Si-Teh-Cah

Stories of giants have cropped up through millennia, of enormous, bloodthirsty humanoids who threaten to grind bones for flour, or stand in the way of brave human adventurers. And among the creatures of folklore, few have been so easily dismissed as mere fantasy. After all, beings of such size would find it… difficult… to evade documentation.
And yet, the legends continue. And deep within the arid desert of America’s Southwest, one such legend has persisted—stories of a race of red-haired, man-eating giants, driven to extinction by their own terrified prey.
It would be easy to dismiss these stories as well, but as is the case with so many alleged myths, the truth is far larger than we’ve imagined.

The Legend

Within the northwestern region of Nevada lies an ancient seabed. It is now mostly dry, much like the arid landscape that surrounds it. Peoples of the Great Basin have thrived here for generations, carrying with them a rich oral history of cultures, myths… and locations.
As mentioned previously, one such legend is surprisingly wide-spread: that of a race of extremely tall, red-haired cannibals.
According to many such legends, these giants were a thorn in the side of any surrounding populations, but most specifically, the Northern Paiute people, who had given these giants a name: Si-Te-Cah, or “Tule eaters.”
Bitter battles between the Si-Teh-Cah and the Northern Paiutes were frequent, and over the years, the population of these cannibalistic giants began to dwindle.
At some point, the population of giants that remained were cornered at a large rock shelter, now known as Lovelock Cave. It was here that the northern Paiutes finally succeeded in their extermination. The giants who had retreated into the cave were smoked out by a large fire, and, in attempting to then escape, nearly all were killed by volleys of arrows.
And so it was that the Si-Teh-Cah’s reign of terror was brought to an end.
But did a race of red-haired, cannibalistic giants truly inhabit the Great Basin? Is it possible that such a population have been wiped from the land, its only legacy passed down among those who conquered them?
Following certain recent events, these are the questions I sought to answer. I ask only that you prepare yourself… for the answer is yes.

The Investigation

Following our time in the Ural Mountains, I implored my team to join me in following the information left by Dr. Alaric. The decision to pursue this was not made lightly, and we were all keenly aware of the risks of an unsanctioned investigation—professionally, to be certain, but perhaps… more than that.
Marcus refused outright, and I cannot say that I blame him—but… I fear that this may have severed the last string that held our little team together. Alison, however, made the choice to join me, for which I was truly grateful.
We arrived in Nevada mere days later, and in large part, conducted our investigation like any other—interviewing locals, pursuing legends. But this time, things were different.
This ground had already been tread; and we were not the first to seek out Nevada’s red-haired giants.

Entrance to Lovelock Cave

Though the Paiute legends date back generations, modern analysis of this region began in 1911, when two guano miners, working in Lovelock Cave, began to find scattered artifacts. And among them, they found a mummified corpse, roughly 6 feet 6 inches in height, and with red-colored hair.
A year later, a man named L.L. Loud, of the University’s Anthropology Department, arrived at Lovelock, and began the process of excavation.
According to official reports, within the cave’s charred interior, and among more than 10,000 artifacts, Loud eventually uncovered the remains of thirty-two individuals.
But Loud’s methods left much to be desired. There is no comprehensive report of his findings, and there is no number of bodies known to be entirely accurate. Even the mummified body initially discovered by the miners, has been lost to time.

John T Reid

Near the same time, a man named John T. Reid had begun his own investigation into the legends. In 1931, not far from Lovelock Cave, he unearthed a skeleton that measured 7 feet 7 inches.
And that wasn’t the only skeleton Reid uncovered—but when he died in 1943, all of these specimens simply… vanished… with no record.
This… piqued our interest, to say the least. And it appeared that it had piqued Alaric’s as well.
His letter had given coordinates, and when we traveled there, we saw another compound—this one, much lower profile, and half-covered by the windswept sands.
The letter had also included the combination for entry, and we entered, entirely unsure of what we’d find.

