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Show Simple Explanation of ofOrigin ofOriginof Origin Originof _ of Giant Myths A iccent lccent recent c11 dispatch pl1tch from India re reporting reporting reporting porting that natives natlres have found foundbonc'3 foundbones foundbones bonc'3 bonc3 bones ' of ot a giant's giants ' skeleton no less lessthan lessthan lessthan than 11 31 l feet high his h'ls hls ' torn up all allrecor allrecords allrecords recor records ! ) of this particular p.trtlcular ptrtlcular . myth . Xot Not Xotcven Noteven Notoven cven even the Imaginative Doctor Ma Ma-zurlcr Ma zurlcr - . zurler zurier , wlio wlJO who fabricated in 1G13 IG13 thecircumstantial the theclrcum5tnnUal tliocircumstantial clrcum5tnnUal circumstantial tale of a blick bllc1 brick { tomb tombnot tombnot tombnot not only contilning cont'llnlng contllnlng containing ' his glint gl'lnt gllnt ' , but butprovIded butprovided butprovided provIded with VoIth equally gl gigantic giganticswords giginticswords 'lntlc lntlc 'lntlc8word ' 8word swords and other " weipous weapons c'lpon'J clponJ ' ' , and e\ e es een evenlabeled \ en enlabeled enlabeled labeled with the tho mme 'lme lme name ' and Utles Utica Utleswhich Uticatvhlclt titleswhich which tvhlclt the ginnt glnnt giant had borne , dared to tomnhe tomake tomake mnhe make big hIs imigined Im1gmed imagined relic more than than26 26 feet till t111 tall The TIJe fimoug f'lmous flmous famous ' Giant of ofLucerne ofLucerne ofLucerne Lucerne , who Involved 1I1rolved scores of ofSwIss ofSwiss ofSwiss SwIss and nnd German scientists in acrI acrl acrImonlous acrlmonious acrimonlous monlous monious controversies fiom flom from 1577 lti77 un- un untIl until un until - til only19 after lGOO 1600 1 COO , was credited " with Ith only 19 10 feet teet England's Englands Lngland's Lnglands ' ' Giant of Thorne Thorneway Thorneway Thomeway way , In Cumberland , sild s'lld slld said ' to h\ve h ve have hvebeen havebeen hivebeen ' \ been found Counel In armor which his h\s h s ' \ con conSenlently convenlently enlently Senlently \ disappeared , measured but but14 14 feet , bv by conteroponry contempor1ry contemporary accounts . No doubt dlubt ) the new 31 foot marvel marvelof marvelof marvelof of Cilcuttn C1lcutta Calcutta belongs with these thece ; oth others othens othcrs ers ens among the lon long list of confusions confusionsbet confusionsbetween confusionsbetween bet between " een human bones bonos and those of offossil offossil offossil fossil animals , mostly elephants A Afew Afew Afew few thoiisind thous'lnel thouslnel thousand ' , years sears ears ago ngo se\ se seerl seseral seseraltypes severiltypes \ er\l er l erltypes ' \ types of elephants , such as the mam mam- mammoths mammoths mammoths - - moths and mastodons , \ were ere much muchmore muchmore muchmore more numerous and widespread than thanany thanany thanany any kind 1.lnd 1lnd . of elephant Is today todav . Be Be- BeIng BeIng Being - - ing comparatively comparatl\"ely comparatl "ely ely \ " recent in geologic geologichlstorv geologichistory geologichistory hlstorv history , their bones lie close to the theground theground ground round and frequently are found by bydIggers bydiggers bydiggers dIggers or plowed up by f'lrmers flrmers farmers ' firmerssomething , , " something which Is not true of bones bonesof bonesof bonesof of still st1l1 hr lirjcr larder cr animals of earHer earlier earHer'lges earlierages earlieriges 'lges lges ages ' , suchs such ' \ is \s s as the gigantic Ignntl ( . dinosaurs dinosaursSome