7 foot giant kings
Erik Evergood of Denmark, Inge the Elder of Sweden, and Magnus Barefoot of Norway. (Statue of "the Meeting of the Three Kings" in Kungalv, Sweden.)
When the giants left Canaan during Joshua, they first settled in Ugarit, Syria. From there arose a great Rephaim culture, which continued to compete with the Israelite religion for hundreds of years. They have left a treasure of literature, all centering around Baal's palace on Mount Hermon 1. Out of that came the Phoenicians 2, who then colonised, probably, much of the whole world. First the Mediterranean, then up along the west European coasts, even to Scandinavia. There are Phoenician traces all the way. The rock carvings in Tanum on the Swedish westcoast have depictions of Phoenician ships with small people together with giants 3. Many carvings have the same spiral signs as are common for the Rephaim cultures everywhere 4.
At the same time (the Bronze age) the Phoenicians probably crossed the Atlantic and came to America, just as is being discovered now 5. The earth mounds in America seems to be identical, or similar to mounds in Europe and Scandinavia 6. So are the weapons found in them 7.
(Back to Europe:) There was a giant clan living in Smaland, Gotaland, as late as in the 18th century. Not just one or two individuals, but part of a whole parish! They were called "Asa Kampar" - "Asa Giants", and were characterised as a "very hardy and tall people". 8
In the Viking age, the kings boasted of being of both Odin's and the giants' bloodline 9. Some of these kings' tombs have been opened recently, and their skeletons are about 7 feet tall. Again, these were not one or two rare individuals, but whole families of gigantic (or unusually tall) people. These royal skeletons still are preserved, in medieval churches. 10
During the 16th and 17th century, Scandinavian and Icelandic writers knew about these facts, and they traced the Nordic giants back to the Rephaim emigration during the age of Joshua 11. Today, this is all forgotten, or denied. They still have the skeletons, and yet won't see or admit the connections.
A couple of years ago (2006), an archaeological excavation in the north of Sweden reported they had found "big human skeletons" while digging near a church yard. What did they do? Took care of the bones and examined them? No, they put them back and buried them again. Without even mentioning their exact length or any more details in the report. 12
Bronze axes found in Denmark, both weighing 15.6 pounds.
In Denmark and southern Sweden, there have, among many other related artifacts, been found gigantic bronze axes, some weighing over 7 kg (15.65 pounds), impossible for normal sized humans to handle. They are shown in museums, as "ceremonial weapons". (Normally ceremonial weapons are made of wood (or clay), covered with thin metal layers. These axes are solid right through.) 13
There is a record from the 18th century, where a wellknown writer refers to a whole family of giants in Norway (probably Bohuslan, which belonged to Norway in the Viking Age), of whom the last one, when killed in 1338, was found to be 8 cubits tall (14 feet). His name was "Wral", which means "howl" or "roar", and the place where he lived and was buried, is called Varekil ("Wral's Wedge"). That place is not more than about 9.5 miles from where I live. During the 18th century there were still families along the coast who claimed to be of his descendents. 14
Historical giants of about the same size are mentioned in another historian's work, written in the 16th century. He (Olaus Magnus) refers to, among others, Starkad, who was famous during the Iron age (4-500 AD), over all of northern Europe, including the British Isles 15. There is a stone-mound in Skania, which tradition says is Starkad's burial place. (Most of the stones are now gone.) 16 In another, older record from Iceland, he has a forefather from Finnmark (Lapland), also named Starkad, who had 8 arms. These were not folktales with silly exaggerations, but historical records with names, geographical places, and family records streching into historical time. This 8-armed giant had problems getting married (wonder why... One of his brides killed herself rather than being his wife). Finally he snatched a girl from the historical kingly line of West Gotaland, and managed to have children with her. From them lines of huge warriors were branched out. 17
From the medieval manuscript "Liber Monstrorum", where Hygelac is described.