Alaric’s Nevada compound

Dust hung suspended in the air, swirling in our wakes. Pickaxes, shovels, tables, chairs, half-packed tents, all strewn along the walls. But mostly, there were wooden crates—dozens of them.
And within these crates, though he likely didn’t know it at the time, Alaric had stowed a gift—the desiccated remains… of giants.

Anatomy and Behavior

I will begin my findings by addressing the most obvious questions—those regarding size.
First, the height of the specimens Alaric had obtained ranged from roughly 8 feet to 12 feet, with 9.7 feet being the average. Though most specimens were complete or partial skeletons, several retained soft tissues such as flesh, organs, and hair. these latter were in varying stages of mummification, likely induced by natural processes, such as the cool, low-oxygen environment of certain caves.
The largest samples appear to have been male, and in each case where hair was preserved, it exhibited a distinct, reddish coloration.
It has long been thought that extraordinarily large, bipedal primates—giants, if you will—would be impossible due to the well-known square-cube law.
The biological aspect of this law essentially states that as a creature grows larger, its volume and weight increase much faster than its surface area. In large animals, the body mass (which grows cubically) increases at a much greater rate compared to muscle strength and bone structure (which grow only by the square). Normally, this discrepancy would lead to significant challenges in supporting the body’s increased mass.
And indeed, an isometrically-scaled organism, one whose body plan and proportions are essentially “scaled up” despite being designed for a smaller organism, would face numerous problems. Damaging health effects such as poor circulation, respiratory issues, severe skeletal and muscular strain, and metabolic problems have been observed in humans like Robert Wadlow.
But the giants in Alaric’s compound appeared to be allometrically scaled—the proportions of their anatomical features adjusted in relation to each other specifically due to their size.
Indeed, numerous modifications have been made to what be might considered a traditional human body plan, and that simple observation was perhaps the most startling.

Skeleton

For the most part, the skeletons and remains we observed are not dissimilar in structure from humans.
But of course, in life, many of the larger specimens we studied likely would have weighed many hundreds of pounds—some perhaps approaching half a ton.
The combined strain that immense weight and muscular forces would place on a bipedal skeleton is immense. As a result, in order to keep the femurs from snapping and the joints from popping out of place, in these giants, numerous adaptations were necessary.
First, overall bone density is greatly increased, perhaps as much as 50% more than that of humans, and cross-sectional measurements indicate increased circumference overall. This is most apparent in the femur, tibia, pelvis, and lumbar vertebrae, but is certainly not limited to these.
It is interesting to note that in these specimens, the length of both the trunk and arms are proportionally smaller than in humans, while the legs are proportionally longer and thicker. This is likely what allows the giants’ body to cope with their own immense size while still maintaining an erect posture.
But in achieving such size, one of the greatest challenges to the humanoid body plan has to do where the bones articulate—the joints.
In giants, we see that increased bone mass leads to an increased surface area at each of the synovial joints, as well as thicker hyaline cartilage. The ligaments of the joint capsules are also greatly hypertrophied, such as the iliofemoral, pubofemoral, and ischiofemoral ligaments in the hips.
This increased surface area likely greatly enhanced these joints’ ability to distribute load effectively.
Of course, for any bipedal creature, perhaps the greatest strain is placed on the knees.
In humans, the knee joint is mobile, with highly developed menisci designed for stability through a range of movement patterns.
In giants, the larger sections of femoral and tibial articular surfaces are certainly beneficial in supporting their mass, and interestingly, we have observed less developed menisci—similar to the joints of elephants.
In terms of movement, this has two effects: first, giants are likely not capable of complex leg movements, such as medial and lateral rotation. Throughout the body, but most perhaps most apparent here, agility and range of motion appear to have been traded for stability. Indeed, the giants’ walking gait would likely have exhibited energy-efficient pendulum-like movements.
Second, the articular surfaces are highly congruent, essentially meaning that they fit together nearly perfectly. This congruency allows for direct distribution of pressure across a larger area of articular cartilage, making the smaller menisci less critical for joint function, especially compared to humans.
However, many of the specimens we analyzed exhibit symptoms of arthrosis, with expanded medial and lateral femoral condyles, which in turn, compresses the ACL, wearing it down.
In short, it appears that osteoarthritis is common in giants.This proclivity to degenerative joint problems, coupled with these joints’ relatively reduced range of motion, means that giants’ locomotion was likely slow and deliberate.
But there is one unusual aspect of the skeletal system I have so far neglected to mention: polydactyly.