dinosaursSome dinosaursSome Some elephmts eleph'lnts elephlnts elephants ' ' ' leg bones look looe ] Bn sn Bnperficlnl1y snperficially snperficlnlly perficlnl1y perficially not unlike human bones hones It ItIs ItIs ItIs Is small wonder tint th'lt thlt that ' they and hu- hu human hu 1111 human . - man giants hive h1ve have been confused , al although althought although though thought even In 1C20 lG20 1620 the ( lie f'lmous flmous famous f'lmousWl1IIam famousWilliam fimousWilliam ' Wl1IIam William Harvey IIarvey remirked rem'lrked remlrked remarked ' of ot the thecupposed thesupposed thesupposed cupposed supposed ; Giant of Gloucester that thathis thathis thathis his bones evidently belonged In leal lealIty Leality realIty Ity to'some tosome to ' ' some e exceedingly esceedingls ceedlngh great bC'lst bClst beast bcistsuch ' , such as an elephant " There is less lesse'Ccuse lessexcuse lessexcuse e'Ccuse eCcuse excuse ' for Doctor Mizurlers M'l7urler Ml7urler Mi7urler ' s m'lnu mlnu manu- manu manufacture minu-facture minu facture ' - . facture out of \ whole hole cloth of the thebrick thebrick thebrick brick tomb , weipong e\pons e pons weapons \ ' \ and InscrJp inscrip InscrJpHons inscriptions Inscnptlons Hons tions \ which hlch he Slid s'lld slld said ' he found with withthe \ withtho 1th 1ththo tho the 20-foot 20 foot G-foot G - - previous prelous precious , holder of the theghnt theglint theglint ghnt glint recordTo recordTo record recordTo To students of folklcie folklolO folklore these mls mis mlsconceptions misconceptions misconceptions conceptions about elephant bones bonessuppl bonessupply bonessupply suppl supply " . one possible cxplmation explanation e phnatlOn ot of otthe ofthe ofthe the the"Jrtua1y \ " virtually \"Jrtua1y "Jrtua1y Jrtua1y ] \ worldwide orldwlde belief th1t that th1tgiants thatgiants tintgiants giants once existed e'Clsted eClsted ' , but buj not notjile the only one Another suggestion Is the therecoUection therecollection therecollection recoUection recollection by primitive people of ofother ofother ofother other human beings able to \ vvilk wall 111 ' . , on onstUts onstilts onstilts stUts stilts , as fen dwellers still stl11 do In Ineastern ineastern Ineastern eastern : England Inglan or dune dwellers clwel1ers In Insouth insouthwestern insouthwestern south southwestern " estcrn France Thus prob probably probably probably ably orI orlglnited originated In'lted Inlted ' the tale of the fast- fast fastmoving fastmoving fast-moving fast moving - moving seven league boots bootc ; . . Still SUll an another another another other possible origin of ot giant myths mythsI'i mythsis mythsit I'i Ii is ' garbled tales of ot men stinding st'lnding stlnding standing ' on onto ontow ontowers to tow " crs ers or platforms plntfornJ9 , like Ilke the tbo mov moY- moY moYable inov- inov inovable movable - - able siege towers used In ancient ancientwarfare ancientwarfare ancientwarfare warfare And perhaps pcrhaps some gIant gIantmyths giantmyths giantmyths myths date from days da s when rehtlve relative rehtlvely relatively relitively ly short races , sucli such as the Celts Celtswere , were \ ere In conflict confllct with rclath relatively relatisely ely taU tall taUones tallones tallones ones , like the Danes or Saxons &axons axons & : But Butnot Butnot Butnot not e\ e even een esen \ en folklore has bJ.s bJs . recorded recordedllants recordedgiants recordedgiants llants giants ; 31 feet hIghNew high-New high New high -New New - New York Her 13er HeraId 13eraid Heraid aId Tribune . , |