Well, not exactly a Tour - yet <grin>! We are going along to the Long Man at Wilmington today to visit the Druids at the Anderida Gorsedd meeting. So, if you’re in the area and want to come along and say hello to us we’d love to see you! The meeting starts at 2 pm. The Anderida Gorsedd open rituals began on the Spring Equinox 2000, the dream of Druids Damh the Bard and Cerri Lee to revive the regular celebrations of the old Pagan festivals in the sacred landscape of Sussex. On that cold day 7 people braved the weather for a walk up the hill to the Long Man, and there the Gorsedd was proclaimed. By Beltane six weeks later word had spread throughout the Pagan community and 40 people joined together to celebrate the Rites of Spring.

Since then the Gorsedd open rituals have been held for every fire festival, equinox and solstice, rain or shine, and it is this reliability and consistency that have been the root of its success. Now anywhere between 50 and 100 people gather under the Long Man to honour the turning tides of the Wheel of the Year, sharing laughter, tears, song and story, as the Gorsedd enters it eighth year. You can find out more here.

The Long Man of Wilmington

The Long Man of Wilmington, mysterious guardian of the South Downs, has baffled archaeologists and historians for hundreds of years.

Until recently the earliest record of Europe’s largest representation of the human form was in a drawing made by William Burrell when he visited Wilmington Priory, nestling under the steep slopes of Windover Hill, home of the 235 feet high Wilmington Giant. In 1993, however, a new drawing of the Long Man was discovered, made by surveyor, John Rowley, in 1710.

The new drawing has confirmed some theories and dispelled others. It suggests that the original figure was a shadow or indentation in the grass rather than a solid line; there were facial features that are no longer visible; the staffs being held were not a rake and a scythe as once described and the head was once a distinctive helmet shape, giving credence to the idea of the figure as a helmeted war-god.

Until the 19^th century the Long Man was only visible in certain light conditions and after a light fall of snow, but in 1874, it was marked out in yellow bricks. It is claimed that during this restoration, the feet were incorrectly positioned, but, despite popular local legend, there is no evidence, historical or archaeological, to suggest that prudish Victorians robbed the Giant of his manhood!

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