Cerne Abbas Giant - Description

Description

The Cerne Abbas Giant is located just outside the small village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, about 30 mi (48 km) west of Bournemouth and 16 mi (26 km) north of Weymouth. The figure depicts a huge naked man, about 180 ft (55 m) high and 167 ft (51 m) wide. It is carved into the white chalk rock on the steep west-facing side of a hill known as Giant Hill or Trendle Hill. Atop the hill is another landmark, the Iron Age earthwork known as the "Trendle" or "Frying Pan". The carving is formed by outlines cut into the turf about 2 ft 0 in (0.6 m) deep, and filled with crushed chalk. In his right hand the giant holds a knobbled club 120 ft (37 m) in length, and adding 35 ft (11 m) to the total height of the figure. A line across the waist is considered to be a belt. Writing in 1901 in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, Henry Colley March noted that: "The Cerne Giant presents five characteristics: (1) It is petrographic ... It is, therefore, a rock carving ... (2) It is colossal ... (3) It is nude. ... (4) It is ithyphallic ... (5) The Giant is clavigerous. It bears a weapon in its right hand."

A 1996 study found that some features have changed over time, concluding that the figure originally held a cloak in its left arm and stood over a disembodied head. The former presence of a cloak was corroborated in 2008 when a team of archaeologists using special equipment determined that part of the carving had been allowed to be obliterated. The cloak may have been a depiction of an animal skin, giving credence to the theory that the giant was a depiction of a hunter, or alternatively, Hercules with the skin of the Nemean lion over his arm. Additionally, reviewing historical depictions of the giant, it has been suggested that the Giant's current large erection is, in fact, the result of merging a circle representing his navel with a smaller penis during a re-cut. In 1993, the National Trust gave the Giant a "nose job" after years of erosion had worn it away.

The Giant has been described as "renowned for its manhood", "markedly phallic", "sexually explicit" and "ithyphallic". The Giant sports an erection, including its testicles, some 36 feet (11 metres) long, and nearly the length of its head. It has been called "Britain's most famous phallus". One commentator noted that postcards of the Giant were the only indecent photographs that could be sent through the English Post Office.

The carving is most commonly known as the Cerne Abbas Giant. The National Trust and others call it the "Cerne Giant", while English Heritage and Dorset County Council call it simply "The Giant". The carving has also been referred to as the "Old Man", and more recently it has been referred to as the "Rude Man" of Cerne.

Although the best view of the Giant is from the air, most tourist guides recommend a ground view from the "Giant's View" lay-by and car park off the A532. This area was developed in 1979 in a joint project between the Dorset County Planning Department, the National Trust, Nature Conservancy Council (now called English Nature), the Dorset Naturalists Trusts, the Department of the Environment, and local land-owners. The information panel there was devised by the National Trust and Dorset County Council.