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Omniana/Volume 1/A Dual Giant

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3208469Omniana/Volume 1 — A Dual Giant1812Robert Southey

53. A Dual Giant.

In the Clarimundo of the great Joam de Barros, there is an extraordinary giant introduced.

From the middle upwards this giant was double. The one half was a female, her name was Panta; the other a male, and he was ...christened, I was about to say,.. Fasul. The whole giant was called Pantafasul. In the battle Fasul fought with a sword, Panta with a battle axe—Belifont conquers the monster by an odd consequence of this duality. Panta, 'as it is the nature of women to be impatient in anger,' grew angry with her wounds, and quarrelled with Fasul who should get the best place for fighting their enemy; so while they were quarrelling, the knight killed both.

The hero's sword in battle cried out on the name of his mistress Clarinda, striking Cla— and ringing the rinda after.