Set on a rolling hillside above the picturesque village of Cerne Abbas, the 180ft tall club-wielding man has long been regarded as a sign of fertility due to his large, erect phallus. It is not agreed how old the Cerne Abbas Giant is, but the most likely explanation is that he depicts Hercules, the god with super- human strength. Hence he was probably created as a pagan idol during the Iron Age period of Britain.

There is some evidence that the Giant may once have carried a cloak over the left arm and a severed head in his hand.