Ephialtes was a giant who in the 'Gigantomachia' or battle between the
giants and the gods was hit by arrows in each eye, from the bows of
Apollo and
Heracles. Most of the giants have sinister names, and this is no exception, since it means 'he who leaps on', from epi, 'on' and iallo, 'to put'.
This seems to indicate a personified nightmare. There is, however, a later story that tells how he and his
brother Otus ('pusher') piled up mountains, this being the 'putting on'.
Of course, one who leaps on
someone could perhaps be
nothing more than some kind of personification of the wind.
