Arca Noë

Lore & Background

The Arca Noë has been a cornerstone of giant lore since the Renaissance, when scholars like Athanasius Kircher attempted to calculate its capacity. Kircher, in his 1675 work *Arca Noë*, famously argued that the Ark could accommodate all known animal species, including mythical giants, by using a 'sacred cubit' of about 25 inches. His diagrams show the Ark as a massive, multi-decked barge, with the lowest deck reserved for heavy beasts and the upper decks for smaller creatures and provisions. This interpretation influenced later cryptozoologists, who speculated that the Ark's size was necessary to house the 'Nephilim'—the giants of Genesis 6:4—as literal passengers.

Reader's Guide

Arca Noë represents a significant effort in the 17th century to harmonize biblical revelation with emerging scientific discoveries, particularly the diversity of life in the New World. Kircher's classification of animals in the Ark, focusing on Old World species and ignoring contemporary taxonomies, echoed Pliny and grouped animals by size. He excluded creatures believed to reproduce through spontaneous generation (such as mice and insects) and those he considered hybrids (like the giraffe and armadillo). He also argued that New World creatures evolved from original forms after the flood through adaptation to different climates. The book's lavish illustrations, including a frontispiece depicting the Ark as the Church with the words "Extra quam non est salus" (outside of which there is no salvation), and its dedication to the twelve-year-old King Charles II of Spain, contributed to its appeal. Kircher's work demonstrates the intellectual project of Catholic scholarship to show the underlying unity and truth between revelation and science, though his methods and conclusions are now considered outdated.

Did You Know?

• The earliest known mathematical analysis of the Ark's dimensions was published by Athanasius Kircher in his 1650 work *Musurgia Universalis*, not at a 1640 convention.
• Some 17th-century theologians argued that the Ark's cubit was a 'royal cubit' of about 20.6 inches, making the vessel nearly 600 feet long—large enough to hold a population of giants.
• The 'Arca Noë' is sometimes conflated with the 'Giant's Causeway' in Irish folklore, where a mythical giant named Fionn mac Cumhaill built a bridge to Scotland, but no direct biblical connection exists.
• In modern pop culture, the Ark appears in films like *Evan Almighty* (2007) and *Noah* (2014), where its scale is exaggerated to suggest it could house creatures as large as dinosaurs or giants.