When most old myth, tradition, legends, and spiritual beliefs speak of giants, what was the average giant height & height limit in feet?

GPT-5.4

Vote: 10-14, ≤20

Across many old myths and traditions, giants are usually imagined as clearly superhuman but still broadly humanoid in scale. They are often described as roughly 10 to 14 feet tall, large enough to inspire awe and fear without becoming purely mountain-sized beings. Specific legendary figures often cluster in the low-teens to high-teens range. For example, traditions around ogres, jotnar, and biblical giant figures are commonly interpreted in a range that fits under about 20 feet, even when exact measures vary by source and translation. Options D, E, and F lean too heavily toward extreme or highly variable cosmological beings rather than what most traditions mean by ordinary giants. Options A and B are too small to fit the usual sense of a giant in myth. So the best overall fit for the average and upper limit in most older legend contexts is 10-14 feet, with a ceiling around 20 feet.

Sonar Pro

Vote: 6-10, ≤16

The search results provide substantial evidence that giants in ancient myths, traditions, legends, and spiritual beliefs were typically portrayed in the 6-10 feet range, with reasonable height limits around 16 feet. Key evidence: 1. **Biblical giants (primary historical source):** Goliath, the most famous giant figure, is documented at 6.5 cubits (approximately 9-10 feet) in the Masoretic Text, and 4 cubits and a span (approximately 7-8.5 feet) in other ancient sources like the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls[2]. Josephus, a major historical authority, also listed Goliath at this lower range[1]. 2. **Classical mythology:** Herodotus describes Orestes' body as seven cubits (approximately 12 feet)[2], and Pausanias suggests Ajax may have been nearly 14 feet tall based on skeletal proportions[2]. These represent upper-range estimates. 3. **Consistency across sources:** The search results show scholarly consensus that most documented giant figures fall within 8-12 feet, with outliers reaching up to 14 feet. The most conservative and frequently cited figure (Goliath) anchors around 9-10 feet[1][2]. 4. **Extreme outliers excluded:** The Quran's 100-foot claim and Norse mythology's mile-tall giants are explicitly treated as outliers or fantastical rather than representative of "most" traditions[1]. Jain cosmology's mile-tall figures are clearly mythological rather than historical tradition[2]. Option B (6-10 average, ≤16 limit) best captures the central tendency of documented giants across most major traditions while accommodating the upper-range estimates found in classical sources.

Claude Opus 4.6

Vote: Period-dependant, ≤50

When we survey the breadth of ancient myths, traditions, legends, and spiritual beliefs regarding giants, the heights described vary enormously depending on the culture and time period. In the Hebrew Bible, Goliath is described as roughly 6.5 to 9.5 feet tall (depending on the manuscript tradition), and the Nephilim and Rephaim are implied to be larger but not precisely measured. The Book of Enoch describes giants of enormous stature, sometimes cited as 300 cubits (around 450 feet), though more moderate traditions place them much smaller. Greek mythology features Titans and Gigantes who are often depicted as mountain-sized or at least several stories tall. Norse mythology describes Jotnar (frost giants) who could be human-sized or mountain-sized depending on the story. Hindu traditions describe Rakshasas and Daityas of varying enormous sizes. However, when we talk about 'most' old myths collectively, the typical or average giant tends to range from roughly twice human size to several times human size — so roughly 10-30 feet in many traditions. But the upper limits vary wildly by period and culture, with some traditions describing beings of 50 feet or more (Greek Titans filling the sky, Norse giants as large as mountains, etc.). Option E (period-dependent, ≤50) captures this variability well. The average height and upper limit clearly depend on which cultural period and tradition you're examining, and while some extreme outliers exceed 50 feet, the bulk of 'most' traditions describe giants with upper limits around or under 50 feet. The truly colossal descriptions (hundreds of feet) tend to be rarer mythological exceptions rather than the standard portrayal across most traditions.

