The Mysteries of The Long Man

 

The Long Man of Wilmington

I have covered this is my books before, but I do feel that it is important to understand who the Long Man represents. This, I have to add, is not an 'academic' study of the hill-figure which would be very difficult since no real knowledge has come down to us. This is where Esoteric Knowledge comes into play, since this is a revealed form of knowledge that would be dismissed by scholars and academics as being 'non-traditional' or as not 'authentic' (whatever that means). 

When I went through a very profound mystical experience (an Initiation) in 1993 a two-week time-span when the Mysteries of HelgiH were revealed, this ended at 12.00 Noon on April 1st 1997, at the same time as I looked upwards to see in front of me the Long Man. Although this would be dismissed by scholars and academics this type of synchronicity will not be dismissed by esoteric workers, since it is just as important (if not more so here) as historical records. The time and date here point to the Long Man being the 'April Fool' - the 'Pure Fool' whom we relate to The Hooded Man. Although in such an experience it is never 'stated' that this is the figure of Woden in his aspect of The Great Initiator became clear to me. Since previous to this I had an experience of contact with what I can only see as the Cosmic Joker the two things are interconnected. 

Later experience came to explaining these mysteries, since they are linked to the Ginn-Unga-Gap and to the Ginn or Ginnar as being 'The Fool', and a by-name of Woden too. As I have shown before the origin of everything would be what is called Ginn from which comes Ginn-Unga-Gap (Gap, Offspring of Ginn), and then the Ginn-Regin ('Elder Gods' or 'Elder Powers'). Important to this is that the Joten (Low-Born and High-Born) come out of the Ginnungagap, as does the Cosmic Mother (Cosmic Cow) named Audhumla. When Audhumla licks the Ice-Rime there appears the 'head' of a 'Man' - the God Buri. From Buri and the Joten, Bestla, spring Woden, Will and Weoh (Woden, Hoenir and Lodhur). These are the Elder Gods - the Gods of Creation. 

The Tarot Card named 'The Fool' is numbered '0' and thus linked to The Void - Ginn-Unga-Gap. It seems to be symbolic of Orion the Hunter, since at the heel of the figure is a dog, which would be symbolic of Sirius, the Dog-Star. I have linked the Herne Abbas Giant (Herne Giant) with Orion, but when we consider that just east of the Long Man is a comet-shaped long barrow called Hunter's Burgh this hill-figure could also be linked to Orion the Hunter. This does not negate the fact that it could also represent Cygnus the Swan since the shape is very much like this constellation - as is the Herne Giant too! The two hill-figures seem to be not only linked, but also interchangeable in symbolism. 

"I am the Beginning and the End - the First and the Last" - this I have applied to the Morning Star and the Evening Star, and it can be just as well applied to the Long Man and the Herne Giant (Heil Giant). The Long Man is in the East - Dawn, and the Herne Giant in the West - Dusk. Even though different names have been given to the Morning Star and the Evening Star they are really one planet - Venus. This can also apply to the Long Man and the Herne Giant, and these may also be linked to Bootes (Son of Man) and Hercules (The Hero). This seems clear when we consider the Old English Rune-Poem where the Ing-Rune tells that Ing follows his waen which can be the 'Sun-Waen' or 'Woden's Waen' (the Great Bear), i.e. Bootes following the Great Bear. Venus is a 'Double-Star' and is connected to both Freya and Ingwe. 

There is another link between the Long Man and the Herne Giant, both of these being Solar-Phallic; the Herne Giant is clearly so, but the Long Man has a long-barrow on the top of the hill-figure with a rounded end, thus creating a phallic-shape - pointed towards the hill-figure. The club was certainly liked to Hercules, but it is also the weapon of the God of the Mannerbund in Teutonic Lore - Woden. This is the oldest form of 'Magical Weapon' of the Gods. In Egyptian Lore the Constellation of Orion the Hunter is seen to represent Osiris, and the Phallus or Orion is the 'Phallus of Osiris'. Since the Saxons called this Frigg's Distaff this is a word-play used for the 'Phallus of Woden'. Also, once more emphasising the links to The Fool of the Tarot, the Three Stars of Orion (Phallus of Orion) are symbolic of the Three Norns or Wyrd Sisters - distaff, spinning, Wyrd Sisters. The Three Stars of Orion align with the Dog-Star, Sirius on an important date. 

