The White Horse of Uffington
The village of Uffington lies at the foot of the Berkshire Downs. High under the gaze of the Uffington White Horse, a pre-historic hill figure carved into the hill above. Created some time between 1400 and 600 BCE, during the late Bronze, or early Iron, Age, it is the oldest dated chalk figure in England. Legend says that the Horse travels down the valley once a year to the area known as the Manger, to graze, returning to its place before daybreak. Nearby Dragon Hill is, according to legend, the site where Saint George fought and slew the dragon.The white mark found on the top of the hill is said to be where the dragon’s poisonous blood seeped into the soil, preventing the grass from growing to this day.
In Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1977 book, ‘Sun Horse, Moon Horse’, she seeks to imagine the horse’s origin. Lubrin Dhu, a chief's third son, agrees to create a horse on the hillside in an attempt to save his people from an invading tribe. Having struck the bargain with the new chief, Lubrin creates a horse worth dying for as his ritualised death forms part of the contract.
One long, lovely, unbroken line swept the whole length of arched neck and back and streaming tail, more than a hundred and twenty strides from pricked ears to tail-tip; yet, at its broadest place, the light belly was little more than four strides across. the head had something of a falcon’s looks about it; the two farthest legs did not join the body at all. None of that mattered. He was not making the outward seeming up there among the drifting cloud-shadows and the lark song. He was making the power and the beauty and the potency of a horse, of Epona herself, through his conquerors would never know it.
James Carter’s poem, ‘Up Uffington Hill’, focuses on the regular re-chalking of the horse to preserve it for future generations. It’s a lovely poem which can be found in ‘Gods and Monsters: Mythological Poems’, compiled by Ana Sampson and illustrated by Chris Riddell.
Although best viewed from above- or at least from a distance, the walk up to the horse either from Uffington village or from the visitors’ car park, is well worth the effort as the views are wonderful on a clear day.