titans & giants myths & tales: epic tales

In this gorgeous new collection, explore the enduring appeal of giants and their powerful presence in the mythologies of the world.

Giants feature in most myths and legends of humankind. The Titans themselves, from Greek mythology were both giants and at war with their own children, the gods of Olympus. Atlas, Cronos and Prometheus have survived in the popular imagination but the tales of these elder gods are a fascinating read. Other cultures though have their own tales of giants, from the Chinese Pangu, who separated Heaven from Earth and whose body became the mountains and valley of the world, to the Jötnar giants of the Vikings, constantly at war with Odin and his Asgardians, and in Ireland the Fomorians were a powerful race of invaders at war with their predecessors, the Thuatha dé Danaan. From Japan there are the Oni, ogres fought by Momotaro, from the Sena people of Zimbabwe there is the tale of giant-slaying and giant-becoming hero Makóma, and even Grendell of Beowulf fame is regarded by some as a giant. A wonderful new collection for the modern reader.

The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Debbie Felton (foreword) is Professor of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her specialty is folklore in classical literature. She is the author of Haunted Greece and Rome: Ghost Stories from Classical Antiquity (1999), Monsters and Monarchs: Serial Killers in Classical Myth and History (2021), and many articles about the supernatural in the ancient world. She is also the editor of A Cultural History of Fairy Tales in Antiquity (2021), The Oxford Handbook of Monsters in Classical Myth (2024) and A Cultural History of Monsters in Antiquity (forthcoming, 2025).