     In turn, Gaia made a mixture that also prevented the giants from being killed by mortals. Knowing this situation, Zeus prevented Helios, Selene and Eos from shining and collected the base plant of the potion in the dark.

THE BATTLE:

     The battle was fought where the giants lived, in Flegra ("land on fire") or in Palene. Apollodorus says Porphyrion and Alcyoneus were the most prominent. The latter, who had removed Helios' cows from Erícia, was immortal while fighting in his native land, while Homer provides the fact that Eurimedon reigned over them. The giants carried out a first attack on the gods armed with huge stones and tree trunks.

  • Hercacles attacked Alcioneus first, and pierced him with one of his poisoned arrows, but when the giant fell to the ground, he came to life. Following Athena's advice, Heracles dragged him out of his native land and thus managed to kill him forever. It is also said that, having inherited the strength of Zeus, Hercules killed the giant by breaking his neck with his hands.
  • Porfirio attacked Heracles and tried to rape Hera. Zeus took him down with the lightning and Hercules took him out with his arrows.
  • Efialtes died from an arrow in each eye, one from Apollo and one from Hercules.
  • When Enceladus left the battlefield, Athena crushed him with the island of Sicily, where he was arrested. His fiery breath comes from Etna. According to other versions, Enceladus was killed by Silenus.
  • Mimas was buried by Hephaestus under a mass of molten metal, in which he is still trapped (Vesuvius).
  • Polibotes was buried by Poseidon, who threw him a piece of the island of Cos, giving rise to the new island of Nisyros.
  • Hipólito was defeated by Hermes, wearing a helmet that made him invisible.
  • Gration was shot down by Artemis' arrows.
  • Dionysus knocked out Éurito with his torso.
  • Hecate burned Clitio with his infernal torches.
  • In at least one (unfinished) text from Antiquity, Hades is depicted with Persephone riding in chariots side by side, leading an army of dead against the attacking giants.
  • Armed with their bronze maces, the Moiras killed Agrio and Toante.
  • Hera fought the giant Foitos.
  • Ctônio and Peloreo fought against Dioniso.

     Each giant was eliminated by the arrows of Hercules embedded in the poison of Lerna's Hydra, except those that were trapped under the islands.

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