Authors Notes

The write up of the Giants and Giant land in the original Griffin mountain (pg199 in the reprint) is excellent , and this article is suggestion for the deepening of the background . There are a couple of places where I have deviated from, the Griffin Mountain original, and this is to attempt to bring the mythos up to date and in-line with current thinking as I found it inconsistent.

The only thing which I take issue with is concept that Gon Orta was 12 meters high in the first age, due to the YGMV(Your Glorantha may Vary) concept, in my games active maturing true giants are never less than 30 meters tall, True giants and common/young/wild giants are two distinctly different races.

Summary

There are distinct groupings of active giants in the Elder Wilds and Eastern Rockwood mountains. The first is an organised grouping in Giantland  lead by Gon Orta, this group contain Gon Orta and a number of his closest associates.

The second cannot really be described as a formal grouping, they are a collection of individuals and loners. The wild giants who can be found in most places across the Elder Wilds, causing disorder and destruction either by intent or merely by trying to survive.

A much smaller third group of Giants are called twisted giants and though small in number, they are significant enough to be a cause for concern . First due to their size and then for the regularity at which these beast appear.  Almost always formerly wild giants which are mutated significantly by chaos.

True Giants

True giants are mythic beings who existed early in Godtime and are the compatriots of true Dragons and the Gods themselves, some being parents of the earliest of the Gods. Few of these beings are active in time. Gon Orta a very young and inexperienced true Giants is the only one his kind who is perceived as being currently active in this part of the world. And only a handful have been chronicled within time.

The 11 giants who by Myth and Legend form the  Big Giant Mountains, are all true giants. They are considered inactive by most, and the trolls who burrow in there mountains doubt they are giants at all. Younger common giants often claim ancestry from one of the Mountains but scholar cannot see how this is possible.

The giant cradles which have through time passed down the Zola Fel river are all the babies of true giants. Where these go and what they do after passing down the Zola Fel river has been un-documented, but there have been no well supported myths of adult true giants returning to Giant Land  within recorded time.

True giants are subject to a spiritual journey which they call the Inner Path, this starts with the journey down the Zola Fel and time with Magasta, but will continue through a True Giants life. When asked Gon Orta has explained it would be pointless to try to explain this path to a non giant, and even says common giants cannot comprehend it.

However true giants have a spiritual discipline called Gentling which changes the nature and the intellectual capabilities of common Giants.  This is the teaching of a much watered down and simplified version of the inner path.

Blueface the shaman has been known to say that the big giants are very real and only inactive on this plane. They are spiritual beings that mainly exists and act upon the hero plane at this moment in time. The mountains are only physical shadows of powerful spiritual entities which are active elsewhere.

Gentled Giants

A gentled Giant is a common or young giant who has been disciplined by a true giant for a number of decades and has had their natural associated with the disorder rune broken.  The only gentled giants within the Elder wilds are those who have been taught by Gon Orta.

Gentled Giants act in many ways like oversized humans due their main runic association now being man. They can worship human gods, join and form societies and groups without significant ranchor or strife.

There are a limited number of Gentled Giants within the Elder Wilds known giants are Boshbisil, Hen Cik, Sa Mita and  Bunscoto being the notable ones (all described in Griffin Mountain).

Gon Orta has a desire to mentor more of the Giants of Giantland but the process seems to require willing co operation from the Giant involved which isn’t always forthcoming.

Wild Giants

Most common or young Giants, still have their associations with the disorder rune and  roam the Elder Wilds alone or in small and temporary( for giants ) groups. They are aware and are in awe of Gon Orta, but really have little appetite to follow his rules for any other reasons than fear of the consequences. As such they tend to avoid his castle and have as little to do with him as possible.

They claim ancestry from true giants only because they have heard of Giants do that, and have no real concept on what their relationship with True giants actually is.

They are commonly found in Elder Wilds plains, mountains, non elven forests  and troll strongholds,  They are avoid elf forests and mostali Mountains.  They are highly destructive in nature, but some do seem to  be able to co-exist with and in troll society.

Wild Giant Write ups

• Ripper
• Kolsa ta
• Kanbra Lizard Rider

Twisted Giants

There are a very small number of  giant have succumbed to the taint of chaos, every decade or so one of the Wild Giants seems to be completely consumed by Chaos and transforms itself into a chaotic horror. This are often hunted down by Gon Ortas giants or by the trolls but a few survive hiding out in the mountains or outer  reaches of the Elder Wilds. Occasionally raiding more populated lands.

Gon Orta is deeply concerned about this but currently has no understanding of how or why this is taking place. It is in fact Granny Keeneyes who when she can is luring giants to festering isle, to be corrupted with the lagoon.

Twisted  Giants who are currently known are;

• Raslan the Melted One – 8 meters tall giant whose flesh seems to be melting and drops an throw gorps form his body.
• Annis the One Eye – 7 meter giant, with one eye in his head, and very heavy armour plating.