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| Giant Bolster: "Grrr!" |
Long ago, perhaps
during King Arthur’s reign, giant Cormoran lived deep in West Penwith with his
wife Cornelian. The two made their home off
the coastline, quarrying granite to form St Michael’s Mount, but Cormoran was idle
and short-tempered; put-on Cornelian did most of the work. Her husband spent his time oppressing local
villages, stealing the best sheep and pigs to eat and dangling them from his
belt. Cormoran was ugly, his face set in
a great scowl; he stood 20 feet tall with a huge bulging chest and matching
waistline.
Many tried
to slay the cruel giant but to no avail; the Cornish folk despaired. Finally though, a farmer’s boy named Jack
outwitted him. One night as Cormoran
slept, Jack dug a great hole nearby which he covered with furze. In the early morning he blew his horn; disturbed
from slumber, the angry monster raged after him.
But Jack was
standing on the far side of his pit and the giant tumbled in, defenceless. The boy killed Cormoran with a single ringing
blow from his pick-axe and the grateful villagers rewarded him with a fine
sword; he became known as Jack the Giant-Killer. The victor went travelling; he felled several
other giants, and today we remember him through the tale of Jack and the
Beanstalk.
Giants
adored big rocks and stones, using them as furniture, missiles and to play
their games of quoits. They’re also said
to have helped form the Cheesewring, the extraordinary granite formation near
Minions on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Led
by chief Uther, the local giants were infuriated when a group of Saints arrived
in the area. The new residents were
popular with people living nearby, receiving tithes formerly stolen by the
bullying monsters.
To settle
on who’d stay, Uther and holy man Saint Tue held a rock-throwing contest,
pitching in turn. The idea was to toss
each great boulder atop the previous until a tower was formed. With some divine help Saint Tue beat the
giant, whose final throw fell short of the mark. Uther promised to give up his delinquent lifestyle;
he and his cronies melted into the hills.
But the huge rockpile is still there.
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| Holiburn: "Er, hello?" |
Not all
giants displayed such behavioural problems.
Holiburn, the kindly giant of Carn Galva, protected the villagers of
nearby Zennor and Morvah from attacks by others of his race. His fees were modest; the occasional sheep or
goat to rend and crunch. The giant built
himself a huge logan stone, on which he’d spend the evenings swaying gently
back and forth. But sadly during a bout
of horseplay, with a good-natured but careless tap on the head Holiburn killed
one of his human friends; he was so mortified, he died of a broken heart.
Other giants roamed the great stones. Cormoran’s
neighbour, the giant of Trecrobben near St Michael’s Mount, built a rocky
castle there for himself and his friends. Deep in Penwith, at Treen’s ancient Treryn Dinas cliff fort near
Porthcurno lived deaf-and-dumb giant Dan Dynas, and his wife An’ (aunt) Venna. A good couple, they offered local people
protection within during times of conflict.
Today the best-known
of Cornwall’s giants is Bolster. Living high
on the Beacon hill outside St Agnes, Bolster was dastardly; as well as animals he’d
gobble up children, and ill-treated his wife until she became worn-down with overwork. Bolster’s eye began to wander and ignoring
his marital status, he proposed to a local maid named Agnes.
Horrified,
Agnes wracked her brains for a way to be rid of him; she set Bolster a long series
of tasks to prove his ardour. The
love-struck monster engaged in battles, feats of strength, races, but finally
his patience ended; he insisted on one final endeavour after which Agnes would
become his wife.
By then
though, Agnes had a plan. She took
Bolster up to the cliffs at nearby Chapel Porth, and showed him a small hole in
the rock. As a final token of his love, Agnes
asked the giant to make a cut in his wrist and fill the hole with blood. Bolster obeyed, believing this to be the
simplest task of all.
But Agnes
knew the hole was bottomless; it ran through the rock, down to the sea. Hour after hour the hole remained unfilled,
as slowly Bolster’s blood drained away. Finally, with a great sigh the monster expired. On the Beacon the villagers partied and their
heroine became canonized as St Agnes; Chapel Porth’s cliffs still bear blood-red
stains.
Now, each
year the oppressor’s final downfall is celebrated by the St Agnes Bolster Festival. The event takes place over the first weekend
of May and includes live music, a lantern procession, bonfire and
barbeque. The highlight is a grand parade, its star a colossal effigy of the wicked giant. Surrounded by his helpers, mighty Bolster struts the length of the village
accompanied by the Bolster Drummers, Mr Mayor, brave knight Sir Constantine and
unfortunate Mrs Bolster.
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| "Hi, fans!" |
Bill
English runs the 17th century St Agnes Hotel with wife Diane; he enjoys the
weekend. “It’s a really great occasion
for the whole village. Everyone gets
together and people of all ages come in from miles around to see Bolster. He’s been going for about 20 years now, and
his reputation’s spread far and wide.
Bolster’s a villain but everyone loves him, though some of the kids are
a little wary at first; he’s well over 20 feet high!”
This year’s
Bolster parade begins at 12.00 noon on Sunday May 5th. Later that afternoon the challengers will gather at
Chapel Porth, to challenge their foe in a do-or-die confrontation. Before thousands of spellbound onlookers, as the drums beat ever louder Bolster will appear on the horizon; against a
backdrop of towering cliffs and blue twinkly sea, the final battle unfolds.
To find out
more about the whole weekend’s events at the St Agnes Bolster Festival, check
out:
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