Giants

Giants are a humanoid species featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. They are native to the Enchanted Forest, and first appear in the sixth episode of the second season.

The most prominent giant, Anton, is based on the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk.

History
Giants inhabit the Enchanted Forest on top of a beanstalk. Their kind used to grow magic beans, and trade them with humans. However, humans became greedy and used the beans to travel to and conquer other worlds, and thus the giants phased out the trading of their goods. Secretly, giants have started to grow and harvest beans again without the knowledge of humans. The head of the giants, Arlo, stresses the importance of keeping humans from finding out about their beans again. His younger brother, Anton, disagrees and doesn't see the point of having ripe beans if they don't do anything with them. He also harbors a growing curiosity about humans.
 * -|Before the Curse=

When Anton's treasure—a human instrument—is crushed by his other brother, Abraham, he becomes exceedingly upset and leaves home to go down the beanstalk. Simultaneously, in the human kingdom, King George berates his son, James, for the debts he is running up with his lavish lifestyle, and wants him to investigate a giant that has climbed down from the beanstalk. James approaches the giant, Anton, with his lover, Jack. Anton has attracted a lot of attention in the human world due to his large stature, and Jack offers him a magic mushroom that will shrink him to a smaller size. They gain his trust and take him to a tavern where Anton is happy and pleased to hear musical instruments. James mentions how the kingdom is falling apart due to the owed debts, and Anton decides he could help them by giving them some of the giants' treasures.

He hurries home to gather together the treasures, but unsuspectingly, James and Jack follow him up the beanstalk. They attack and siege the home of the giants with poisoned swords, and fatally kill every giant except Anton. Arlo is injured by Jack, but he manages to stab her with her own sword. With his last breaths, Arlo tells Anton to destroy all the ripe beans so the humans can't use them for their selfish purposes. Then, he gives Anton a beanstalk cutting with the last bean in existence, and urges him to replant it one day. Succumbing to the poison in her body, Jack calls to James for help, but he leaves her to die as he steals the giants' treasures and makes his way down the beanstalk back to his kingdom.

Much time passes since the near extinction of giants, and Anton lives alone up on the beanstalk. He wears the last bean as a keepsake necklace, and it eventually becomes withered and unplantable. Since the destruction of his whole family, Anton holds a lifelong grudge against humans, and never again puts his trust in them. Amongst humans, the lore of Jack is a story that is passed down and becomes slightly inaccurate.

After Emma and Mary Margaret are accidentally transported to the Enchanted Forest from Storybrooke, they try to find a means to go back. With their companions, Mulan and Aurora, they team up with a man named Hook, who claims he knows a way. He informs them of the beanstalk and the lone giant who lives on top of it. The giant has many treasures; with one of them being the enchanted compass Emma and Mary Margaret need to help them return home. It's decided Emma and Hook will be the two people to climb the beanstalk and retrieve the compass. Emma uses poppy dust to knock the giant unconscious. While he is out cold, Emma and Hook search inside the house for the compass. When the poppy dust's effect wears off, the giant grabs Emma and tries to squeeze her to death. Emma breaks free by biting his hand, and then cutting the rope of a cage, which traps the giant in it. She attempts to ask for the compass, but giant is too scared as he thinks she'll kill him regardless. Emma reassures him she is not that kind of person, and he eventually gives her the compass. As thanks for not killing him, he breaks out of the trap and punches out a hole for Emma to escape through. Emma points out he owes her one more favor since she also did not harm him while he was knocked out from the poppy dust. He agrees, and Emma asks him to keep Hook captive since she does not trust him as an ally. In an unknown fashion, Hook breaks free and steals the giant's bean. As he reaches the bottom of the beanstalk, Cora is there waiting for him. Though he does not have the compass, she decides to shrink and kidnap the giant and hides him aboard Hook's ship. Emma and Mary Margaret beat Hook and Cora in using the Lake Nostos created portal to travel back to Storybrooke. While lamenting their failure, they come up with a back-up plan of using the bean Hook stole from the giant. By placing it into Lake Nostos' waters, it rejuvenates and restores the bean back to its former ripe state, and allows for the creation of another portal into Storybrooke. Later in Storybrooke, the giant, Anton, is found shrunken and in a cage aboard Hook's ship. When he sees David, he mistakes him for his twin and becomes enraged; vowing to get payback. Regina comes and offers Anton a mushroom so that he can become large again and get his revenge on the prince. Anton finds David's explanation too convenient about James is dead and Emma is out of town, and that angers him more. After leading Anton near the outskirts of the town, David offers himself in return for the town's safety. Anton agrees and pursues to jump step on him, but Mary Margaret pushes him out of the way and Anton gets stuck in the ground. The effects of the mushroom wears off and Anton clings to a broken pipe to keep from falling. He gets rescued, apologizes to the townsfolk and earns their forgiveness. He decides to stay after the dwarves accept him as a friend and give him a pickax in which his old nickname "Tiny" appears on it. Later, he plants the remaining beanstalk cutting so that it there would be new magic beans. Once the beans are planted and grown, Emma, Mary Margaret and David arrive at the fields to inspect them. Anton greets the trio and gives Emma a hug. He explains to her Cora used magic to make him small. Then, Leroy tells him it is time to get to work. Later, he, Leroy and their other friends go out to the diner for dinner. Leroy says dinner is on Anton as the new guy always pays.
 * -|After the Curse=

Trivia

 * According to show creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, giants are vegetarians.
 * According to Hook, giants can identify the smell of blood.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.