From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordHuman figures described as exceeding natural bounds.
- In the bookHomunculus describes an artificially made human being and also admits an image sense.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 24; facsimile PDF page 352.
Historical definition
Gigantes are human beings exceeding the bounds of Nature.
Meaning
The definition is relational: the subjects exceed what the compiler calls the bounds of Nature. It does not quantify their size or identify the cause of the excess. The entry should not be turned into an anatomical measurement.
Use in the book
Homunculus describes an artificially made human being and also admits an image sense. Gnomi includes small beings or corporeal spirits. The comparison reveals a vocabulary of human-like forms, size and origin, but the brief Gigantes definition does not state that every such category is produced by the same means.
Places to read
- GigantesRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- GnomiSubterranean beings described through several related formulations.
- HomunculusAn artificial human being, with an additional image sense.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 24; facsimile PDF page 352 — Facsimile