The ispolin (Bulgarian: ; pronounced [ispolin],

plural ispolini) is a
legendary giant in Bulgarian mythology. While the
appearance of the ispolin varied according to the myth and
region, ispolini were believed to have inhabited
the Earth before humans and to have been considerably
taller.
Contents

Etymology
Ispolin with the meaning of "giant" appears in Rus' Old
Church Slavonic texts as early as the 11th
century. Russian linguist Max Vasmer believes the
word'setymology is tied to spali, a name for the
defeated Goths inhabiting what is today southern Russia.
The word appears as Sli in 1st-century Ancient
Romanauthor Pliny the Elder's Natural History.[1]

Origin and appearance

According to Bulgarian mythology,blackberry bushes posed the

greatest threat to ispolini, who would trip in their thorns and die

Bulgarian founding myths refer to the ispolini as the second

out of three generations of people to inhabit the Earth, the
third generation being modern humans. The first people that
God created were dwarves or little people,
i.e. dzhudzheta(, singular dzhudzhe).
However, because of their low stature these people were
unable to protect themselves from wild animals or to
effectively cultivate the land, and thus they died out. [2]
Dwarves were succeeded by ispolini, whom Bulgarians
believed God created as the opposite of dwarves. Various
myths describe them as up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall and
having huge heads, while other legends portray ispolini as
possessing three heads and a single eye, the size of an
egg, on their forehead, or a single leg. In some aspects, the
ispolin bears a resemblance to the cyclops of ancient Greek
mythology.[2] Besides their height, ispolini also possessed
supernatural powers.[3][4]
Ispolini were believed to have inhabited the prehistoric
mountains. Their voices were thought so powerful that they
were able to communicate between each other even when
they were standing on far-away mountain tops. Ispolini lived

in caves and were carnivorous, feeding exclusively on raw

meat. They were regarded as a natural enemy
of dragons ( zmeyove) and would often engage
them in battle.[2]
Despite their physical strength and stature, ispolini were not
invulnerable. Bulgarian legends claim that the most
dangerous object for an ispolin was the blackberrybush.
Due to their height and sluggishness, ispolini were unable to
spot or avoid blackberry bushes, so they would trip, get
caught in the thorns and perish. Perceiving the blackberry
as a great and powerful danger, ispolini were believed to
offer sacrifices ( kurban) to the blackberry in order to
propitiate it.[2]
However, the legend goes, God destroyed ispolini because
he judged that they were, just like dwarves, not suited for life
on Earth. In many regions of Bulgaria, large heaps of
stones, often ruins of ancient buildings, are interpreted as
ispolin graveyards. It was common practice that when a
person passed such an area, they would throw a stone as a
form of denouncement (anathema).[2]
Because ispolini and thus their "graveyards" were also
known under the names elini ("Hellenes"),

 latini ("Latins") and zhidove ("Jews"), such

heaps are attributed to the pre-Christian civilizations that
inhabited the Balkans. Ruins that were commonly tied to the
mythological ispolini could be found nearSamokov, Veliko
Tarnovo, Malko Tarnovo and Ihtiman.[2] Bulgarian scholars
interpret the association of Latins and Greeks with
legendary ancient giants as a result of the wars
that medieval Bulgaria waged against these people.
Humans who were often forced to wage war were thought to
be inherently strong and bulky.