365
Days in Horse Country – The White Horse of Uffington
Around 3,000
years ago, the figure of a white horse was carved into a chalk hillside in the
British parish of Uffington, in the south of England, west of London. This simple yet stylized horse, white against
the dark background, is visible from nearby high hillsides and from the
air. It is also a subject of controversy
today.
Although local residents maintain the figure is actually a dragon killed by St. George, a legend that pre-dates Christianity, the 374 foot long (114m) figure has been referred to as a horse from at least the eleventh century.
A similar figure appears on the pre-Roman British coinage of 1000 BC. So experts believe the figure represents a local horse goddess, worshipped only in this region.
For centuries, the white horse was ritually scoured every seven years as part of a festival that included games, traditional cheese rolling, and wrestling. The celebration fell into obscurity 100 years ago, and the horse is now maintained by members of the English Heritage, an organization that safeguards historic English landmarks.
Michael