Head of the giantess, Pallas Athena

Giant head of a woman with helmet and a bird figure on it.
This giantess was carried, along with the giant Druon Antigoon, in a parade, or ommegang, until the 20th century. The Antwerp parade with giants originated in a medieval religious procession. Ommegangen were organized on public holidays. The same floats were also used on the occasion of the Joyous Entry of new sovereigns. Various cultures and social groups featured in the ommegang: religious and profane culture, elite and popular culture, different professional groups, guilds and the corporations known as naties.
When a new monarch confirmed the Antwerp city rights upon a Joyous Entry, the City Virgin symbolically gave him or her the keys to the city. This Antwerp giantess originally represented the Virgin of Antwerp: the city that wanted to preserve its privileges intact. Soon the giantess got the name of Pallas Athena, the ancient Greek goddess who prized virginity and protected cities. In the Antwerp ommegang she was presented as the wife of the giant Druoon Antigoon.
The procession giants are probably a typically Belgian phenomenon. The Antwerp giant is mentioned in 1470, the giantess only in the 18th century. The two giants’ heads were designed by famous artists: Druon Antigoon by Pieter Coecke van Aalst and Pallas Athena by Daniel Herreyns.