Giants (Gigantes)

The Giants or Gigantes were offspring of Uranus and Gaea. When Cronus severed his father's genitals and threw them into the sea, some of the blood landed on earth, and the giants sprang out of the earth.

The Gigantes were more than just giants. These giants had the tails of serpents.

The giants were said to have lived in Phlegra, which was most likely in Thrace, while others said that Phlegra was located in Sicily.

The gods learnt that they could only defeat the giants if a mortal aided them. The gods had to wait for centuries before they had a suitable hero to aid them in their war against the giants. This hero was Heracles.

To prevent the giants from attacking them before Heracles was born; they caused the sun not to shine in Phlegra.

Eurymedon was their leader, while Alcyoneus and Porphyrion were the strongest among the giants.

All of them were killed or confined in the war against the gods. The story about the Giants was told briefly in the War in Heaven and on Earth in the Creation, and more fully in the article called War of the Giants, found on Heracles' page.