Research from the University of Oxford has concluded that Dorset’s famed Cerne Abbas Giant was originally carved as an image of Hercules to serve as a muster point for West Saxon armies facing Viking attacks.
The study, by academics Helen Gittos and Tom Morcom, draws on archaeological and historical evidence to place the chalk figure firmly in the Anglo-Saxon period—resolving long-standing debate over its origins.
Earlier investigations by Martin Papworth for the National Trust had shown the giant was carved between the eighth and tenth centuries, but its purpose remained unclear. The Oxford researchers argue that Hercules, a well-known yet morally complex hero of medieval lore, would have served as a powerful symbol for rallying troops.
The figure’s commanding location above a key routeway and water source suggests it was chosen deliberately for military gatherings.
By the eleventh century, monks at the nearby Cerne Abbey reinterpreted the giant as their local saint, Eadwold, repurposing his image for religious devotion. The findings, published in Speculum: The Journal of the Medieval Academy of America, reveal how the giant’s meaning evolved—from classical hero to Christian symbol—over the centuries.
Cerne Abbas Giant pic.twitter.com/NdpVh3NUJT
— Stone Club (@the_stone_club) January 11, 2025
