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Revision as of 11:47, 30 March 2007 editB9 hummingbird hovering (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users19,963 editsm Green Men outside Europe: In Sanskrit the Green Man is cognate with Kirtimukha or "The Face of Glory" which is related to a lila of Shiva and Rahu. The Face of Glory is ofte← Previous edit Revision as of 13:42, 30 March 2007 edit undoB9 hummingbird hovering (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users19,963 editsm Green Men outside Europe: added ganaNext edit →
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In ''A Little Book of The Green Man'' (and on his website ) ] gives some examples of similar figures in ], ] and ]: the earliest is a foliate head from an ] ] ] in ]. He also notes that heads from ] and ] can be dated to the ] and that there are early Romanesque foliate heads in ] ] churches in ]. He tentatively suggests that the symbol may have originated in ] and been brought to ] by travelling stonecarvers. In ''A Little Book of The Green Man'' (and on his website ) ] gives some examples of similar figures in ], ] and ]: the earliest is a foliate head from an ] ] ] in ]. He also notes that heads from ] and ] can be dated to the ] and that there are early Romanesque foliate heads in ] ] churches in ]. He tentatively suggests that the symbol may have originated in ] and been brought to ] by travelling stonecarvers.


In Sanskrit the Green Man is cognate with ] or "The ]" which is related to a ] of ] and ]. The Face of Glory is often seen in ] Buddhist ] Art and ] where it is often encorporated as a cloudform ]; and depicted crowning the 'Wheel of Becoming' or the ]. In Sanskrit the Green Man is cognate with the ] ] or "The ]" which is related to a ] of ] and ]. The Face of Glory is often seen in ] Buddhist ] Art and ] where it is often encorporated as a cloudform ]; and depicted crowning the 'Wheel of Becoming' or the ].


==Trivia== ==Trivia==

Revision as of 13:42, 30 March 2007

For other uses, see Green Man (disambiguation).
A modern interpretation of the Green Man as a garden ornament carved in stone

A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face, and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found on carvings in churches and other buildings (both secular and ecclesiastical). "The Green Man" is also a popular name for British public houses and various interpretations of the name appear on inn signs, which sometimes show a full figure rather than just the head.

The Green Man motif has many different faces and variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or "renaissance", representing the cycle of growth being reborn anew each spring. Some speculate that the mythology of the Green Man developed independently in the traditions of separate ancient cultures and evolved into the wide variety of examples found throughout history.


Types of Green Man

A medieval Green Man on the capital of a column in an English church
Green Man, detail of a medieval misericord in Ludlow parish church

Usually referred to in works on architecture as foliate heads or foliate masks, carvings of the Green Man may take many forms, naturalistic or decorative. The simplest depict a man's face peering out of dense foliage. Some may have leaves for hair, perhaps with a leafy beard. Often leaves or leafy shoots are shown growing leaves from his open mouth and sometimes even from the nose and eyes as well. In the most abstract examples, the carving at first glance appears to be merely stylised foliage, with the facial element only becoming apparent on closer examination. The face is almost always male; green women are rare. Green cats, lions and demons are also found. On gravestones and other memorials, human skulls are sometimes shown sprouting grape vines or other vegetation, presumably as a symbol of resurrection (see Shebbear, England).

Although the Green Man appears in many forms, the three most common types have been categorized as follows:

  • the Foliate Head — completely covered in leaves
  • the Disgorging Head — spews vegetation from its mouth
  • the Bloodsucker Head — sprouts vegetation from all facial orifices.

The term "Green Man" was coined by Lady Raglan in 1939. It appeared in her article The Green Man in Church Architecture, published in The Folklore Journal. The figure is also often referred to (perhaps erroneously) as "Jack-in-the-Green" or "Jack o' the Green".

Green Men in churches

This stone carving of a Green Man ("disgorging" type) from Dore Abbey, Herefordshire, England, retains some of its original colouring

Superficially the Green Man would appear to be pagan, perhaps a fertility figure or a nature spirit, similar to the woodwose (the wild man of the woods), and yet he frequently appears, carved in wood or stone, in churches, chapels, abbeys and cathedrals, where examples can be found dating from the 11th century through to the 20th century.

To the modern observer the earlier (Romanesque and medieval) carvings often have an unnervingly eerie or numinous quality. This is sometimes said to indicate the vitality of the Green Man, who was able to survive as a symbol of pre-Christian traditions despite, and at the same time complementary to, the influence of Christianity. (Rather than alienate their new converts, early Christian missionaries would often adopt and adapt local gods, sometimes turning them into obscure saints.)

Whatever his original significance may have been, many modern churchgoers characterise the Green Man as "the archetype of our oneness with the earth".

