Green Man
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- For other uses, see Green Man (disambiguation).Missing image
Green_Man.jpg
The Green Man is a symbol of uncertain origin common in the British Isles.
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Depiction
Classic examples are most frequently found among the stonework in and on churches, though it is more likely pagan in nature. It depicts a man with foliage for hair, usually with either a leafy beard or with leaves growing out of his mouth and nose. A similar nature spirit is the wild man of the woods, the woodwose.
Possible References
Other possible references to him are Green George, Jack-in-the-Green, John Barleycorn and the Green Knight.
Incorporation into Neo-paganism
The image of the Green Man is popular with modern Wiccans and other Neopagans.
William Anderson's comments
- "...There are legends of him (Khidr) in which, like Osiris, he is dismembered and reborn; and prophecies connecting him, like the Green Man, with the end of time. His name means the Green One or Verdant One, he is the voice of inspiration to the aspirant and committed artist. He can come as a white light or the gleam on a blade of grass, but more often as an inner mood. The sign of his presence is the ability to work or experience with tireless enthusiasm beyond one's normal capacities. In this there may be a link across cultures,... one reason for the enthusiasm of the medieval sculptors for the Green Man may be that he was the source of inspiration." - William Anderson, "Green Man: The Archetype of our Oneness with the Earth"
Origins of the name Green Man
The name "Green Man" was a term coined by Lady Raglan in 1939. It appeared in her article The Green Man in Church Architecture, published in the Folklore Journal.
Other Forms of Portrayal
Although the Green Man appears in many forms, three are most common: the Foliate Head which is completely covered in leaves, the Disgorging Head which spews vegetation from its mouth and the "Bloodsucker Head" which spews vegetation from all facial orifices.
Possible Origins
Etymological research by the university of Wales into the meaning of the names of Celtic gods and goddesses shows that one Celtic god, Abellio has a name meaning 'Green-Growing One.' It has therefore been suggested by staff at the University of Wales that Abellio could be the original Green Man.
See also
- Green men of Birmingham
- Gargoyle
- Sheela Na Gig
- Hunky Punk
- Grotesque
- Clun
- Abellio (Celtic God)
External links
- The Breinton Morris - Who is the Green Man? (http://www.btinternet.com/~breinton.morris/WhoistheGreenMan.htm)
- Green Man on bosses at Canterbury Cathedral (http://www.canterburygreenman.fsnet.co.uk/)
- Mike Harding's Green Man Page (http://www.mikeharding.co.uk/)
- Avalonia's article on the Oak & Holly Kings (http://http://www.avalonia.co.uk/articles/holly%20king%20oak%20king.htm)