Cerne Abbas giant

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The Cerne Abbas giant is a hill figure of a giant naked man on a hillside near the village of Cerne Abbas to the north of Dorchester in Dorset, England. The 55 metre (180 feet) high, 51 metres (167 feet) wide figure is carved into the side of a steep hill and is best viewed from the opposite side of the valley or from the air. The carving is formed by a trench 30cm (1 foot) wide and about the same depth which has been cut through the grass and earth into the underlying chalk. In his right hand the giant holds a knobbed club 36.5 metres (120 feet) long.



Layout of the giant as seen from directly above

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Detail of the phallus and legs

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History


Like several other chalk figures carved into the English countryside, the Cerne Abbas giant is often thought of as an ancient creation. Like many of the other figures, however, its history cannot be traced back further than the late 17th century, making an origin during the Celtic or Roman periods unlikely. Above and to the right of the Giant's head is an earthwork known as the "Trendle" or "Frying Pan"; medieval writings refer to this location as 'Trendle Hill' but make no mention of the giant, leading to the conclusion that it was probably only carved about 400 years ago. It is interesting to note in this regard that the Uffington White Horse (an unquestionably prehistoric hill figure on the Berkshire Downs) was noticed and recorded by medieval authors.

The earliest written reference to the Giant was made in 1694 in a record for payment in the Cerne Abbas churchwarden's accounts of 3 shillings towards the re-cutting of the giant. This was followed by references in 1742, and in 1751, John Hutchins wrote in his Guide to Dorset that the carving had only been done the previous century. It is now believed that it was probably made by servants of the Lord of the Manor Denzil Holles during the English Civil War. There has been speculation that the figure is a parody of Oliver Cromwell, who was sometimes mockingly referred to as "England's Hercules" by his enemies; the Hercules connection is strengthened by the recent discovery of an obliterated line perhaps representing an animal skin (see below). A local legend says that a real giant was killed on the hill and that the people from Cerne Abbas drew round the figure and marked him out on the hillside.

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The Cerne Abbas Giant seen from a distance

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Layout of the giant with the obliterated line (in yellow) reconstructed.

Appearance


Very much a phallic symbol because of the distinct erect **** and testicles, for hundreds of years it was local custom to erect a maypole within the earthwork about which childless couples would dance to promote fertility and even today childless couples are known to visit the site in order to copulate in the hope that they might have a child.

Recently, a group of archaeologists using special equipment found that part of the carving had been allowed to be obliterated. According to these findings, the free arm should have held a depiction of an animal's skin, giving credence to the theory that the giant was a depiction of a hunter or, alternatively, Heracles with the skin of the Nemean Lion over his arm. It has also been suggested that his large **** is in fact a result of merging a circle representing his navel with a smaller **** at some time.[citation needed] Because the erect **** is 15% the length of the drawing (excluding the club), the **** length would equal roughly 26cm (10.5 inches) on the average male frame.

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In Diodorus Sicilus, the Atlantean capital is called Cerne as well.