A giant-sized enigma
Roman god? Anglo-Saxon fertility aid? Political statement during the Civil War? Visitors to Dorset have puzzled over the origins of the Cerne Abbas Giant for centuries, as ELEANOR BARRACLOUGH discovers
Across the rolling downs of southern England, a shining, white giant strides over the Dorset hills. The Cerne Abbas Giant is a memorable figure whose fame hides his mysterious origins. Cut into the chalk and measuring 55 metres high, he is best known for his proud and upstanding nature. Couples looking for a fertility boost have been known to climb the hill to have a chat with the giant (and perhaps there is indeed something in the water: back in 2010 the Office for National Statistics reported that local women had the highest birth rates in the country). His image has also inspired artists over the decades, appearing in everything from Eric Ravilious’s watercolours to Grayson Perry’s motorbike leathers.
For a giant who famously bears all, he has kept many secrets, not least his age. Back in the 18th century, antiquarians considered him to be of a similar vintage to the 3000-year-old Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire, perhaps a prehistoric deity or a Romano-British god. Later, when historians realised that there was no written reference to him prior to 1694, they suggested that he had been cut during the Civil War as an insult to Oliver Cromwell.
Now, the fragments of quartz and tiny snail shells that make up his white body are helping to tell another, even more intriguing story. By looking at the last time that sunlight shone on the quartz directly below the chalk figure, researchers have worked out that it may have been cut between AD 700 and 1100, which would make it the only known Anglo-Saxon creation of its kind. And by establishing the age of tiny shells belonging to snails that only arrived in England in the later Middle Ages, researchers believe that the Cerne Abbas Giant was left to grass over for a time, before being uncovered and cleaned up again.
Into the frying pan
The giant is also part of a broader historical and cultural landscape. Above his head is an earthwork of unknown age, roughly square in shape, known as the ‘Trendle’ or ‘Frying Pan’. These days, Morris dancers gather here at dawn to welcome in May. Hardy walkers can take the same route up to the hillside as the dancers, starting in the village hall car park, and following signs for ‘Giant Hill’ up towards the giant’s feet. It’s a steep climb with some steps and a narrow path in places.
The giant himself is fenced off for his own protection, to prevent his chalk outline being eroded. The best view of him is actually from the Cerne Giant viewpoint, just off the A352 on Duck Street, which is also better for those with limited mobility.
Keeping watch over the village of Cerne Abbas, the giant on the hillside still has his secrets. As Martin Papworth, archaeologist for the National Trust, explains: “We may have a better idea of how old he is, but we still don’t know why he was created, or who he is. So much is mysterious about him, and about the historical landscape that surrounds him.”
Eleanor Barraclough is a historian, broadcaster and writer based at Bath Spa University. Her book Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age will be published by Profile later this year
The snail shells and quartz that make up the giant’s body tell an even more intriguing story
For more information, head to nationaltrust.org.uk