"The Nephilim were in the (land) earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown." (Bible, American Standard Version)

Beresheet, the first word of the Bible means 'In the beginning'. Thus begins the foundation myth of the ancient Hebrews, including the account of their long sojourn in the land of the ancient Egyptians. The earliest parts of this narrative are full of strange things, including, famously, and very early on, a terse mention of the Nephilim, a class of supernatural entities, who erupt into the text only to disappear again almost as soon as they appear.

It was always assumed that this part of the myth originated somewhere within the mesopotamian myth cycles, either from Sumerian or Babylon. No one had, as far as I know, been asked, as I was, to explore if it might have some sort of basis in Egyptian mythology. So this was where I started, with what seemed to be the Elephant in the room: could the Nephilim and the events that surround them, have any resonance in Egypt?

And, much to my surprise, I found an Egyptian equivalent of the Nephilim. Deep mythology is what I call those very old stories that have no real home but seem global and part of the consciousness of all humanity. And as is often the case with comparative and deep mythology, one tradition illuminates many others.

So here are the fruits of that research, heavily illustrated and I hope an engaging and popular account based on Egyptian primary sources. Read the stories of Egypt' ancient giants. What are we to make of all this and perhaps more importantly, what can we do with it intellectually, philosophically, magically. You should find some answers in these contents:

The Bible Story, Lilit and the Giants.

Miniaturization; The Flood from Egyptian sources. Apophis; The Fallen and Richat. Books of Names, Demons, Manetho, and the survivors. Plato's Atlantis; The Seriadic Land; The Old Chronicle and the Submerged Ones. Egyptian Star Maps; The Problem of Evil and the Female Shebtiw. The Underworld of the Soul; The Osireion and Becoming a Giant. The Giant and the Dwarf; The Apet and the Ancestors under the Floor. Appendix: The Horoi