In each individual we examined, six digits were present on both the hands and feet.
In humans, the presence of additional digits is, of course, rare—a kind of congenital anomaly. But its consistency in the giants we studied strongly suggests a genetic basis.
More research will be necessary to full understand this, but at this time, I believe that this species possesses unique hox genes that, besides influencing the giants’ overall limb size and structure, contains a set of codes that diverges from the traditional mammalian digital archetype.
In fact, in speaking with the locals during our initial investigation, the concept of six-fingered giants was a common thread. It was even said that the practice of raising an open hand in greeting was specifically designed to discern members of this lineage.
But of course, these creatures’ impressive level of adaptation does not end with their skeleton.
One of the most significant challenges facing an upright organism of this size is the maintaining efficient blood circulation against the high gravitational pull on the blood.
We will begin with the heart, which, in those specimens whose organs were found relatively intact, was extraordinarily large. The left ventricle, in particular, was hypertrophied, and the walls of the entire heart were as thick is nearly three inches.
We have also observed thicker and more elastic arterial walls, likely in order to cope with these creatures’ high blood pressure.
Specifically, as you might have guessed, due to the weight of the fluid being pulled downward by gravity, the vessels of the lower legs are under intense pressure.
We observed that the superficial dermis of the lower legs was thicker, tighter, and more collagenous than that of the upper legs, an adaptation that, much like giraffes, prevents pooling of blood and tissue fluid and counteracts the high veinous pressure within.
Among the specimens studied, we also noted large nasal passages relative to their skull size, which indicates improved oxygen intake. Though the lungs of most were heavily degraded, and even occasionally bore evidence of thermal injuries, we can safely assume a high tidal volume.
Even with relatively efficient oxygen intake and adequate circulation, it seems likely that in life, giants are capable of powerful movements in short bursts, but would likely struggle with endurance.
But there is another reason I believe this to be the case, and it is a problem faced by virtually all large organisms: heat.
Upon learning of the legends of these creatures, I was initially surprised by their source: an arid, desert-like climate.
Generally speaking, gigantism is observed in colder climates—largely because larger animals have a lower surface area to volume ratio than smaller animals. As a result, they radiate less body heat per unit of mass, and therefore stay warmer in cold climates. This is thought to be a major reason for the size of ice age megafauna throughout north America.
As you’ve likely guessed, a mammal of this size found in a warm climate is unusual to say the least.
However, giants have adapted well to this environment. Like humans, this population of giants possess little body hair. Other than the lower legs, the epidermis is fissured and “wrinkled,” presumably to maximize the surface area available for cooling. This may also explain reports of cave-dwelling and of dependency on large bodies of water.
It also seems likely that these giants moved slowly, which would have minimized generated heat and required less energy overall.
Because insulation was of little concern, all of the more-intact specimens we studied exhibited low percentages of body fat. In both males and females, the highest concentrations of adipose tissue was found in the lower body, where it would have been better distributed for weight bearing.
Needless to say, giants’ muscle mass is considerable, and given the length of their limbs, mechanical force would have been devastating. It is little wonder that historically, these creatures were greatly feared.
In terms of composition, the muscle system appears to resemble certain great apes, with a higher ratio of fast-twitch fibers than what we expect to see in humans. This is highly conducive to powerful, explosive movements, and suggests that giant anatomy prioritizes brute strength of endurance or fine motor control.
But while the world “brute” can certainly apply to giants in many ways, they do not appear to have been unintelligent—though their cognitive abilities likely did not approach that of humans.
I make this claim for several reasons. First, according to the legends, this population was known to construct rafts made of plant matter, and would use these to escape across when water when pursued.
Other legends describe the use of spears, though apparently they were not advanced enough to utilize bows.
