Church Green Man research

The inspiration behind the design for image 2 of the major project is the types of stone carvings of the Green Man, which are typically found in churches. These carvings began appearing in Roman times across Europe, with decorative leaves coming out of the mouth or nose on a male face (figure 1), which in some images appears like torture. Varner (2008, p.87) suggests that these church carvings “may have begun as representations of the pagan Bacchic cult and changed to a more demonic appearance in Christian churches.” Pagan representations of the Green Man see the figure as symbolising fertility and prosperity, as the abundance of leaves/foliage can be linked with an abundance of life and nature. However, the details of the stone carving can change what the Green Man represents. For example, according to Varner (2006, p.161) the use of acanthus leaves on the face as found in churches is associated with “sin and with the punishment of sin.”

References

Varner,G. (2006)The mystic forest, the Green man and the spirit of nature. [e-book] New York, Algora publishing. Available from: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=F9UW4IuM6HAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+green+man+symbolism&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5o8P_gO7sAhVtRhUIHRz7DRgQ6AEwAnoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=the%20green%20man%20symbolism&f=false [Accessed 4th 2021]

Varner,G. (2008) Gargoyles, Grotesques & Green Men. 2nd ed. [e-book] United States, Lulu press. Available from: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VYQIOw8HU0sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+green+man+symbolism&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5o8P_gO7sAhVtRhUIHRz7DRgQ6AEwAHoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=the%20green%20man%20symbolism&f=false. A [Accessed 4th June 2021]

Ramsay, A. (2016) [Online image]. Available from: https://www.newyorker.com/books/ page-turner/the-remarkable-persistence-of-the-green-man [Accessed 16 November 2020]

Figures

Figure 1: