Knuckle the Giant
Knuckle (Nem: Hosinbey) is one of the Giants in the Faren mythology. He was named thus, because at first the local people never dared to go close enough to the giant to actually see him, but they could see the holes that his huge fists had left on the trees of the forest, when he practised boxing on them.
Knuckle was the guardian spirit of the forest, until the humans came, and asked his help for defeating a giant snake, who had made his nest in a well in their village, and was eating their lifestock. Knuckle agreed to beat him, but when he met the Snake, the Snake was able to convince him, that rather than fighting, they should make an alliance and rule over the humans together, because after all they were both spirits more powerful than the humans. Knuckle agreed, and emerged from the well, and he wore the snake knotted around his belly like a belt, pretending that he had defeated him. And as the evil Snake had promissed, the humans gifted Knuckle with plenty food and beer as a thanks for taking the Snake out of the well. Knuckle stayed in the village, and before long he was corrupted by the easy life. He became a tyrant, and demanded a harsh tribute from the people to feed himself and the Snake, who grew ever larger by the day, and he had his pleasure in bloodshed and sex.
Then one day the Hero Ásinnar heard of the struggle of the people, and when he met the Giant and the Snake, she understood right away that the cunning snake was the true leader behind all the evil they had done. At night she lay with the giant, in order to talk with the Snake in secret once Knuckle was unconscious from the sleep. The Snake revealed that he was trapped in his form, and promissed to leave the giant if the Hero managed to bring him the herb of rebirth from the Garden of the Heavenly Lord. Ásinnar did as he asked, and as the Snake fled, he lead Knuckle back to the mountains and he was never seen near the humans after that.
Appearance
He is a giant, twice as tall as men. When he travels in the forest, his voice is like thunder and his steps shake the ground like earthquakes, but fresh new moss grows whereever he leaves his footprints. His limbs are like tree trunks, his skin hairy, dry and hardened like bark, and his hair and beard grow wild like lichen. In the wild he used to wear no clothes, but he developed a taste for long, colourful silk robes, that fit on him like a ridiculously short tunic.Personal history
(main article: The giant and the rainbow snake)Knuckle was the guardian spirit of the forest, until the humans came, and asked his help for defeating a giant snake, who had made his nest in a well in their village, and was eating their lifestock. Knuckle agreed to beat him, but when he met the Snake, the Snake was able to convince him, that rather than fighting, they should make an alliance and rule over the humans together, because after all they were both spirits more powerful than the humans. Knuckle agreed, and emerged from the well, and he wore the snake knotted around his belly like a belt, pretending that he had defeated him. And as the evil Snake had promissed, the humans gifted Knuckle with plenty food and beer as a thanks for taking the Snake out of the well. Knuckle stayed in the village, and before long he was corrupted by the easy life. He became a tyrant, and demanded a harsh tribute from the people to feed himself and the Snake, who grew ever larger by the day, and he had his pleasure in bloodshed and sex.
Then one day the Hero Ásinnar heard of the struggle of the people, and when he met the Giant and the Snake, she understood right away that the cunning snake was the true leader behind all the evil they had done. At night she lay with the giant, in order to talk with the Snake in secret once Knuckle was unconscious from the sleep. The Snake revealed that he was trapped in his form, and promissed to leave the giant if the Hero managed to bring him the herb of rebirth from the Garden of the Heavenly Lord. Ásinnar did as he asked, and as the Snake fled, he lead Knuckle back to the mountains and he was never seen near the humans after that.
A scary fellow! I bet the people were relieved when his reign was over. I really like the tree-like appearance you gave him, and the bit about fresh moss growing in his footprints. The poorly fitting robes are a nice idea, too.
Creator of the Kaleidoscope System and the planet Miragia.
Thanks, he's one of my favourite things that came out of my NaNo! ^^ I hope I'll have some spare energy soon to try and draw him too.