Second, archaeological findings include pottery and other artifacts indicative of a developed culture, suggesting societal structures and possibly semi-advanced methods of food preparation and storage.
The third reason has to do with the increased mass of the giants’ pelvis, which, in females, limits the size of the opening of the pelvic inlet, thereby restricting the size of an offspring’s cranial circumference.
In short, in all of specimens we determined to be female, the birth canal would have been smaller, proportionally, than that of humans, implying that infants of the species possessed proportionally smaller heads, and therefore brains.
This means that, relative to their mass, giants’ brains are smaller, and may mean that they possessed somewhat lesser intelligence than their human competition. Now, it stands to reason that for mammals of this enormous size, yet another challenge lies in obtaining enough food.
Despite our extensive observations and Alaric’s own notes, data on the giants’ diet is sparse. However, we can extrapolate that given their high basal metabolic rate, they may have required roughly 10,000 calories per day—a tall order in the desert.
As the legends claim, these giants were omnivorous, and likely subsisted on tule, fish, and large game such as bison, deer, and mountain goats. Edible vegetation may have been stored in caves for the long winter months.
The more pressing question, of course, is simple: did this diet include humans?
Unfortunately, I found no evidence to confirm this, but nor do I have any reason to doubt it.
Their caloric needs likely mean that giants were somewhat opportunistic, and even for large human populations, a band of raiding giants would have been extremely difficult to defend against.
Even so, the regions these giants inhabited likely didn’t provide enough resources to support more than a few individuals, perhaps in isolated populations.
What is clear is that the giants’ digestive tract is elongated, an adaption that likely allowed for the breakdown of tough plant fibers, molars exhibit increased surface area when compared to humans, evidence of diverse gut microbiota, and the jaw muscles are hypertrophied—all of which would have contributed to these creatures’ likely ability to consume plant matter that would not have benefited humans.
But throughout our studies, one question pulled at both of our minds: where did these giants come from?
In truth, this is a question to which the answer seems to recede, like a door at the end of an ever-lengthening hallway.
These beings seem to defy traditional taxonomic classification, their sheer size likely placing them outside of the human lineage, and yet they bear striking similarities to ourselves.
It is here that I believe Alaric’s work may shed some light, though it is dim at best.
This time, there was no computer screen with ominously-blinking text. But there were numerous hand-written documents piled on an unassuming desk in the corner of his compound, though it seems to have been carefully curated for a particular person to find.
As before, these documents contained many cryptic references to both Project Starfall and Vita Nova, as well as numerous detailed drawings of creatures I had never seen, though their connection remains a mystery to me still.
It is my best interest to save the finer details, sparse as they were. I will, however, share the following quote, written in Alaric's hand:

It seems likely that these giants flourished during the last ice age, and may well have been both more widespread and perhaps even larger, with the warming of the climate forcing them smaller in both numbers and size.
After all, legends of giants persist worldwide, and have for millennia. By my estimation, it is not far fetched, especially in light of this new evidence, to believe that these stories hold more truth than we ever realized.
And indeed, despite all of the adaptations we have discussed so far, it appears that some three hundred years ago, the populations of these giant humanoids were entirely eliminated. Whether this occurred through increasing competition, outright extermination, or a combination of both, the it would seem that result is the same: giants no longer roam the American southwest.
And yet, certain versions of the Paiute legends do tell of some Si-Teh-Cah that were not killed at the Lovelock Cave massacre, some of which were said to have mated with northern Paiute men. Other say that several escaped, traveling as far as California.
Is there some truth to these stories, as we have found there to be in so many others?
I have long resisted the suspicion that certain… truths… have been purposefully concealed, not only from the public, but even from those tasked with seeking them out.
I do not know what ultimately became of the giants, nor the remains that we studied, which vanished in the mere hours we slept, late one night.
But, my valued reader, I intend to find out.

Scientific Name

Unclear