Later variations on the Green Man theme

This wood carving of a Green Man ("foliate head" type) is on the 17th century Renaissance screen at Dore Abbey, Herefordshire, England
Illustration of the sign which used to hang outside a public house in Covent Garden, London, in the 1970s
Door bell found on the island of Murano, Italy

From the Renaissance onwards, elaborate variations on the Green Man theme, often with animal heads rather than human faces, appear in many media other than carvings (including manuscripts, metalwork, bookplates, and stained glass), but by that time they seem to have been used for purely decorative effect rather than reflecting any deeply-held belief.

In Britain, the image of the Green Man enjoyed a revival in the 19th century, becoming popular with architects during the Gothic revival and the "Arts and Crafts" era, when it appeared as a decorative motif in and on many buildings, both religious and secular. American architects took up the motif around the same time. The Green Man travelled with the Europeans as they colonized the world. Many variations can be found in Victorian-style Neo gothic architecture. He was very popular amongst Australian stonemasons and can be found on many secular and sacred buildings.

Related characters

Parallels have been drawn between the Green Man and various deities. In Thomas Nashe's masque Summer's Last Will and Testament (1592, printed 1600), the character commenting upon the action remarks, after the exit of "Satyrs and wood-Nymphs", "The rest of the green men have reasonable voices..." Mythical figures such as Cernunnos, Sylvanus, Derg Corra, Green George, Jack in the green, John Barleycorn, Robin Goodfellow, Puck and the Green Knight all partake of the Green Man's nature; it has also been suggested that the story of Robin Hood was at least partly born of the Green Man mythology. A more modern embodiment might be found in Peter Pan, who enters the civilized world from a nether land, not only clothed in green but wearing leaves as well. Even Father Christmas, who was often shown wreathed in ivy in early depictions, has been suggested as a similar woodland spirit.

The Green Knight of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight serves as both monster and mentor to Gawain, belonging to a pre-Christian world which seems antagonistic to but is in the end harmonious with the Christian one.

Etymological research by the University of Wales into the meaning of the names of Celtic gods and goddesses shows that one Celtic deity, Viridios, has a name meaning "Green Man" in both Celtic and Latin, which are related languages.

Tom Cheetham identifies Khidr of esoteric Sufism with the Green Man. In his book about the work of Henry Corbin and others concerning the 12th-century Muslim saint Ibn Arabi, he develops the idea of the Green Man/Khidr as the principle mediating between the imaginal realm and the physical world.

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"

Green Men outside Europe

In A Little Book of The Green Man (and on his website ) Mike Harding gives some examples of similar figures in Borneo, Nepal and India: the earliest is a foliate head from an 8th century Jain temple in Rajasthan. He also notes that heads from Lebanon and Iraq can be dated to the 2nd century and that there are early Romanesque foliate heads in 11th century Templar churches in Jerusalem. He tentatively suggests that the symbol may have originated in Asia Minor and been brought to Europe by travelling stonecarvers.

In Sanskrit the Green Man is cognate with the gana Kirtimukha or "The Face of Glory" which is related to a lila of Shiva and Rahu. The Face of Glory is often seen in Vajrayana Buddhist Thanka Art and iconography where it is often encorporated as a cloudform simulacrum; and depicted crowning the 'Wheel of Becoming' or the Bhavachakra.

Trivia

On the recording Apple Venus Volume 1 by English band XTC, the 6th song is titled "Green Man". The fifth track of Type O Negative's October Rust album is also titled "Green Man".

See also

Further reading

  • Amis, Kingsley The Green Man, Vintage, London (2004) ISBN 0-09-946107-2 (Novel)
  • Anderson, William Green Man: The Archetype of our Oneness with the Earth, Harper Collins (1990) ISBN 0-00-599252-4
  • Basford, Kathleen The Green Man, D.S. Brewer (2004) ISBN 0-85991-497-6 (The first monograph on the subject, now reprinted in paperback)
  • Cheetham, Tom Green Man, Earth Angel: The Prophetic Tradition and the Battle for the Soul of the World , SUNY Press 2004 ISBN 0-7914-6270-6
  • Doel, Fran and Doel, Geoff The Green Man in Britain, Tempus Publishing Ltd (May 2001) ISBN 0-7524-1916-1
  • Harding, Mike A Little Book of the Green Man, Aurium Press, London (1998) ISBN 1-85410-563-9
  • Hicks, Clive The Green Man: A Field Guide, Compass Books (August 2000) ISBN 0-9517038-2-X
  • MacDermott, Mercia Explore Green Men, Explore Books, Heart of Albion Press (September 2003) ISBN 1-872883-66-4
  • Matthews, John The Quest for the Green Man, Godsfield Press Ltd (May 2004) ISBN 1-84181-232-3
  • Neasham, Mary The Spirit of the Green Man, Green Magic (December 2003) ISBN 0-9542963-7-0
  • Varner, Gary R The Mythic Forest, the Green Man and the Spirit of Nature, Algora Publishing (March 4th 2006) ISBN 0-87586-434-1

External links

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