Legends of giants are present in almost all mythologies. Perhaps you will not find a single nation on Earth that would not tell about some giants rising to the skies and famous for their remarkable strength.
Greek mythology emphasizes the dominance of the giants known as the Titans and their subsequent overthrow. It was from Greece that the familiar myth about the Atlanteans, “holding the vault of heaven”, came.
But who these Titans and Atlantes were is not clear for certain. Zeus and the Olympians led the Titans to their fall. As for Atlantis, the ancient philosophers clearly spoke of its existence and subsequent flooding. It was also said that the inhabitants of Atlantis were tall.
Giants are also mentioned in Egyptian, Sumerian, Old Slavic, Scandinavian, Japanese, Chinese and Native American mythologies. In Hinduism, they act under the name of Asuras. There are giants in Biblical sources as well. The ancient Jews knew about the mysterious civilization of the titans, peculiar half-breeds, children of fallen angels and mortal women.
In the Old Testament and pre-Jewish texts of Canaan there are references to the Rephaim race. In the Septuagint and Vulgate, this word was translated as “giants.” Also, this name began to be called the wicked, that is, those who were far from holiness and purity.
In the Russian Synodal Translation, the Rephaims appear as “the dead.” The Jews so called the tall tribes of Palestine, preserved from antediluvian times. Also mentioned are the Nephilim, angelic beings, from whom the Rephaim subsequently descended.
The Book of Job says: “The Rephaim tremble under the waters, and those who dwell in them.” It is noteworthy that the phrase “under the waters” is noted here. Reminds all the same ancient legend of the sunken Atlantis.
Rephaim can also be identified with the Nephilim. In the Book of Enoch, the Nephilim are the children of humans and Guardian Angels, while the Rephaim are the offspring of humans and fallen angels. In apocryphal tales, the Rephaim are said to be terrible monsters, “18 cubits tall, with 16 rows of teeth and 6 fingers and toes.” Their remarkable physical strength and ferocity were noted.
The place of residence of the Rephaims was supposedly in the lands of the Amonites. It was also said about the Land of Bashan and Moab. But their true homeland remains unknown. After the arrival of the Jews in Palestine, the giants practically did not exist there.
Legends say that there were some tribes in which tall people lived. The Rephaims include Goliath, a mysterious giant warrior who fought on the side of the Philistines (previous “peoples of the sea”). Everyone knows the myth about how David armed with only a sling, picked a stone from a riverbed and slung it at Goliath’s head. David’s aim was true; the stone struck the giant and killed him, prompting the Philistines to flee.
Obviously, Goliath was still a man, and not a supernatural entity. It turns out that if Goliath really was considered a descendant of the Rephaims, his distant ancestors hardly looked like they were written about in apocryphal legends.
It is likely that these giants could be a subspecies of humans, existed before the Flood or before the Ice Age. Science denies the existence of civilizations before the Glacier, but this does not mean that they did not exist. Also, this does not mean that after the fall of pre-civilizations, their representatives completely evaporated.
Chronicles say that at least four more giants fought on the side of the Philistines against the Jews and peoples of Palestine. The famous one was Jesvius, “whose spear weighed 300 shekels of copper.”
Jesvius was aware of David’s popularity after his victory over Goliath. But the battle between the giant and the Jewish king never happened. Jesvius was not killed by David, but by Abishai the son of Saruin. Goliath had a brother named Lahmi, who was smitten by Elhanam.
Also, a rephaim warrior named Safut fought for the Philistines. But he was defeated by another hero of ancient times – Sovohay Khushatian. The name of the fourth rephaim on the side of the “peoples of the sea” is not mentioned.
But the Bible talks about abnormalities in his body and six fingers. This giant was already defeated by Jonathan, the son of David’s brother. The Philistines lost the war against the Jews and then completely disappeared as a people.
Together with them, their legends and myths evaporated. Therefore, science recognizes the legendary giants of antiquity as nothing more than a fiction of the chroniclers. But why then are they mentioned almost everywhere? The collective fantasy of humanity? It was hardly possible in such ancient times.
The question of who exactly the Rephaim were still remains unanswered. But whoever they are, they no longer exist in our world. If once their civilization was considered powerful on Earth, then these times have sunk into oblivion forever. The only thing left of them is only myths and legends.