[MR] England's chalkhill carvings (Fwd: Aoife-Links Digest, Vol 11, Issue 2)

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In a message dated 9/15/2005 1:03:26 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
aoife-links-request at scatoday.net writes:

Today's  Topics:

1. Chalk it up: Giant Medieval Hillside Figure  (Aoife)


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Message:  1
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 20:25:33 -0400
From: "Aoife"  <aoife at scatoday.net>
Subject: [Aoife-Links] Chalk it up: Giant  Medieval Hillside Figure
To:  <aoife-links at scatoday.net>
Message-ID:  <003f01c5b98b$fd952590$5b75bacc at pcbz6mpmt4r04r>
Content-Type:  text/plain;    charset="iso-8859-1"

Greetings, my faithful  readers!

This week we're taking a peek at those weird and white ancient  monuments, 
Chalk Carvings (or Hill Carvings) of England, variously attributed  to Celts, 
Saxons, Romans,and even Aliens.

We don't really know why they  are there, though there are theories. These 
figures are so beloved that entire  villages have taken it upon themselves to 
preserve them. The popularity of the  figures is reflected not only in the 
affection of the locals, but also in the  crop of NEW carvings that popped up in 
the 17-1800s, and even several newer  one from WWII and today. Superstitions 
surround the truly old carvings. From  fertility to faithfulness, people have 
believed in the power of these giant  symbols for centuries.

Read on to learn how fascinating these ancient  drawing can be.

Cheers!

Aoife

Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos  Mon
m/k/a Lisbeth Herr-Gelatt
Riverouge
Endless  Hills
Aethelmearc


Celtic Chalk Hill  Figures
http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/ChalkFigures.htm
(Site  Excerpt) The most famous of these is the Cerne Abbas Giant cut into 
the  hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas near Dorchester in Dorset. The  
figure is over 180 feet high and his ' virility' is very obvious!  During  
Roman times he was identified as Hercules and associated with a fertility  cult, 
or Priapus Worship, revived by Emperor Commodus in the late 2nd century  AD. 

Cerne Abbas  Giant
http://www.stonepages.com/england/cerneabbas.html
(Site Excerpt) A  local legend says that a real giant was killed on the hill 
and that the people  from Cerne Abbas drew round the figure and marked him out 
on the hillside.  Barren women were said to conceive soon after sleeping on 
the Giant's body,  while young women wishing to keep their lovers faithful 
would walk around the  figure three times.

Long Man Chalk  Figure
http://www.ukattraction.com/south-east-england/long-man.htm
(Site  Excerpt) The Long Man of Wilmington, mysterious guardian of the South 
Downs,  has baffled archaeologists and historians for hundreds of years. The 
lack of  firm historical evidence still leaves many theories abounding about 
his  history.

Historical Wiltshire: The White  Horses
http://www.wiltshire-web.co.uk/history/horse.htm
(Site Excerpt)  Wiltshire is without doubt the county of counties when it 
comes to white  horses, with no less than nine laying within its boundaries, 
although only  seven of these are now visible. The vast expanse of chalk downs, 
with their  smooth, steep sides provide a number of ideal sites to exercise the 
art of  turf cutting.

Local Heritage Initiative: White Horse Chalk  Carving
http://www.lhi.org.uk/editorial_archive/heritage_matters/heritage_articles/cha
lk_drawings.html
(Site  Excerpt) "Before the gods that made the gods
Had seen their sunrise  pass
The White Horse of the White Horse Vale
Was cut out of the grass."  
So said GK Chesterton about the White Horse of Uffington, the most famous  of 
all chalk carvings.Although he may have somewhat overestimated its age, the  
365ft long galloping, big-eyed horse has been scientifically verified by  
Oxford University's archaeological research unit as approximately 3,000 years  old.

England: Mystery cloaks 3,000-year-old chalk carving in English  countryside
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/174-11132002-142.html
(Site  Excerpt) The stylized figure, some 360 feet long, was gouged from the 
white  chalk bedrock some 3,000 years ago. But why and by whom remains an 
enigma.  "The latest theory is that it was dedicated to the Celtic goddess Epona 
who  represented the triumph of good over evil," says Sharon Smith, curator of 
a  small museum behind the village church in Uffington.... Others say the 
design  was cut by Hengist, the leader of Anglo Saxon hordes in the 5th century, 
in  the image of the horse on his standard. Folklore also claims the chalk 
carving  is not a horse at all, but the dragon killed by St. George, England's 
patron  saint.

Folkstone White Horse (a modern  work)
http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/hillfigs/folk/folk.htm
(Site  Excerpt) The folkestone white horse is now finished, following the  
construction of the trenches last autumn, work was started in May to make  final 
adjustments to the trenches ready for the chalk / limestone slabs. The  slabs 
were installed in June by most of the Folkestone horse team and a large  
number of Gurkas, stationed in Folkestone. They worked incredibly hard and  
construction was completed (apart from the eye) in about two weeks. The slabs  were 
transported down the hill on sleds. The finishing touches were added  shortly 
after. 

Jason Hawkes Photography: Chalk Hill  Carvings
http://www.jasonhawkes.com/servlet/Public.html?page=search&search=chalk%20AND%
20carving
The  thunmbnails aren't the best quality. Click on any picture to see an  
enlargement.

Kilburn White  Horse
http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/hillfigs/kilb/kilburn2.htm