Gigantotomy is the art of carving human-shaped hill figures, gigantic figures visible in chalk or other light-coloured material.^[1][2][3] Located in upland areas of England, they are traditionally created by removing a layer of soil and turf so that the underlying layer of bright chalk is visible as a type of geoglyph designed to be seen from afar as a human figure. More recently, gigantotomers have applied other techniques to make the figures visible, including simply painting atop the grass for a similar, though far more temporary, effect.

While presumed to be of prehistoric origin, surviving examples may have been created only within the last four hundred years.^[3] Of these giants only two survive: one near the village of Cerne Abbas, to the north of Dorchester, in Dorset and one at Long Man civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex. Examples located at Oxford, Cambridge, and on Plymouth Hoe can no longer be seen with the naked eye.^[1][3][4]

Contents 1 Cerne Abbas giant 2 Long Man of Wilmington 3 Plymouth Hoe giants 4 Gog Magog Hills 5 Firle Corn 6 Homer Simpson 7 See also 8 References

[edit] Cerne Abbas giant

The Cerne Abbas giant, also referred to as the "Rude Man" or the "Rude Giant", is a hill figure of a giant naked man 180 ft (55 m) high, 167 ft (51 m) wide^[5] figure is carved into the side of a steep hill, and is best viewed from the opposite side of the valley or from the air. The carving is formed by a trench 12 in (30 cm) wide,^[5] and about the same depth, which has been cut through grass and earth into the underlying chalk. In his right hand the giant holds a knobbled club 120 ft (37 m) in length.^[5]

Its history cannot be traced back further than the late 17th century, making an origin during the Celtic, Roman or even Early Medieval periods difficult to prove. Above and to the right of the Giant's head is an earthwork known as the "Trendle", or "Frying Pan". Medieval writings refer to this location as "Trendle Hill", but make no mention of the giant, leading to the conclusion that it was probably only carved about 400 years ago. In contrast, the Uffington White Horse — an unquestionably prehistoric hill figure on the Berkshire Downs — was noticed and recorded by medieval authors.^[5][6]

In 2008, overgrowth forced a re-chalking of the giant,^[7] with 17 tonnes of new chalk being poured in and tamped down by hand.^[8]

[edit] Long Man of Wilmington

The Long Man of Wilmington is a located on one of the steep slopes of Windover Hill, six miles (9.6 km) northwest of Eastbourne. The figure is 227 feet (69 m) tall and designed to look in proportion when viewed from below. The earliest record was made by the surveyor John Rowley in the year 1710. This 18th-century drawing suggests that the original figure was a shadow or indentation in the grass with facial features, rather than just a solid outline of a human figure. The staffs were not depicted as a rake and scythe as was once thought, and the head was a helmet shape. Sir William Borrow's drawing of 1766 shows the figure holding a rake and a scythe, both shorter than the staves.^[9]

Before 1874, the Long Man was only visible after a light fall of snow in certain light conditions. In that year an antiquarian marked out the outline with yellow bricks cemented together. Though it is claimed that the restoration process distorted the position of the feet and removed the Long Man's genitalia, there is no historical or archaeological evidence which supports that claim.^[9][10] Archaeological work done by the University of Reading suggests that the figure dates from the sixteenth or seventeenth century AD.^[11]

[edit] Plymouth Hoe giants

Until the early 17th century large outline images of the two giants, perhaps Gog and Magog (or Goemagot and Corineus) had for a long time been cut into the turf of Plymouth Hoe exposing the white limestone beneath.^[12] An early and explicit reference was made to them by Richard Carew in 1602.^[13] At one time these figures were periodically re-cut and cleaned but no trace of them remains today.^[14][15]

[edit] Gog Magog Hills

The dowser and archaeologist Thomas Charles Lethbridge claimed to have discovered a group of three hidden chalk carvings in the Gog Magog Hills about three miles south of Cambridge. He described these figures buried under the surface of the hills as representing a sun god, a moon goddess and a war god. This alleged discovery was described at length in his book Gogmagog: The Buried gods but is not widely accepted.^[16]

[edit] Firle Corn

Firle Corn in Firle, Sussex is a nearly-lost hill figure whose existence can be seen by infrared photography. Now looking more like a small ear of corn or a strange weapon than a human figure, there is a legend suggesting that a giant called Gill was once cut on this same hill and that he was considered an adversary of the the Long Man of Wilmington not far away.^[17] According to one story, the giant on Firle Beacon threw his hammer at the Wilmington giant and killed him, and that the figure on the hillside marks the place where his body fell.^[18]

[edit] Homer Simpson

As a publicity stunt for the opening of The Simpsons Movie on 16 July 2007, a giant Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was outlined in water-based biodegradable paint to the left of the Cerne Abbas giant. This act angered local neopagans, who pledged to perform rain magic to wash the figure away.^[19][20]

[edit] See also

• Leucippotomy, the creation of horse hill figures

[edit] References