The Green Man

The Green Man has adorned English churches for over 1000 years, but no-one has been able to say for sure what it is or anything about its origins. It has been connected with Christianity since the 6th century but the links between man and nature are more of a pagan concept. It is likely, then, that this figure or god was adopted by the early Christian Church as a Christian concept. It was perhaps adapted to represent the cycle of life from death which can be overcome by Faith in God and heaven. It has also been suggested that the Man is in fact Adam as seeds were placed in his mouth after his death, from which grew the burning bush that Moses spoke to.

There is another theory that the Green Man is a 'Jack-in-the-Green' which was a man inside a framework adorned with leaves. Jack-in-the-Green was assocaited with May Day celebrations and Morris dancing, so symbolises the beginning of Spring and the renewal of life. However, the Green Man is not only found in England, but figures have been found in cathedrals and fountains across in Europe, and even in cultures as far away as Nepal and the Ancient Egyptian god Osiris (god of the underworld) was coloured green. So the exact origins of this mysterious figure remains unknown, although several theories place him in the region of death leading to re-birth but the precise origins evade us...