Topic Research

For this brainstorming session, I've decided to hone in on the topic of giants, mentioned in the last project post. Specifically, I'm looking at the stories of famous, named giants rather than giant stories in general or mythical races of giants. This is only a tentative possibility, but in pulling these stories, what I am thinking about going forward is a storybook which features these giants (and possibly others) in the present day (maybe at a giant support group, or just sitting around the campfire) relaying their great tales to each other.

Paul Bunyan: This large lad was very easy to find possible stories for thanks to Dr Gibbs providing me with a link to a copy of The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan, a 1922 collection of Paul Bunyan tales. There is a lot to choose from here, and I am not quite settled on which one I will adapt (I will likely put a two or three together), but some objects of interest include Paul's creating the Great Lakes (page 20) or his giant-sized kitchen setup (page 10).

Paul Bunyan statue in Bangor, Maine. Source: WikiMedia Commons

Antaeus: With this feller, I'd be remiss if I adapted anything other than his battle with Hercules. Though this time we would get to see it from his perspective (maybe he's not as much of a monster as the legends say) and, of course, he doesn't die at the end (it would be pretty hard for him to be telling his story otherwise).

Heracles and Antaeus, Hofburg. Source: WikiMedia Commons

Goliath: With Goliath, I will, of course, be retelling the Bible story of David and Goliath but this time from Goliath's perspective. Much like Antaeus, maybe he isn't such a bad guy. After all, it's not like it's his fault the Philistines and the Israelites were at war. Who knows, maybe he and David could've been good friends after it was all said and done.

David and Goliath, a color lithograph by Osmar Schindler (c. 1888) Source: WikiMedia Commons