Patagons
Mythical giants of Patagonia, described in early European accounts.
The Patagons, or Patagonian giants, were a legendary race of enormous people supposedly living in Patagonia, according to early European reports. They were described as being at least twice as tall as an average human, with some accounts claiming heights of 13 to 15 feet (4 to 4.5 meters) or more. Stories about them shaped European ideas about the region for nearly 300 years.
The first mention came from Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage in the 1520s. His chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, wrote about encountering a naked giant on the shore who was so tall that the Europeans only reached his waist. Magellan named these people "Patagão," though the reason is unclear. Later, it was thought the name came from "pata" (foot), meaning "Land of the Bigfeet," but this is uncertain because the suffix "-gon" is ambiguous. It is now believed the name refers to a character in the 1512 Spanish novel *Primaleón*, which Magellan and his men likely knew. Despite this, the name "Patagonia" stuck, and maps of the time often labeled the area *regio gigantum* ("region of giants").
In 1579, Francis Drake’s chaplain, Francis Fletcher, wrote of meeting Patagonians over 7.5 feet tall. In the 1590s, Anthony Knivet claimed to have seen dead bodies 12 feet long there, and William Adams reported a violent encounter with unnaturally tall natives. Dutch sailors Sebald de Weert (1598), Olivier van Noort (1599), and Joris van Spilbergen (1615) also claimed giants lived in Patagonia. In 1766, rumors spread that HMS *Dolphin*’s crew, under Commodore John Byron, had seen 9-foot-tall natives. But when an official account was published in 1773, the Patagonians were described as 6 feet 6 inches—very tall for the time, but not giants.
In 1615, Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire reported a grave with giant bones in Puerto Deseado, possibly from fossils. Later writers consider the Patagonian giants a hoax or an exaggeration of earlier reports. These accounts may refer to the Selkʼnam people, but their language does not match records of the giants’ speech. A photo of a seven-foot-tall Selkʼnam man exists in the U.S. Library of Congress.
- Field
- Mythology / Early European Exploration
- Known for
- Mythical race of giants in Patagonia
- Nationality
- European mythical construct
Lore & Background
The first mention of the Patagons came from the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan and his crew in the 1520s. Antonio Pigafetta, chronicler of the expedition, wrote of encountering a naked man of giant stature on the shore, who was so tall that the Europeans reached only to his waist. Magellan bestowed the name 'Patagão' on these people, though the etymology remains uncertain; it may derive from a character in the 1512 Spanish romance novel Primaleón. Maps of the New World sometimes labeled the area regio gigantum ('region of giants').
Reader's Guide
The Patagons represent a persistent European myth that shaped perceptions of Patagonia for nearly three centuries. Subsequent accounts by explorers such as Francis Drake's chaplain Francis Fletcher (1579), Anthony Knivet (1590s), and Dutch sailors Sebald de Weert (1598), Olivier van Noort (1599), and Joris van Spilbergen (1615) all reported encounters with unnaturally tall natives. In 1766, the crew of HMS Dolphin claimed to have seen 9-foot-tall natives, though a revised 1773 account recorded them as 6 feet 6 inches—very tall but not giants. Later writers consider the Patagonian giants to have been a hoax or exaggeration, possibly referring to the Selkʼnam people, though linguistic records do not match. A photograph of a seven-foot tall Selkʼnam man exists in the US Library of Congress. The myth's endurance highlights how early exploration accounts could blend observation, fiction, and cultural bias.
Did You Know?
- The name 'Patagon' may derive from a character in the 1512 Spanish chivalric romance novel Primaleón.
- Antonio Pigafetta recorded that Magellan's crew reached only to the waist of a Patagonian giant.
- A photograph of a seven-foot tall Selkʼnam man is held in the US Library of Congress.
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