During the next century the kings of West Gotaland are said to have been very tall. (This is known from several sources.) One of those kings (Hygelac/Huiglaucus/Hugleik) was killed in northern France (nowadays Frisia) during a viking raid. Historical records say that his huge bones were shown at a museum at the Rhine mouth, and he is figuring in at least three different medieval accounts, one of them named "Liber Monstrorum" (Book of Monsters) 18. This guy is also figuring in the Beowulf Poem, with his brothers, and is considered a historical person according even to modern historians. 19
By the way, famous Grendel of the Beowulf Poem, was a Danish giant (or rather a giant living in Denmark). The poem actually calls him a jotun, and traces him back to the kin of Cain, and to the same race of giants killed by God before the Great Flood. As that race all died with the Flood, the medieval author may have missed something, but together with what I have outlined above, it isn't hard to connect Grendel (and his mother) to one of the nordic Nephilim lines. 20
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Notes
1.
Baal was particularly connected with Mt. Hermon in postflood times. It is therefore probable that he was the chief angel among those who had descended there. Baal is also connected with Ugarit, where the "divine council" concept also was known. (For a long time the mountain Akra north of Ugarit was thought to be the abode of Baal, but nowadays that has been questioned, and Mt. Hermon is also considered.) To me, it is obvious that Hermon was the abode of the descended angels, again, as such places historically tend to remain "portals" or "holy ground" for otherworldly visitors. To read about the Ugaritic Baal, see f.ex. The Ugaritic Baal Cycle, Mark S. Smith.
Baruch Margalit explains in detail why Mt. Hermon is the plausable abode of Baal, in these quotes from "The Ugaritic poem of Aqht: text, translation, commentary":
"In a wide-ranging and erudite presentation, Lipinski argued - and, I believe, demonstrated - that from the OB period into the Common Era - two full millennia! - Mt. Hermon (Ug. SRYN) was a 'Canaanite Olympus', a place of 'divine assembly'."
"He [Lipinski] goes on to say: "It may reasonably be inferred ... that Mt. Hermon became the mountain of the gods in an earlier phase of the history of the West Semitic peoples. This older tradition is recorded in the Amorite, i.e., Old-Babylonian version of the Gilgamesh epic, and it is preserved in the more conservative Palestinian traditions [= O.T.]." (p. 429-430) (See & p. 15-16)
"Our interpretation of MT. RPI is thus consistent not only with the specific geographical background of the Aqht story, but also with the mounting evidence for, and new appreciation of a north-Transjordanian/Bashan provenience of the major religious and literary traditions of the Ugaritic texts as a whole."
"There is a growing body of scholarly opinion which favours locating the Krt epic in the Bashan area as well. [...]
It is worth recalling in this connection (a) that the story of Baal's Palace which introduces the larger compostion of Baal-Mot, contains explicit reference to Lebanon and Hermon, rather curious if Baal is ensconced atop Gebl-el-Aqra in the vicinity of the heavily forested Mt. Amanus; (b) text 1.10:11:9,12 refers to ah. smk. almost certainly (as long recognized) identical with Lake Huleh/Semachonitis just north of the Sea of Galilee/Kinnereth, and implies that this area is virtually Baal's 'backyard' where he relaxes a-hunting after a hard day's work." (p. 258-259)
Baruch also writes about Golan-Bashan as "the former homeland of the ruling class of Ugarit". Thus, the descended angels and their nephilim offspring established themselves in Ugarit after the time in Bashan, because they were driven out from there in the time of Moses (those who survived). (See page 4 in the same book.)
"The equation of GR. SPN (= Sapanu or Sapuna) with Mt. Hazzi, just north of the city of Ugarit is wellknown. But it is attested only in the ostensibly later, non-literary texts written in syllabic cuneiform. The equation is not valid for the major literary texts where the proper-name 'Ugarit' does not make even a single appearance, and where such geographical references as are found point away from Ugarit and northern Syria in the direction of Canaan.
E.g.: in the story describing the construction of Baal's palace we learn that timber was cut and brought from Mt. Lebanon and Mt. Hermon, rather than from Mt. Amanus; and when Baal decides to 'take a day off' to hunt, he chooses the marshes of Lake Huleh rather than of Lake Ni(h)i.