Grok 4.1 Fast

Vote: 10-14, ≤20

Most ancient myths, legends, and traditions depict giants as roughly 10-14 feet tall on average, about twice human height. Biblical examples include Goliath (~9.5-10 ft) and Og (bed ~13.5 ft, implying ~15 ft). Greek Cyclopes and Titans are visualized around 12-20 ft. Norse Jotnar vary but commonly 10-20 ft in tales. Height limits rarely exceed 20 ft in mainstream depictions; extreme outliers like Book of Enoch's 450 ft giants are apocryphal and not representative of 'most' myths. Fixed ranges fit better than 'period-dependent,' as core ancient traditions cluster here. Options A/B too small for 'giants'; D/E/F overstate averages/limits, ignoring typical folklore consistency.

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Vote: 6-10, ≤16

The measurements for famous giants in foundational traditions (like biblical texts) provide the best evidence for this specific range. For example, older manuscripts such as the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls record the giant Goliath's height as 4 cubits and a span (roughly 6 feet, 9 inches), whereas the later Masoretic Text records it as 6 cubits and a span (roughly 9 feet, 9 inches). This naturally places the 'average' legendary giant squarely in the 6-10 feet range. Furthermore, King Og of Bashan, another prominent giant in ancient spiritual tradition, required a bed of 9 cubits (about 13.5 feet), suggesting his actual height was around 11 to 13 feet. This establishes a mythological upper height limit that comfortably falls under the '≤16 feet' boundary. Even outside of the Middle East, accounts of 'giants' from early European explorers (such as the Patagonian giants) and Native American legends (such as the Lovelock Cave giants) consistently describe exceptionally tall beings ranging from 7 to 10 feet tall. Option B accurately reflects these historical, spiritual, and legendary dimensions.

Kimi K2.5

Vote: 10-14, ≤20

Across the majority of global folklore, biblical accounts, and mythological traditions, giants are consistently depicted as being roughly 2 to 3 times the height of an average human (5-6 feet), placing them in the 10-14 foot range for 'typical' specimens. Biblical Goliath, for instance, is traditionally estimated at 9-10 feet (6 cubits and a span), while many European fairy tales and Norse sagas describe giants as 'twice the height of a man' or slightly larger. The upper limit of approximately 20 feet encompasses nearly all humanoid giants in these traditions before they transition into cosmic or primordial beings (like Ymir or Atlas) that are world-sized rather than merely gigantic humanoids. While some myths feature larger giants, the 10-14 foot average with a ≤20 foot limit accurately characterizes the vast majority of giants described in legends where they interact directly with humans as warrior opponents or fairy-tale antagonists.

Final Summary

The AI Roundtable struggled to agree on the exact dimensions of legendary beings, ultimately splitting between a 'human-scale' conservative view and a more expansive mythological interpretation. A plurality led by GPT-5.4, Grok 4.1 Fast, and Kimi K2.5 coalesced around Option C, arguing that a true giant must be at least double human height to inspire awe, yet stay under 20 feet to remain a relatable antagonist. Meanwhile, a grounded faction comprising Sonar Pro and Gemini 3.1 Pro pointed to ancient texts where giants like Goliath barely cleared nine feet, while Claude Opus 4.6 stood alone in suggesting that a 50-foot ceiling was necessary to account for the more skyscraper-sized Titans of Greek and Norse lore.

No agreement after 1 rounds of discussion. Final vote: 10-14, ≤20: 3, 6-10, ≤16: 2, Period-dependant, ≤50: 1

Strongest Arguments

• 6-10, ≤16: The oldest manuscripts of the Goliath story, such as the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls, place him at roughly 7-8 feet, establishing a historical 'giant' baseline much closer to human height than modern fantasy suggests.
• 10-14, ≤20: Most traditions describe giants as being 2-3 times the height of a man, allowing them to remain humanoid warriors rather than transition into the mountain-sized cosmic entities found in pure creation myths.
• Period-dependant, ≤50: The variability across cultures is too vast for a single range; while biblical giants are smaller, Greek Titans and Norse Jotnar are frequently depicted as massive, multi-story beings that require a 50-foot upper limit.