It's not because he carries two sticks to strike with. It's because he's strikingly unexpected. He nestles on a green hill in English countryside. At an angle of 40 degrees, he's easily seen from roads. It's a wonder there aren't more crashes, with cars striking each other.
The Long Man is an eclectic site. You can witness dramatic Druids' meetings, neo-pagan rituals, and, on May 1st, Morris Men dancing. Groups wear stunning traditional, ancient dress. Ideal for tourists. :-)
No-one really knows when or why The Long Man was made. Guesses range from 500 years old, to 5,500 years - and are mystical and weird, just like this blog. :-0
* Tira Brandon-Evans believes it's a shaman or druid connected to Celtic divination.
* Professor John North believes in 3480 BC it marked the constellation Orion, so helped a Neolithic astral religion.
Strange things have happened.
* In 1710, John Rowley drew him holding two staffs, with his head as a helmet shape.
* In 1766, William Burrell drew him holding a rake and a scythe.
* During World War 2 it was painted green so German aircraft couldn't use it as a landmark.
* In 2007, 100 women dressed in white laid within the body to give him pigtails, breasts and hips.
* In 2012, a giant phallus was painted on the Long Man, perhaps to strike against the 2007 women.
Whatever you think, it's certainly mystical, and holy and sacred to many. And well worth the walk if you're ever in the English county of Sussex.