There is also a link with the Avatar and the Rightful King since the Three Stars of Orion also represent the Three Magi of Persia, and the 'gifts' of Gold (Kingship), Frankincense (Priest-Magician) and Myrrh (Doom-Justice). The Three Magi give these gifts to the Krist-Avatar but they are originally related to Zarathustra who was a similar archetype, and from which the 'Krist Archetype' no doubt came from. Added to this is a White Horse which is found just west of the Long Man, near to yet another Saxon Barrow. This is a late Nineteeth Century addition, but this does not negate the symbolism since time and space dissolve in regard to Archetypal Myth. 

In a book called The Wilmington Giant by Rodney Castelden he states that S.F. Annett suggested that the area around the Long Man is the setting for and episode in the Petit Saint Graal, a story about Peredur, the son of Evrawc. This is indeed of interest since Peredur is a Welsh version of Parsifal - 'The Pure Fool'. And it links the Long Man with the Graal-Mythos. I shall paraphrase what is said on this to save space - 

• Peredur - The Hero - is on a quest when he comes upon a castle with no inhabitants. Less than a mile to the north-west is a low mound called Burlough Castle which has not trace of stonework, nor is there mention of  castle having been there.
• In the hall he finds a chessboard on which the pieces are playing by themselves. The chessboard is, in the Graal-Mythos, linked to Morgana - Goddess of Fate. This is in the Bespelled Castle or Castle of Wonders, and Burlough Castle is said to be the 'Home of the Fairies' (Fates). 
• Peredur takes sides and loses; he is rebuked by an 'ill-favoured maiden' after he throws the chessboard out of the window. The maiden tells him he can make good if he goes to a nearly wood and beheads the White Hart that frequents the wood. Peredur does so, but a mysterious knight seizes the head a carries it off. There is a small wood nearly in which stands a small church, Lullington Church, and near to the Long Man is Hunter's Burgh. There is also an area named Hindover Hill where stands the White Horse. 
• For losing the Hart's Head he is sent to a mound beneath which is carved the figure of a Man (the Long Man), where he recites a spell and a huge black man springs out of the mound ready to do battle. Peredur defeats him and the black man disappears into the mound. The mound is clearly the Windover Hill Long Barrow. We are not told so but this figure of a 'Dark God' may have been the wielder of a Club, since this is how the figure appears in similar legends. 

The chessboard is a board of 8 x 8 squares, half black and half white, thus 64 squares in total. In another Graal-Legend this is linked to the Grail-Hero Gawain and his 'Loathly Damsel'. It is also important that there are 16 chess-pieces on each side of this game. In another version it is Parsifal again who plays the game, loses three times and, in a rage, is about to throw the pieces 'into the water below' (Cuckmere River). He is restrained by a young woman wearing a red dress strewn with shining, twinkling stars, who claims the chessmen to be 'hers'. The same figures appears in Egil's Saga as a Red Queen, her name being Gunnhildr. Emma Jung tells how the Star Woman inherited the 'Fairy Morgana's Chessboard', the chess-game being the Conflict of Opposites (RAHwHAN). In one instance the Star-Woman is with a 'Hound' - the 'Hound' Sirius. 

Clearly, the huge 'Black Man' that comes out of the mound is the 'Dark Side' or 'Shadow-Side' of the Hero that has to be overcome in order to fulfil the quest. The Hero thus represents the 'Light-Side' of the Eternal Conflict between Light and Dark - thus the chess-game. Also of interest here is that during the same Mystical Experience of 1997 I was told in a dream that the Hale-Bopp Comet was 'Sent by Morgana', which again links this to the Graal-Mythos. Morgana is the Goddess of Fate - Wyrd. Here, it seems, Woden is the Great Initiator but it is Wyrd (Morgana) who oversees the result of the Initiation - or 'quest' in terms in terms of the Graal Mythos. The figures of Morgana seems to originate in The Morrigan of Irish Lore, who are associated with the Raven and to Fate, as the Waelcyrge are in English Lore. 

This association of the Long Man with the Graal-Mythos seems to add weight to the idea that I gave back in 1997 on the Long Man - Hunter's Burgh - Hale-Bopp Comet association, that this whole area was laid out as a 'Time-Clock' that was to be awakened at the 'End-Time'. This is the area in which I placed 8 'Millennium Ale' bottles in the shape of a Swastika back on August 10th 1999, and the next day did a rite at the Long Man aimed at the Resurrection of Ingwe as predicted by Nostradamus - at the Solar Eclipse of August 11th 1999. The next day was the Perseid Meteor Shower - Perseus being 'The Hero'. 

