The Anglo-Saxon period, spanning from the 5th to the 11th centuries, is often remembered for its warrior-kings, monastic scribes, and epic poetry like Beowulf. Yet hidden beneath this well-trodden historical ground lies a world of myth and wonder—of ancient giants who once roamed the English landscape. These giants, while rarely taken literally by modern historians, played a vital role in Anglo-Saxon folklore, literature, and the shaping of England’s mythic past.

Origins of the Giant Lore

The concept of giants predates the Anglo-Saxons, appearing in Norse, Celtic, and Roman traditions long before Germanic tribes settled in Britain. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the British Isles, they absorbed and reshaped local legends, blending them with their own mythologies. Giants became symbolic not only of monstrous physical strength but also of the ancient and unknowable past.

For the Anglo-Saxons, giants were often remnants of a primordial world, tied to ruins, ancient mounds, and standing stones. They were explained as builders of strange structures—remnants of a forgotten race of superhuman beings who once ruled the land.

Giants in Beowulf and Old English Literature

The most famous Anglo-Saxon literary work, Beowulf, includes a terrifying monstrous figure—Grendel. Though never directly called a giant, Grendel and his mother possess giant-like attributes: immense strength, brutal violence, and an existence beyond the laws of men. In Beowulf, the sword used to slay Grendel’s mother was forged by giants—suggesting that giants were once mighty craftsmen and warriors, now extinct but leaving behind magical relics.

Old English literature frequently references "ents" (the same word later popularized by Tolkien) or "eotenas," which were often interchangeable with the concept of giants. These beings were portrayed as chaos incarnate—opposed to the Christian and orderly world the Anglo-Saxons sought to create. shutdown123