The giant hero in medieval literature / by Tina Marie Boyer.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- The giant in the medieval mind. St. Augustine and the monstrous races; Biblical giants; Theological conceptions; Secular and courtly conceptions -- The monster from the outside. Sigenot; The giantesses of the Eckenlied; Grauer Rock (Orendel) -- Misplaced loyalties and evil minions. Daniel von dem Bluhenden Tal; Virginal; Laurin and Walberan -- A fighter for court and hero. Konig Rother; Boeve de Haumtome; Nibelungenlied -- Of monstrous courts and heroes. Herzog Ernst; The questing giant; Fierabras; Eckenlied -- Conclusion -- Questions of monstrous identity in romances and epics -- Our medieval inheritance.

Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on June 07, 2016).

In The Giant Hero in Medieval Literature Tina Boyer counters the monstrous status of giants by arguing that they are more broadly legible than traditionally believed. Building on an initial analysis of St. Augustine's City of God , Bernard of Clairvaux's deliberations on monsters and marvels, and readings in Tomasin von Zerclaere's Welsche Gast provide insights into the spectrum of antagonistic and heroic roles that giants play in the courtly realm. This approach places the figure of the giant within the cultural and religious confines of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and allows an in-depth analysis of epics and romances through political, social, religious, and gender identities tied to the figure of the giant. Sources range from German to French, English, and Iberian works.

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