The Moonlight Giants of The Deep

He raised his moonlight lantern above his head and cast out a stream of light over the cliff-side, and the two travellers saw it: A vast group of giant creatures silently moving across the ground. Skeletal and tall enough that the giants heads were taller than the cliff the travellers were standing on, one of the creatures turned to look down at the travellers as it moved by. It had no eyes with which to gaze at them, hollow sockets absorbing the moonlight cast on it by the lantern.

Summary

Two travellers set out into the darkness, against the wishes of their small village to search for a wellspring of light. After travelling further into the darkness than any person has ever gone, they find a rare moonlight wellspring. After taking an old lantern that sat nearby, they filled it with moonlight and ventured down the cliff-side.
As they did they heard soft noises, and one of the travellers extends the moonlight lantern to shine out over the cliff. The two see many skeletal giants walking in the same direction, and as they watch, one of them turns and looks at the two travellers as it walks by. The other traveller raises up a daylight lantern alongside the moonlight one, and they both watch as the daylight outshines the moonlight it also causes the skeletal creature to fade.
The tale ends as the two travellers bring the moonlight back to the village, and tell the story to a crowd of disbelieving people. The true ending of the tale has been lost to time, and almost every version has a different ending.

Historical Basis

The myth was based on the tales of two travellers into the dark, but no one could confirm or deny the accuracy of the tales. However, the myth is based in truth from the evidence of creatures known as Gashadokuro. No recorded Gashadokuro has grown as tall as the skeletal creatures in the myth.

Spread

It is a common myth about the dark, more of an adventurous bedtime story rather than a warning. Almost every culture tells a version of invisible giants wandering through the darkness, only to be revealed through moonlight.

Variations & Mutation

Although some communities do change it up to make the skeletal creatures seem aggressive and dangerous, the majority of versions of the myth tell it as the creatures passing by. The communities where the myth is told differently are often descended from Hunters of the Dark.