This will be too easy for Karrow, Fred and DanceGirl. Horse

Not as much fun as its human equivalent

Very sporting of you not to answer right away, Fred!

(I hate it that we can't do late edits!) Anyhow, by its 'human equivalent', were you thinking 'rude'?

Well kind of Babs. He's a fertility symbol. Though I would think he would make local men seem somewhat inadequate.

I think this is the one that Fred might have been thinking of.

The Cerne Abbas Giant

Yeah, he's also known as the "rude man". Just because he's a fertility symbol doesn't mean he can run around the hills stark naked!

It reminds me of the cave drawings in Lascaux, France, though I can't seem to verify that. Perhaps its rather too stylish for paleolithic artists?

So my other guess is Picasso.

Yes, the style is marvelous, isn't it? It is prehistoric. The white horse of Uffington.

It's been dated to about 1400 bce

I'd like to go there someday, there are long barrows and ancient (pre-Roman) roads and so forth.

Does Cerne Abbas bear any relationship to the Celtic God Cernunnos?

quote:

Originally posted by DorianGreyed:
Does Cerne Abbas bear any relationship to the Celtic God Cernunnos?

Someone thinks so:
Cerne

However, the place name Cerne means ' a fenced area belonging to an individual or a field surrounded by a forest'. This name derives perhaps from pre-Celtic 'canto' or Latin 'circinare', to encircle.In the distant past England was almost entirely covered in woodland. The clearing of a specific area might have given rise to the place name Cerne in this instance.English place names often refer to particular features of the landscape, whether natural or man made . The name is found in France too and, indeed, there was a Norman landowner in England called Ranulf de Cerne whose name crops up in C13 records of the West Country town of Newcombe. As DG's link points out the Giant does not resemble the image of the Celtic god: the god is shown as horned. The Giant was not recorded until quite recently in our history and may well be not quite as ancient as lovers of Celtic associations would wish The Abbas part refers to the abbey,founded in 987.