Although I have covered this before, many times in fact, this time I have placed more emphasis upon the link to the Graal-Mythos which takes this one step further. I shall now move on to some other important points in these ideas.

In the above, from the Horns of Gallehus, we find the figures of a Club-God (Woden) and an Axe-God (Thurnor). These are on the same horn as the 'Game-Board' shown on the bottom row and third from bottom row. On the same horn is a female figure holding a horn (second row) which is most likely a Waelcyrge. 

The hundred next to that of the Long Man is named Wandelmestreow (Wand-Helmes- Treow) - 'Tree of the Helmed Waendal'. In the above 'Ancient Arms of Wandel' we find the figure of 'The Joker' or 'Jester' holding a Club. Once again we can see links between the Long Man and the Herne Giant. It is interesting to note the ideas around Waendal - 

Orwandel = 'Arrow-Wandel'.

Garwandel = 'Spear-Wandel'. 

Orwandel is the Anglo-Saxon Earendel associated with the Morning and Evening Star. 'Arrow-Wandel' itself suggests a bowman - a Hunter-God. Here we link to Herne the Hunter in the Long Man (Hunter's Burgh) and the Herne Giant (Herne the Hunter, Orion the Hunter). Garwandel - Spear Wandel - may be a later image of what was originally the 'Club-Wandel', since the Club would have developed into the Spear. This whole theme is thus linked to The Hooded Man through the Myth of Hamlet - Amlodhi being the son of Orwandil. We are back to the 'April Fool', 'The Pure Fool', to Parsifal ('Pure Fool') and to the Graal-Quest. To add to this the Resurrection of Ingwe has been shown to link to the Long Man area and to the 'Black Sun' of 1999. Ingwe is linked to the Sacral king, to the 'Wounded King' (wounded in the thigh-groin) and thus to the Quest for the Graal - to heal the wounded king. Is the name Heil given to the Herne Giant thus a coincidence? Heil means 'heal' in one of its senses. 

The Horned God with the right-eye socket damaged seems to be Woden as the Great Initiator leading one of his Wolf-Warriors in a War-Dance. The 'Sole' (Sol) and 'Heel' (Heil) symbolism of the twin spears I have been into before. The figure is akin to both the Long Man (in particular because of the Twin-Spears) and the Herne Giant (stance is the same). The 'Jester-Like' figure (Ginn) wears the Solar-Horns and the Lunar-Horns (Balance of Light and Darkness). The upward-pointing and downward-pointing spears suggests the Fire-Serpent (Kundalini) that moves up and down the Spinal Column. 

The Finklesham Buckle shows a similar figure holding Twin-Spears, but this time both pointing upwards. The figure, as Hamasson once pointed out, is held within a Triangle (Northern Triangle within which is Cygnus the Swan). 

The same buckle from the rear, showing the Triangles and the Ing-Rune (Diamond) pattern. It is doubtful that the English Craftsmen failed to use symbolism throughout their work. This figure has the Solar-Horns but not the Lunar-Horns. The belt-buckle stands over the Hara-Centre as one of the Centres of Vril. We should also note that the belt is round with two ends that join together, suggesting a 'circuit' of some sort, just like an electrical circuit. Thus the 'Belt of Thunor' representing some form of electro-magnetic circuit and force. 

Another important point here, and that is the use of the name Ginnar as a by-name of Woden; this is related to Ginn and thus to the 'Divine Powers' and 'The Fool'. In the above ideas the Red Queen in Egil's Saga is named 'Gunnhildr', where 'hildr' is a 'Warrior-Maiden'. There are also similar-sounding names - Gunnar and Gunnlod - the latter being the Joten-Maiden, daughter of Sutting, whom Woden lay with for Three Nights in a Tantric Rite. I will suggest here that Ginn and Gunn are merely variations of the same thing, as we find in 'Ing' and 'Ung'. The Old Norse gin can mean the 'mouth of an animal', so the images that arise from the Jaws of the Fenris Wolf swallowing Woden have a far deeper symbolism than is usually thought. The Jaws of the Wolf must therefore represent The Void - Old Chaos - which 'swallows' the God Woden, who thus returns to the Source, arising anew as the 'Resurrected Woden' in the form of the Warrior-Hero - Wid-Ar the Avenger. 

The Saxon names for the Herne Giant - Heilith, Heil, Hele, and Helge - all relate to both 'Hel' and to 'Helgi' and also to the Haegl-Rune.