The Saracen giant Ferrau was only killable through his genitals
Evidence
Ferrau is the Saracen giant most commonly featured in medieval romances. Alternatively called Ferraguto, Ferragus, Fernagu, and Ferracutus, the creature survives in some form into the modern period. Ferrau is a powerful monster that in several stories is finally killed by Roland or Orlando. In the Historia Karoli Magni et Rotholandi, Roland vanquishes Ferracutus. The source of the monster’s strength is his navel; only by attacking his sexual organs can he be destroyed. — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 184
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- SEED: The navel-as-weak-point detail is a rich emblem of emasculation anxiety projected onto the Muslim giant — a potent essay thread.
- XREF: Connects to the reader’s monster/demon/giant taxonomy — Ferrau exemplifies the giant as repository of sexualized fear.