A giant, enigmatic carving of a naked, bald man wielding a hefty club likely depicts the mythical Hercules, a new study finds.
The early medieval artwork, carved into the chalk bedrock on a hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England, was likely created to mark a meeting point for West Saxon armies that were readying to fight the invading Vikings, according to the study, published in the January issue of the journal Speculum. Later, monks in Cerne Abbas — who likely didn't want a pagan figure in their midst — reinterpreted the huge carving to be the local saint, Eadwold, the team said.
