Something great: black 23%, blue 18%, white 13%, …
Heller E. (1989)

Osgood’s Research (1957) made a significant correlation between heavy and hard with big, while lightweight is sensed rather fine and small. “Now we know, from our factor analytic work, that up, small, light-weight and white tend to go together in meaning and metaphor as opposed to down, large, heavy, and black.”

Rooms painted black appear much smaller than white ones. Black furniture dominates the space. In the most positive case they appear representative, in the most negative case they are oppressive. A black sofa appears to be harder than a white one. Colours influence the impression one gets of size, weight and material. Boxes with a light colour will be assessed less heavily than dark ones. The impression of the weight is not only due to the colour. The material usually gives the deciding factor. Every effect is the sum of all experiences.
(Heller, 1989)

The heroic aspect of clannumen among the Baltic slaves got its plastic representation in the colossal dimensions of certain statues. Vyncke (1969) cites some gods identified as war god or warrior god, such as Gerovit, Pripegala, Sventovit, Tjarnaglofi and Rugevit. The latter is said to have stood 3 metres tall. But Sventovit took the crown with more than 7 metres in height.

A connection between the heroic quality of the god and the giant size in his representation is established here. Hero and giant are classified in the Semantic Colour Space under the same code white-on-blue or Yellow-6 (bright yellow). Keywords attached to this meaning within the same code include: angel, crown, excellence, holy, knight, star, supernatural, white horse. Because of his great size, the deity is granted supernatural powers that enable him to defeat the enemy.

Looking at the dimensional meaning of big, colossal can refer to powers and forces in the height dimension of semantic space. That which is higher than humans is perceived as dominating. It is then a compelling force operating from above (psychologically on top).

I. Michiels, red.