Mystery totem pole appears from nowhere on clifftop overnight
Speculation rife after 8ft-sculpture, inscribed with name of Baltic God Perkunas, appears on clifftop
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A coastal town has been left baffled after a mysterious totem pole appeared on a clifftop overnight, sparking wild speculations over how it got there.
The 8ft-sculpture, inscribed with the name of the Baltic god of thunder Perkunas, appeared on the clifftops on the Capel-Le-Ferne nature reserve in Kent.
Speculation has been rife over the totem since it appeared, with theories online ranging from aliens to art pranksters, with one person suggesting it is a “camo phone mast”.
Kent Wildlife Trust is seeking retrospective planning permission to allow “Perkunas the Pole” to stay on the cliff permanently after it appeared on the 27 July and has appealed for the artist to come forward.
A spokesman for the trust said: “The local council has given us eight weeks to submit planning permission and it would be great to track down the person behind Perkūnas to get a bit more detail so we can keep it.”
It added on Twitter: “It is not quite a Banksy, but perhaps the totem pole artist equivalent?”
The god of lightning, thunder and storms, Perkunas was considered the second most important deity in the Baltic pantheon, with both Lithuanian and Latvian mythology further documenting him as the god of war, law, order, fertility, mountains and oak trees.
The Capel-Le-Ferne nature reserve was acquired by Kent Wildlife Trust to protect a section of the famous White Cliffs of Dover, used as nesting points by seabirds and populated by peregrine falcons.
Kent Wildlife Trust’s area manager Ian Rickards said: “The artist behind this would have spent hours painstakingly carving out the details and we are keen to keep it on our reserve.
“The artwork seems to be a hit with the walkers who have taken selfies and congratulated us on the installation, but we had no idea how it came to be there.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments