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The Green Man |
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The Llandaff Green Man's Song. By Lisbeth David. Clarke he carved me, Pritchard placed me; All the time, alert and knowing, |
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The Green Man of Worcester Cathedral Cloisters. |
Medieval Jesse Carol (Unknown author) Jesse was a Green man From him King David sprung. Jesse grew a heart-tree Upon which Jesus hung.
Never any Green Man But Jesse at the root Planted such a man-seed That cropped out such a fruit |
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On Jesse's Green Man tree Sweet Mary was the pod, For us the fruit is joy, And all the work of God
So blessing on this day, And blessing on this tree, And may God bless of all Our brave Green Man Jesse. |
The second Green Man of Worcester Cathedral Cloisters. |
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The other Green man at Woodchester Park Mansion. |
Excerpt
from a tale by Christopher Jersan Reproduced with his kind permission ......When the Green Man spoke, it seemed as if the whole world spoke with him. Beneath his words, you might swear you heard the dry whispers of tall, rustling grasses, or perhaps the curious watery plopping noises of a young, swift creek lapping its shores, or sometimes the quiet rumble of early thunder in a developing storm. Even the very stones in the Cathedral walls seemed to echo what he said. His voice was quietly strong, like the sound of trees swaying in a Spring breeze—a sound that often can go undetected in the background, until you consciously take a moment to notice it; and when you do, you discover that it is surprisingly powerful. |
| The Green Man was very old. Most of the people in the neighbourhood said that he was the oldest resident by far, although nobody could tell you just how old he was, or when he had moved into the Cathedral. Some people said that he hadn’t moved into the Cathedral at all, but had lived on the site now occupied by the Cathedral well before it had been built. According to those people, the Green Man hadn’t chosen to live in the Cathedral; the builders of the Cathedral, rather, had chosen to build the Cathedral in the Green Man’s home. This type of thinking was far too serious for most of the neighbourhood’s residents, however, so most of them agreed that the Green Man was pretty much older than everyone they knew, and they were content to leave it at that. |
The Green Man of Gloucester Cathedral. |
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The Green Lion of Canterbury Cathedral. |
Nobody was quite sure about who or what the Green Man was, either. Enveloped as he was in twisting branches and foliage, it was exceptionally difficult to get a good look at him, no matter how hard you tried. It was as if he always was slightly out of focus, and if you attempted to visually wrestle his image into focus, he only would seem to withdraw further into the surrounding greenery. Some said that long ago he had taken on his current appearance, wrapping himself in leaves and branches of acanthus and oak, out of respect for the age-old, life-giving forces of nature. Others, usually the more simple folk like the farmers, said in quiet, solemn tones that the Green Man was, in fact, the age-old, life-giving forces of nature ...... |
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Green Man by J.E.Appledam Green Man with his human face
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A Green Man in rustic retirement! (See No. 94). |
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Green Man: The Archetype of our Oneness with the Earth. Authors:
William Anderson and Clive Hicks. Published by Harper Collins. 1990.
ISBN 0-00-599255-9 (pbk), 0-00-599252-4 (cased).
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| To see our Green Men miniatures, please click on the links to our online shop, below: | ||
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| The finest range of truly authentic miniature Green Men handmade, to museum quality, by Herefordshire stonemasons Martin Webb and Oliver Webb. |