Just heard about this...

I think it's Funny... Very Funny.
But, apparently, some of the local Pagans are not amused.

Personally, as one who gave up organized religion for Lent...
Well, actually... I kicked it out.
It was too bossy, too messy, too manipulative...
But, I digress...

Personally, I think anyone who takes offense at this should lighten up...
They should seek out some lighthearted humour...
Perhaps watch The Simpsons?

Seriously, how can you look at 'The Giant' (Not Homer... the one on the right.)... and not snicker?

Peace.
L.


A giant image of Homer Simpson now stands next to the 17th-century giant which is carved in the hillside above Cerne Abbas, Dorset

From: The Independent.

When two great fertility symbols collide ...
By Ed Caesar
Published: 17 July 2007

The Cerne Abbas Giant is used to having things his own way. Not only does he wield two mighty clubs - one military, one anatomical - but he stands 55m tall, and has been considered a fertility symbol for four centuries. Indeed, so potent is the Giant's chalky mojo, that couples struggling to conceive are still said to visit his hillside home for a grassy liaison. But yesterday there was a new alpha male in North Dorset. He wields a doughnut instead of a club. He has four fingers on each hand and four toes on each foot. Only three hairs sprout from his bulbous head. And his unmentionables are, mercifully, covered by the world's largest pair of Y-Fronts. His name is Homer Simpson.

The new chalk drawing is the brainchild of the publicity team behind The Simpsons Movie, which premieres in Britain next week. The artist Peter Stuart was commissioned to create a rival "chalk man" next to the Giant, and Stuart, a self-confessed Simpsons fan, leapt at the chance. The work - which, at 70m by 50m, required 200 litres of biodegradable white paint - started two days ago.

"We started very early on Sunday morning by laying the outline for the grid," said Stuart. "Today it's taken us over five hours to complete the painting of Homer Simpson. But it's all been worth it."

British Simpsons fans, whose legions include the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Hawking and Tony Blair, will, no doubt, be tickled by the chalk Homer. But not everyone is happy. Pagans, who believe the Giant is a spiritual icon, are dismayed by this bold new artwork, and, in particular, the accompanying encouragement for young couples to "do it in the doughnut".

"It's very disrespectful and not at all aesthetically pleasing," said Ann Bryn-Evans, joint Wessex district manager for The Pagan Federation. "I'm amazed they got permission to do something so ridiculous. We were hoping for some dry weather but I think I have changed my mind. We'll be doing some rain magic to bring the rain and wash it away."

They should save their magic for a drought. The wet weather that has blighted the summer is set to continue (although Cerne Abbas could be dry until tomorrow) meaning that those wishing to see Mr Simpson in all his glory will have to move fast: as soon as the rains come, this Homer will wash away. D'oh!

About the Cerne Abbas:
From: The National Trust
A huge outline sculpted into the chalk hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas representing a naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant.

Public perceptions are wide-ranging, is he smutty, humorous or offensive? Certainly he has been used to advertise products as diverse as condoms, jeans and bicycles. Many couples today believe him to be a unique aid to fertility.

One of the Trust's most racy remnants of our distant pagan past or a 17th-century political caricature?

The Cerne Abbas figure has conventionally been viewed as a great symbol of ancient spirituality. A mound below the giant's left hand may be the sculpted remnant of a severed head which he once clutched – a rather grisly if common ancient Celtic religious symbol.

Alternatively, the Roman hero Hercules was often depicted naked with a club in his right hand and a lion skin draped over his left shoulder. Scientific tests have suggested that there might once have been something draped over the giant's left side, but long grassed over.

The problem with all these theories is that despite an abundant archive of local medieval documents at Cerne Abbey, there is no written reference to the giant before 1694. In 1774 the Rev. John Hutchins claimed he was told that the giant was 'a modern thing' cut by Lord Holles.

Denzil Holles who owned Giant Hill from 1642 to 1666 was a fierce critic of Oliver Cromwell. Could the Cerne Abbas Giant seek to satirise Cromwell's stern puritanical rule?