Green Man

From Freepedia

This article is in need of attention.
You can help Wikipedia by editing it into a better article.
Please also consider changing this notice to be more specific.
For other uses, see Green Man (disambiguation).
Image:Green Man.jpg

The Green Man is a symbol of uncertain origin common in the British Isles.

Contents

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.

If such a symbol had been seen on a church by any member of the preisthood, it would not have remained. As such, the Green Man carvings are found on the roofs of churches. There, carvers could not be seen by any Ecclesiastics walking by, and as such could carve whatever they liked. This shows the vitality of The Green Man as a symbol of pre-Christian traditions despite, and at the same time complementary to, the influence of Christianity in England.

Possible references

Other possible references to him are Cernunnos, Green George, Jack-in-the-Green, John Barleycorn, Puck and the Green Knight: it has also been suggested that the story of Robin Hood was at least partly borne of the Green Man mythology as well. A more modern embodiment might be found in Peter Pan; he enters the civilized world from a netherland, kitted out not only in green but leaves as well.

The Green Knight of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a later adaptation of earlier representations such as Jack in the Green. In the poem he serves as both monster and mentor to Gawain, belonging to a pre-Christian world which seems antagonistic but is in the end harmonious with the Christian one. Sir Gawain himself is also a reference to the Green Man, as he is related to an older, traditional Gawain who is very much a Pagan figure, a bringer of spring and rebirth, and also the healer of the king.

Neo-paganism

The image of the Green Man is popular with modern Wiccans and other Neopagans because it depicts an earth-centered concept of male divinity.

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 deity, Viridios, has a name meaning 'Green Man' in both Celtic and Latin, the languages being related.

See also

Abellio (Celtic God), Al-Khidr (Islamic figure), Clun, Gargoyle, Green men of Birmingham, Grotesque, Hunky Punk, Jack in the green, Sheela Na Gig, woodwose

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Green_Man.html"


Views
Personal tools
Similar Links