Gigantomachy

Gigantomachy, or Gigantomachia, is a central episode in Greek mythology describing the battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants. Emergent from Gaia, the Giants embody primal earth forces and rebel against Zeus and his companions to challenge their rule. The myth is part of the broader story of the Olympians’ rise and is sometimes linked to themes of order versus chaos.

The Olympian side is led by Zeus and supported by Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, and other deities, with mortal heroes such as Heracles sometimes lending aid. Giants named in various sources include Porphyrion, Alcyoneus, Enceladus, and the Aloadae Ephialtes and Otus; lists vary by source. The battle is depicted as a sequence of clashes across mountains, Olympus, and the earth, ending in the defeat or imprisonment of the Giants.

Gigantomachy imagery is prominent in ancient art. The best-known representation is the relief frieze on the Pergamon Altar, which shows gods fighting Giants in a dynamic, crowded composition. Similar scenes appear on vases, sculpture, and architectural reliefs throughout the Greek world and in Roman copies, where Olympians are shown overpowering the earth-born adversaries.

Scholars view the Gigantomachy as an allegory of order imposed on chaos and a mythic justification for Olympian authority. It also reflects cultural ideals about civilization, divine authority, and the relationship between earth-born powers and the heavens, a motif that persisted in art and literature into late Antiquity.