The 'extra-Ugaritic' evidence is no less compelling. When the anonymous author of the so-called 'Job Stone' inscription - a LB Egyptian stela found at or near t. Astare/Ashtaroth - refers to 'Baal-Saphon', he more likely intends the storm-god of near-by Mt. Hermon rather than Mt. Casius. Similarly, when the biblical poet compares (Ps. 48:2-4) Mt. Zion, YHWS's 'mountain of holiness' with the 'heights of Sapon' he can hardly have had in mind anything but the mythical home of the Canaanite storm-god atop majestically snow-capped Mt. Hermon. For to an Israelite speaker of Hebrew 'Saphon' means 'north'; [...]
In short: the Ugaritic 'Baal-of-SPN' in the literary texts of Ugarit is almost certainly to be understood as 'Baal-of-Hermon' (Judg. 3:3). The equation SPN = Hazzi reflects a typical transfer of a divine abode, corresponding to the migration of Canaanites - or, as I should prefer, 'Raphaites' - from their ancestral homeland in Bashan/Golan to the environs of Ugarit where they eventually established a dynastic house. The entire process has its analogy in the transfer of the (Midianite) YHWH from his abode in the Sinai peninsula to Mt. Zion, in the wake of the Israelite 'conquest' and settlement in Canaan.
Even the 'royal epic' of Krt, whose theme a priori would seem to bear directly on the history of the dynastic house of Ugarit, is not only free of specific allusions to the latter city but may well provide additional support for a Canaanite localization of Ugaritic literature." (p. 474)
2.
Not that the Phoenicians (or Ugarits) were solely Nephilim, but they may have risen by the aid of Rephaim Nephilim, and/or with some extent of Nephilim blood in their veins.
3.
Scandinavian rock carvings often show giants and smaller people together, sometimes onboard Phoenician type ships.
4.
Spirals are common among bronze age remains. These are from a rock carving at Ekenberg, near Norrkoping on the Swedish East coast.
5.
Ps. 48 and Ez. 27 seems to suggest that the Phoenicians had been driven out on the Atlantic by strong eastern winds. It is also the view of this author, that the "Uphaz" mentioned two times in the Bible as a gold-find place, is America.
6.
Similar burial mounds on both sides of the Atlantic:
1. Mound with a stone vault, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
2. Mound with a stone vault, Doemmestorp, Halland, Sweden.
3. Mound with a wooden vault, Kanawha county, West Virginia.
4. Mound with wooden vault, Phrygia, modern Turkey.
7.
A video talking about similar weapons found on both sides of the Atlantic:
Sumerian, Amorite Weapons Discovered in Wisconsin
8.
This clan was also called Asa 'Heroes', an old word for giants. In an account from the 1600's, it is said about them, that they were "horribly huge and strong", and had steal-arches, which 4 to 6 men couldn't bend. About one of the Asa giants, who belonged to the "stiff Bete-clan", it is told that "he fought with 20 men as nothing".
http://runeberg.org/gohcwow/1/0038.html - http://runeberg.org/gohcwow/2/0056.html
A curious account of "the worst hailstorm told about" (in known Swedish history), happened in Asa parish in August, 1834 (the parish of the Asa Giants', or their descendents). More than 400 windows were broken, trees were splintered, the hail caused impressions on the house walls. The hail covered the ground up to a quarter (6"), and people walked in them as in snow. Some of the hails were of a handsbreath's size, and remained unmelted for 5 days in shadowy places.
(Svenska Folkets Underbara Öden, p. 459)
Could this have been a part of some cosmic cleansing of the parish?
9.
The kingly line of Sweden, and later Norway, was a mixture between the Asa and Vana people, and the older Scandinavian female giants, or half-giants. This is told in various sagas and family records. The Ynglinga Saga is but one of these historical accounts:
"Chapter 9. OF NJORD'S MARRIAGE: Njord* took a wife called Skade; but she would not live with him and married afterwards Odin, and had many sons by him, of whom one was called Saeming; and about him Eyvind Skaldaspiller sings thus: - "To Asa's son Queen Skade bore Saeming, who dyed his shield in gore, - The giant-queen of rock and snow, Who loves to dwell on earth below, The iron pine-tree's daughter, she Sprung from the rocks that rib the sea, To Odin bore full many a son, Heroes of many a battle won." To Saeming Earl Hakon the Great reckoned back his pedigree.
