Herculean Guardian: The Enormous Controversial Figure of Cerne Abbas

He is depicted naked, holding a club in his hand, with his member in an erect state. The colossal figure of the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset County, England, is thought to be Hercules, serving as a rallying point for forces combating the Vikings, according to Oxford researchers.

[Photo: Cerne Abbas giant by Roger May, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

The Cerne Abbas figure is a geoglyph, a monumental earth sculpture standing at a height of 55 meters. It portrays a nude man with schematically marked ribs, nipples, and an erect penis. The execution resembles somewhat the famous Nazca Lines in South America.

The weapon he holds indicates a combative stance. The sculpture was formed by carving trenches into the chalky ground, hence its white appearance, although parts of the material were transported. For years, there has been debate about the creation date of the geoglyph.

Hercules of Dorset against the Vikings

Oxford University researchers — Professor Helen Gittos and Dr. Tom Morcom — decided to delve into the early medieval history and archaeology of this region.