Cerne Abbas Giant

There used to be giants everywhere! Once, a giant terrorised the land around Cerne Abbas. Nothing was safe from him, especially sheep. One day, when he had gorged himself on a whole flock of sheep and drunk the Cerne River nearly dry, the giant lay down on the hill to sleep it off. The villagers crept up with ropes and stakes and a huge pit saw. While the giant slept, they staked him down and cut off his head! To mark their victory, they carved his outline … all of it … in the hillside, where it remains to this day, reminding any giants who might come by to beware. The giant has recently been dated to the early medieval period and may represent the hero Hercules, carved on the hillside to inspire early English armies heading into battle.