Mythology Theory On Giants Feet In Jack And Giant Beanstalk | The Odyssey Online
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The Fault In The Creation Of Giants Starts With Jack And The Giant Beanstalk

When analyzing the traditional story of the Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, I contemplated the attack of the giant ogres and cyclops who lived in the sky and found a chink in their creations.

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There are many people in the world who know the tale "Jack and the Giant Beanstalk" though not many believe that there is a plot-hole to be discovered here. Or maybe they didn't believe there was anything else to find.

The traditional story follows a young teenage boy who is told by his mother to sell their cow for money, and the boy instead trades the cow for what he is told are magic beans. He goes back home with the magic beans and tells his mother, who rightfully calls him a fool and throws the beans out the window. Overnight the beanstalk grows, and Jack decides to climb it. At the end, he ends up in a land of clouds and finds a house. In some version this is an ogre, a cyclops or a giant. The wife ogre helps the young man to some food while keeping him safe from her husband who eats humans. Jack visits twice, and on the second time, he steals a magic harp and a gold-laying goose then chops down the bean stalk when the giant is climbing down. The giant dies when he falls to the ground.

The problem with this assumption of the giant is his feet.

In the majority of visual representations of giants based on this fairy-tale, they are ugly swollen creatures, as seen in movies such as "Jack the Giant Slayer," the giants working for Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, "Puss in Boots" and "Into the Woods." Though if these interpretations were not created, the only version of giants would be sweet looking ones who dance all night along as seen in "Ella Enchanted."

When presented with these grotesque depictions of giants, they are usually scarcely clothed with a loin cloth and sometimes a leather vest. They are only armored with a large cudgel and if the creators are merciful, a shield. These sorry articles of clothing are considered to be protection and are created to make the characters look more oafish and savage than they would appear if they wore human clothing. This is done on purpose by designers to convey to the audience and to the small opponent that the ogre, giant and cyclops are so powerful and strong that they does not need human armor to protect themselves as they can rely on their girth and natural strength alone.

This assumption, if to be based on their fantastical world alone, would be perfectly acceptable... But it simply cannot be acceptable because of one thing: giants live in the sky.

These aerial habitats are made of diamond dust and clouds, lightning sheets and rain, mist and reflections. In these conditions, there would be no way for these beasts to go roaming barefoot on terrestrial ground. Their feet probably wouldn't even be able to handle the very sandals they wore due to how soft the tissue of their feet would be when all their feet had to touch in their world are white fluffy clouds.

So the issue with the oafish man-eating ogre or cyclops of "Jack and The Giant Beanstalk" simply stems from this problem. That may have been the real reason why the giant monster had fell and died in the first place. Blood makes things quite complicated.

This is the fault in the creation of giants as shown in the oldest folktales of time.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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