The Cerne Abbas Giant, aka The Rude Man of Cerne

Ah, the Cerne Abbas Giant, my once and maybe future neighbour in Dorset. Now we're onto
a good topic. I'm not going to get going on this subject, but I do recommend the book about
the Giant by Rodney Castleden, who teaches, or used to teach, at a very posh private school
for girls called Roedean. (I recalled Castleden's name this morning by searching for < "Cerne
Giant" Roedean >

Now there's an implausible conjunction.

Briefly, I recall that Castleden's researches with soil-scanning radar revealed a cloak or lion's
skin over the outstretched arm and, yes, perhaps a head, carried by the hand.

He suggests that the Giant had originally been a tribal or clan emblem for the local
population of the local Celtic Durotriges people, from whom the county takes its name. After
the Roman invasion of 43 AD, Vespasian garrisoned troops here, and they modified the old
Celtic figure, adding the lion's skin and the head to turn the Giant into Hercules.

That's Castleden's learned opinion. Nothing to do with me. And there's where I stop or I'll be
writing all morning.

Robert Fripp

A few years ago they used whitewash to mark where the cloak would
have been, to examine the possibility of the Hercules connection.
Don't recall the severed head idea though.

Richard G

--- In , "Robert Fripp"
<r_fripp@...> wrote:
>
> Ah, the Cerne Abbas Giant, my once and maybe future neighbour in
Dorset. Now we're onto
> a good topic. I'm not going to get going on this subject, but I do
recommend the book about
> the Giant by Rodney Castleden, who teaches, or used to teach, at a
very posh private school
> for girls called Roedean. (I recalled Castleden's name this morning
by searching for < "Cerne
> Giant" Roedean >
>
> Now there's an implausible conjunction.
>
> Briefly, I recall that Castleden's researches with soil-scanning
radar revealed a cloak or lion's
> skin over the outstretched arm and, yes, perhaps a head, carried by
the hand.
>
> He suggests that the Giant had originally been a tribal or clan
emblem for the local
> population of the local Celtic Durotriges people, from whom the
county takes its name. After
> the Roman invasion of 43 AD, Vespasian garrisoned troops here, and
they modified the old
> Celtic figure, adding the lion's skin and the head to turn the
Giant into Hercules.
>
> That's Castleden's learned opinion. Nothing to do with me. And
there's where I stop or I'll be
> writing all morning.
>
> Robert Fripp
>