Show simple explanation Y of origin of giant myths A recent dispatch front from india reporting that rinthen have found bones of a glants skeleton no less than 31 feet lilli lina has torn up all of this particular myth not even the imaginative doctor sin na burler who fabricated in the circumstantial tale of a brick tomb not only containing ills his giant but provided with equally gigantic swords find and other weapons and even labeled with nith the name anti and titles which the giant had borne dared to make his imagined relic more than 26 feet tall the famous giant of lucerne who involved scores of swiss and german scientists in acrimonious controversies from 1577 until after 1600 was credited with only 19 feet En glands giant of thorne way in cumberland said to have boon been found in ili armor which lias has conveniently disappeared measure measured but 14 feet by contemporary accounts no doubt the new 31 t foot marvel of calca calcutta tta belongs w with ith elioe others aifong the long list of oe confusions between human bones anti anil those thoe of fossil animals mostly elephants A few thousand years ago several types of elephants such as the mam moths and mastodons were much more numerous and widespread than any kind hind of elephant is today being comparatively recent in geologic history their bones lie close to the ground and frequently are found by diggers or plowed up by farmers something aich Is riot not true of bones of still larger animals of earlier ages such as the gigantic gl dinosaurs some elephants leg bones look su not unlike hu human man hones bones it Is small wonder that they and human bitman giants ants have been con confused used although even in 1620 t alie famous william bianey remarked of the supposed giant of gloucester that ills his bones evidently belonged in reality to some exceedingly great beast such as an elephant there Is less excuse for doctor Mazur lers manufacture out of whole cloth of the hi brick tomb weapons and inscriptions which he said he found with the CC foot previous holder of the giant record to students of folk folklore fol kloie lole these misconceptions about elephant bones supply one possible explanation of 0 the virtually worldwide belief that giants once existed but not the only one another suggestion Is the recollection recollect lon by primitive people ot of other human beings able to walk on oil stilts as fen dwellers still do in eastern england or dune dwellers in southwestern france thus probably originated the tale of 0 the fast moving seven beven bengue boots still another possible origin of giant myths Is garbled tales of men standing on towers or platforms like the movable siege towers used in ancient warfare and perhaps some giant moths late date from lays days when relatively short races such as the celts belts were in conflict with relatively tall ones like the danes or saxons rut but not even folklore has recorded giants 31 feet high new york herald tribune |