A Tomb of Giants
Do ancient bones prove the existence of humongous humans? PLUS whale of a romance, poltergeists, podcasts
From the northwest of France in 1889 comes a tale of underground chambers, giant bones, and ancient ancestors of unknown origin. This is from London’s Pall Mall Gazette:
“A curious discovery has just been made at Vimoutiers, in the Department of the Orne, by a peasant living in the village of Cutesson. He was digging in his field when the ground suddenly gave way, and he fell into a hole 10 feet in depth. The peasant had accidentally lighted upon a subterranean chamber, the existence of which was not previously suspected. On examination, a number of human bones, partially petrified, were found in an adjoining vault, constructed in the form of a circle.
The bones are of exceptionally large dimensions and appear to have belonged to a race of gigantic stature and great breadth of frame. In fact, the persons who have studied the case on the spot are of the opinion that the bodies must have been interred in this burial place at a very remote period. Further researches have been temporarily interrupted by the subsidence of other plots of ground. It seems by no means improbable that some highly interesting discoveries will result from this accident.”
The story was widely reported across the UK. Several newspapers published it under the familiar headline “SINGULAR DISCOVERY”. The Liverpool Daily Post went with “CURIOUS DISCOVERY: A TOMB OF GIANTS”. The headline in the Pall Mall Gazette was “THERE WERE GIANTS IN THOSE DAYS”.
It was widely reported across France, too. (This was just a couple of months after the completion of the Eiffel Tower.) The most widely syndicated version of the story mentions “ossements humains d’une taille étonnante” — “human bones of astonishing size”. The details match those from the British papers, with the addition of the facts that the unnamed peasant was working his field with two horses, which also fell (uninjured) into the underground chamber, where an 18-metre (60-foot) tunnel led to the large circular vault.
“We are pleased to point out to archaeologists and antiquarians a new opportunity to exercise their acumen and increase their special knowledge,” said La Petit Presse. “The word is out to the scientists!”
But then — nothing. The archives contain no further mention of the giant bones of Vimoutiers. Dismissing the story as a hoax spread by melodramatic or gullible newspaper editors on both sides of the channel would be easy. But there was a spate of “giant bones” discoveries in France around this time.
According to the London Globe in June 1890, a Monsieur Lapouge discovered fragments of human bones “of a most abnormal size” in a prehistoric cemetery at Castelnau, near Montpellier in the south of France. Lapouge estimated that the bones belonged to an individual who stood 11 feet tall — “that is to say, a veritable giant”. According to the Globe, the valley of Castelnau was traditionally known as the location of “the cavern of the giant”.
Lapouge published his findings in French periodical La Nature alongside a photo of some of the bone fragments. The story of the “Giant of Castelnau” was subsequently reported across the world in publications, including the New York Times and Popular Science News.
Then, in 1894, newspapers reported that workmen excavating a waterworks reservoir “in a prehistoric cemetery” at Montpellier had found a set of human skulls “of gigantic proportions”, measuring 28, 31, and 32 inches in circumference. The modern-day average adult male skull is 22.5 inches in circumference.
“These relics were sent to the Paris Academy, and a learned savant says that they belonged to a race of men between 10 and 15 feet in height,” said the papers. Was this the same prehistoric cemetery excavated by Monsieur Lapouge in 1890, and did the skulls belong to inhabitants from the same cavern of giants?
Today, the existence of giant human skeletons is mostly regarded as a hoax. Faked photos have circulated on the internet and in tabloid newspapers, alongside false claims that National Geographic magazine has discovered ancient giant humans, and that the Smithsonian museum has destroyed thousands of giant human skeletons to cover up the existence of giants and protect the accepted theory of evolution.
Although giants exist in the folklore of many cultures, including Ancient Greek mythology and Celtic fairy tales (see “Jack the Giant-Killer”), experts tend to believe that stories of giant human bones arise from the misidentification of large (sometimes extinct) animal bones combined with a desire to believe in giants. In 2022, a paper by Katherine Hacanyan of Eastern Michigan University suggested that the bones found by Lapouge in 1890 were those of a cave bear.
