The Giant is a cloud giant in KQ1.
Background[]
The Giant lived in the land of the clouds. He had been tasked by the witch to guard the Chest of Gold. The giant had been holding the chest for longer than he could remember[1]. He paced wearily to and fro, silent except for the impact of his steps. He was weary, a guard who had been asked to pace the same small area endlessly. Back and forth and round again the giant thundered, aware of nothing but its one small post.
He later attended Graham and Valanice's wedding in Monastery of the Blessed Wilbury in Kolyma.
Ten or twelve feet tall it was, human in outward appearance and a bulk to match its build.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
This character is usually referred to as the 'the giant'. It is referred to as the 'Giant' in KQ1 Hintbook. The KQ1 old and new demo calls him the "mighty Giant".
The Giant is a combination of the cloud giant in Jack and the Beanstalk and the giant Goliath.
To defeat him, the player can use the Ring of invisibility and wait for him to tire out or attack the giant using the leather slingshot recovered in the Land of the Clouds combined with one of the pebbles taken from the riverside.
In the original King's Quest versions its questionable on if the rock actually kills the giant if the player uses the sling, as the game shows the giant with stars around its head as if dazed/knocked out. However, when the player takes the chest, its commented on how easy it is to take a chest of gold from a dead giant. Perhaps Graham only thinks he is dead.