Chapter 11. FREY'S DEATH: His [Frey's**] wife was called Gerd, daughter of Gymis,
Chapter 16. OF VANLANDE, SWEGDE'S SON: Vanlande***, Swegde's son, succeeded his father, and ruled over the Upsal domain. He was a great warrior, and went far around in different lands. Once he took up his winter abode in Finland with Snae the Old, and got his daughter Driva in marriage,"
* Njord was the king after Odin. ** Frey was Njord's son, and king after him. *** Vanlande was Njord's great-grandson.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/heim/02ynglga.htm
10.
"Inge the Elder was one of our greatest kings, and this in two senses. He is considered to be the one to finally put an end to the public blood sacrificing in the country when he killed Blot-Sweyn and destroyed the pagan temple at Uppsala. With this Christianity* finally won the religious struggle in Sweden. Moreover Inge was large even physically. In an exhumation the skeleton was measured to as much as 2.16 meters." (7.1 feet).
Transl. from http://hem.spray.se/gustoria/Historia/Vastergotland_kyrkor.htm
*Well, not scriptural Christianity anyway.
Inge died about 1105. He is buried under the middle aisle in Varnhem Abbey, in West Gotaland. His older brother's son, also named Inge ('the younger') became king after him, and is believed to be buried in a family grave in Vreta Abbey. The skeletons in this grave contains bones from one person who was 2.01 m (6.6 feet), and another who was 1.93 m (6.3 feet). The relatives of Inge the Elder were all tall and heavy people. His daughter's son Magnus the Strong, who became duke in Denmark, was said to be "tallest of all men in Denmark". That says a lot, considering the Danes had several men in that age who were considered 'veritable giants'.
http://fornvannen.se/pdf/1920talet/1922_026.pdf - http://fornvannen.se/pdf/1920talet/1921_022.pdf
Some english text:
http://www.illustrata.com/pages/vreta/vreta/vreta.html - http://www.stockholmskallan.se/ContentFiles/SMM/GravoppningML/grav%C3%B6ppning%202011%20utst%C3%A4llning.pdf
A curious fact is that some of the queens of these Viking kings had elongated skulls. To deform the skulls of children was a tradition in some parts of northern Europe, up until the 19th century. In the tomb were king Inge the Younger, a relative to Inge the Elder is buried, is a female skeleton believed to be his widow. The skull of this skeleton is elongated. Giants and elongated skulls - coincidense?
The Statue of king Inge the Elder of Sweden (erected 1959) with the kings of Norway and Denmark. The funny thing is that the three kings are pictured as dwarflike men, hardly reaching over the back of the horse! - According to the Icelandic records "all three were tall and good looking men", while "Inge was the largest and stoutest". So probably the Danish and Norwegian kings were about 7 feet, too.
11.
"In his History of Denmark (1775), Suhm tells: '... Messenius says that the Canaanites that were driven out by Joshua came to Scondia, which they thereafter called Scandinavia. ... Arngrim Jonae, the learned Icelander, states that the Canaanites who were driven out by Joshua, were the first inhabitants in the North.' (p. 101)."
12.
"Large human bones were found in several places in the area, these were returned to the pit. Pieces of brick and tile were saved." - Schaktovervakning vid Umea Kyrka
13.
Danish bronze axes from Egebak, Vendsyssel, both weighing 7,1 kg (15.65 pounds), having a length of between 46-48 cm (18.1 - 18.9 inches). - De hellige redskaber
14.
In his Collected Writings, Carl Gustaf af Leopold mentions "Messenius' story of an entire giant clan in Norway, eventually rooted out, and of which the last, who was killed 1338, was found to be 8 cubits tall".
From Johannes Messenius' "Scondia Illustrata":
"GIGAS ultimus XV. cubitorum a quatuor viris in Norwegia trucidatur."
English: "Last giant, XV cubits by four men in Norway killed." (The height of the giant differs between 8 and 15 cubits, probably because someone wrote 15 cubits instead of 15 feet. 15 feet is almost 8 cubits, in medieval Norwegian units.)
15.