Finally, going back to “Jack the Giant-Killer”, the earliest “modern” version of that tale was published in bookselling hotspot Newcastle upon Tyne by J White in 1711 as “The History of Jack and the Giants”. Sometimes known as “Jack and the Beanstalk”, it’s a weird story about a disobedient boy who robs and murders a reclusive giant. So why is the giant is portrayed as the villain? Fee-fi-fo-fum.◆
Recommended:
Book: Maurice and Maralyn: A Whale, a Shipwreck, a Love Story by Sophie Elmhirst (2024)
The first book I read in 2024 might end up being the best — a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction by Sophie Elmhirst. It’s a highly unusual love story between two slightly eccentric individuals who become an unlikely but unbreakable couple. Maurice and Maralyn Bailey escape 1970s English suburbia by building a boat and sailing to New Zealand. But, along the way, the boat is struck by a whale and sinks. The couple are left adrift in a life raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and must rely on their bond to survive. It’s the very best kind of true story, and beautifully written. One line in particular stayed with me: “For what else is a marriage, really, if not being stuck on a small raft with someone and trying to survive?” Strongly recommended.
Maurice and Maralyn is published on 29 February 2024. You can (and should) pre-order it here.*
You can find this and other recommendations on our Amazon bookshelf.*
By coincidence, I was planning to recommend this Guardian Long Read, also by Sophie Elmhirst: Last Love: A Romance in a Care Home.
As a bonus recommendation, if you’ve signed up to Apple TV+ to watch Martin Scorsese do David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon (which you should), try Apple’s four-part docudrama The Enfield Poltergeist. It’s the well-worn story of a supposed haunting in 1970s London, but the appeal here is how it’s told, with remarkable attention to detail and very effective lip-synced acting to original audio recordings made by troubled paranormal investigator Maurice Grosse.
(If you’re in the UK, you can get three months of Apple TV+ for free when you join the Currys Perks email newsletter. I’ve no affiliation with Currys, but it’s a pretty good deal.)
Podcast: Bonus Episode
Thanks for listening to the first season of the Singular Discoveries podcast. In addition to the regular eight episodes, an exclusive ninth bonus episode is available now. The bonus episode features new stories from the archives, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the podcast. Here’s a trailer for the bonus ep:
Unlike the rest of the season, this exclusive episode is NOT available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or other podcast apps. Previously only available to supporters who purchased the ad-free “binge and bonus” package, it’s now available as a standalone instant download for a small one-off payment. Your support will help me make more episodes. Your feedback is very welcome, too.
Click here to download the bonus episode from Ko-Fi.
As a bit of a preview for what might be coming up in 2024, I’m planning to introduce a section to the newsletter titled Paul’s Notebook, which will feature — you guessed it — stuff from my notebooks. This will include behind-the-scenes stuff, unpublished pieces, thoughts on writing and publishing, writing tips and “learn from my mistakes” types of things. More to follow as I work that out.
I’m still figuring out what to do on social media following the death of Twitter. Meanwhile, I’m monitoring a conundrum regarding Substack, which hosts this newsletter. And I’m also trying to write some new stuff. So there’s lots to come in 2024, but the exact details are very much TBD…
More next time. Please share with like-minded folks, and send me your thoughts on the future of Singular Discoveries. ◆
Main sources: Pall Mall Gazette & London Evening Standard, 8 June 1889; Harrow Gazette, 15 June 1889; L’Echo D’Oran & La Petite Presse, 15 June 1889; The Globe, 20 June 1890; Popular Science News, August 1890; Toronto Daily Mail, 8 October 1894.
*This publication features Amazon affiliate links. If you use them, I may receive a few pennies to help fund the newsletter. See our Amazon bookshelf here.