Overgrown Individuals in Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, body measurements and growth rate are given for some overgrown individuals, semigods, sons of gods and mortals, allowing for the proposition of a diagnosis. The Aloads “grew every year a cubit in breadth and a fathom in height”; and “at nine years they were nine cubits in breadth and in height nine fathoms.” Orion was “huge”, “of gigantic stature”. Tityos was “of monstrous size”; “. lying on the ground. Over nine plethra he stretched. ”, but this verse “refers, not to the size of Tityos, but to the place where he lay, the name of which was Nine Roods (Nine Plethra)”. Calculations in meters give for the Aloads a height of 16.47 m and a breadth of 4.11 m. Orion should be taller, since the Aloads were “the tallest,. after famous Orion.” Homer gave a 274.50 m stretched height of Tityos, but Pausanias less than 19.4 m. These could be interpreted as constitutionally tall statured individuals, since they were sons of gods. The growth rate of the Aloads, however, resembles that of gigantism. © 2005, by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. All rights reserved