OLAUS MAGNUS' HISTORY OF THE NORDIC PEOPLES. FIFTH BOOK, CHAPTER TWO. THE GIANTS
"There formerly was in the kingdom of the Hälsings - they now are subject to the king of the Swedes - to the north, a giant named Hartben, so very huge, that he measured the length of nine cubits. He had twelve fighters as battle comrades, who, albeit they were particularly tall, appeared only half his size. Another man named Starkater formerly was known across Europe for his many victories, such as below shall be told about. The same was the case with Arngrim and Orvar Odd (Aruerodus), of whose brilliant feats shall be spoken of later. In order that I yet not may seem to borrow examples of great stature or strength solely from past centuries, so it lends itself to cite several men of modern times, both from the mining districts as from other provinces in Svealand and Götaland, men who had been equipped with such strength, that every one of them could lift up on their shoulders and several stadion's way wear a horse or the biggest ox, yes an iron vessel of six hundred, eight hundred, thousand pounds weight - a weight that also several maidens could lift. There has also been seen a man who not only by the rapidity of his movements, but by his very strength threw or forced down to the ground a knight in full armor, who unexpectedly met him."
(My english translation from Gidlunds Förlag's Swedish translation.)
Latin original: http://runeberg.org/olmagnus/0243.html
16.
The famed battler Starkotter's (Starkath's) burial place at Vegeholm, in Skania.
17.
"Hervarar Saga, Chapter 1.
It is said that in the days of old the northern part of Finnmark was called Jötunheimar and that there was a country called Ymisland to the south between it and the Halogaland. These lands were then the home of many giant and half-giants; for there was a great intermixture of races at the time, because the giants took wives from among the people of Ymisland.
There was a king in Jötunheimar called Guthmund. He was a mighty man among the heathen. He dwelt at a place called Grund in the region of Glasisvellir. He was wise and mighty. He and his men lived for many generations, and so heathen men believed that the fields of immortality lay in his realm; and whoever went there cast off sickness or old age and became immortal.
After Guthmund's death, people worshipped him and called him their god. His son's name was Höfund. He had second sight and was wise of understanding, and was judge of all suits throughout the neighbouring kingdoms. He never gave an unjust judgment, and no-one dared violate his decision.
There was a man called Hergrim who was a giant dwelling in the rocks. He carried off from Ymisland Ama the daughter of Ymir, and afterwards married her. Their son Thorngrim Halftroll took from Jötunheimar Ögn Alfasprengi, and afterwards married her. Their son was called Grim. She had been betrothed to Starkath Aludreng, who had eight hands; but she was carried off while he was away to the north of Elivagar.
When he came home he slew Hergrim in single combat; but Ögn ran herself through with a sword rather than marry Starkath. After that Starkath carried off Alfhild the daughter of King Alf from Alfheimar, but he was afterwards slain by Thor. Then Alfhild went to her kinsfolk, and Grim was with her till he went raiding and he became a great warrior. He married Bauggerth the daughter of Starkath Aludrenga and set up his dwelling on an island off Halogaland called Bolm. He was called Eygrim Bolm. His son by Bauggerth was called Arngrim the Berserk, who afterwards lived in Bolm and was a very famous man."
18.
"And there are monsters of an amazing size, like King Hygelac, who ruled the Geats and was killed by the Franks, whom no horse could carry from the age of twelve. His bones are preserved on an island in the river Rhine, where it breaks into the Ocean, and they are shown as a wonder to travellers from afar." -
(Pride and Prodigies: Liber Monstrorum)
19.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygelac
20.
"On kin of Cain was the killing avenged by sovran God for slaughtered Abel. Ill fared his feud, and far was he driven, for the slaughter’s sake, from sight of men. Of Cain awoke all that woful breed, Etins* and elves and evil-spirits, as well as the giants that warred with God weary while: but their wage was paid them!" (Beowulf 107-114)
*Old english 'eotenas', norse 'jotnar'; postflood giants/nordic giants. (As contrast to the preflood giants, who here are called 'gigantas'.)
"The fiend made off, but the earl close followed*. The monster meant - if he might at all - to fling himself free, and far away fly to the fens, - knew his fingers' power in the gripe of the grim one. Gruesome march to Heorot this monster of harm had made!" (Beowulf 761-766)
* 'Eoten wæs utweard; eorl furþur stop.' Eoten=Jotun=Giant.
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