hill figure

The Long Man of Wilmington, on Windover Hill, East Sussex, England.

In Britain, any of a number of figures, usually of animals, cut from the turf to reveal the underlying chalk. Their origins are variously attributed to Celts, Romans, Saxons, Druids, or Benedictine monks, although most are of modern rather than ancient construction. Examples include 17 White Horses, and giants such as the Cerne Abbas Giant, near Dorchester, Dorset, associated with a prehistoric fertility cult.

Nearly 50 hill figures are known in Britain, of which all but four are on the southern chalk downs of England. Some are landmarks or memorials; others have a religious or ritual purpose. It is possible that the current figures are on the site of, or reinforce, previous ones. There may have been large numbers of figures dotted on the landscape in the Iron Age, which were not maintained. The White Horse at Uffington, on the Berkshire Downs, used to be annually ‘scoured’ in a folk ceremony.

Other hill-figure designs include the Long Man of Wilmington on Windover Hill, East Sussex; crosses, such as the Bledlow and Whiteleaf crosses on the Chiltern Hills; a collection of military badges made at Fovant Down, Wiltshire (1916); an aeroplane, and a crown. A stag at Mormond Hill, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is cut into white quartz.

Cerne Abbas Giant This male figure, 55 m/180 ft in height, is ithyphallic (with an erect penis) and holds a great club in his right hand, his left hand being outstretched as though in the act of grasping. He is represented in outline, marked by a 60 cm/2 ft trench. The figure lies in an area rich in prehistoric remains. Just beyond his head is a small four-sided earthwork, probably of the early Iron Age. The foundations of the Benedictine abbey of Cerne lie nearby.

A number of theories have been postulated concerning the origins of the giant. A traditional annual maypole celebration (involving an intricate weaving dance around a pole, possibly linked to ancient fertility rites) took place in the early Iron Age earthwork until quite recent years, adding weight to the suggestion that the site may be identified with a fertility cult. One theory identifies the giant with Hercules, who is associated with a fertility cult, or Priapus worship, revived by the Roman emperor Commodus in the later 2nd century AD.

Long Man of Wilmington The Long Man is 70.4 m/231 ft in height and holds a staff in each hand. The figure is outlined by trenches defined by white-painted bricks. Nothing is known of the giant's early history, but there has been a mass of mostly fanciful conjecture associating it with Celts, Romans, Saxons, and Druids as well as various mythological characters, astronomers, and the Benedictine monks of the priory of Wilmington, dissolved in 1414. One recent theory is that the figure may have served as a giant advertisement for the priory, where travellers would receive rest and refreshment.