@hedgerow_healing: 🌿 C E R N E A B B A S G I A N T 🌿 All throughout the chalk downlands there are images scoured into the hillside by ancient inhabitants of Britain. One of the most well-known examples is the Uffington White Horse, dating to the late Bronze or Iron age period. One of the next best known ancient images is the Cerne Abbas Giant. The image is of a naked male figure holding what would appear to be a club or a weapon, and whose age has been debated for decades, with some thinking it was carved as late as the 1600's. However, recent archaeology is currently dating this carving to 700-1100 AD, the time of the Anglo Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons were pagans when they first arrived on the British shores, and worshipped pagan Germanic gods such as Woden and Thor. They could well have been inspired by the late Bronze or Iron age carvings already in place in the landscape, and decided to create an effigy of one of their gods to put their own mark on captured land. The god Heil or Heilith (there are many variations of the name) was predominantly worshipped in Dorset, and this carving could well be a portrayal of this god. However, as there are no written recordings of how it was made, it is not unlikely that this chalk carving could have instead been created by Pagan Britons, wanting to bring their Celtic gods back to the land and make Christian Saxons aware that these gods were still heavily worshipped. The Celtic people were very big on fertility rituals and rites, and this giant chalk carving could instead portray an ancient fertility god of Britain and Ireland. Either way, the image is definitely an ancient pagan creation, and the nearby Cerne Abbas Abbey was said to have been built in order to put a stop to pagan worship in the area. (No picture of the giant due to heavy rains coming in and not being able to get a clear shot) . . . . #cerneabbas #cerneabbasgiant #dorset #chalkcarving #whitehorse #uffingtonwhitehorse #pagangods #germanicgods #woden #thor #oden #celticgods #celticgoddesses #paganpractice #paganworship #paganbritain #anglosaxons #saxoninvasion #chalkdownlands #dorsetlandscape

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Saturday 25 November 2023 10:33:18 GMT