Thursday, 13 July 2006
The Green Man
I decided to do some more research on Devon's history and folklore today. I thought I would start by researching the Green Man, a popular face in many churches in the county - and, indeed, throughout the country!
However, this has been a hard task. There are no written records of its origins. Many scholars have researched, and are still researching, in great depths the origins of the Green Man (a name first used in 1939 by Lady Raglan, a noblewoman and scholar of folklore), and they seem unable to agree on where he originally came from and why his face adorns churches. For the most part, however, he is seen as a Pagan symbol associated with nature, spring and the renewal of life (although there are those who argue that there is no proof of this anywhere).
The Green Man can be found in both Celtic and Roman folklore (among others), but he is not restricted to Western culture. Similar style heads can be found in Borneo, Nepal, India, Lebanon, Iraq and Jerusalem. It is interesting to note that the earliest example of a "foliate head" in India is from an 8th century Jain temple. Whatever his origins, he does appear to be tied to several religions.
It has been suggested that the Green Man seen in churches is actually St George, or, more accurately, that St George was created from the Pagan origin of the Green Man, and that is why the face is present in so many churches. Apparently the Greek form Georgius means a ploughman, and the idea does seem to tie in with that saint's day being in Spring.
However, it has also been theorised that the medieval Church may have used the Green Man's image as a warning, due to his Pagan roots. His foliage sometimes apparently resembles leaves in Autumn rather than in Spring, which indicates that Winter (death) is on its way. People may have viewed this image as sinful, perhaps even a demon, reminding worshippers where they might end up if they did not observe the rules of the Church.
Whichever, if either, of these is true, it seems unlikely that we will ever know conclusively the origins of the Green Man in churches around the country. This need not stop those interested in researching the topic further for themselves. I hope the links at the bottom of this post will be helpful to you, if you wish to do so!
There are some reading this who may be thinking now "but you said you would tell us the folklore of Devon and the Green Man is not specific to Devon!" And you would be right, he is not. But he is quite popular down here, as this page of photos of the Green Man in Devon proves.
Why, he even has his own festival in Devon! I know that this is not unique, there being Green Man festivals in Shropshire, Brecon Beacons, and even Minnesota, USA! But they're not in Devon, so I won' talk about them. :P
The Pilton Green Man Festival, apparently in its 22nd year (don't quote me on that), is full of medieval fun, promises to be "greener than ever" and is this Saturday! There will be a parade, juggling workshops, music, storytelling, craft demonstrations, a flower festival and an ale festival! And, of course, the main event will be the "symbolic confrontation of the Green Man and the Prior of Pilton." Exciting!
For more news on what to expect, here are articles from the North Devon Gazette and the North Devon Journal.
That's my weekend sorted! For those too far away but still interested in the Green Man, here are those links I promised:
You will find information and useful links on Wikipedia's Green Man article, as well as at Myth*ing Links Green Man pages (beware of the annoying music!). There is also an article called The Green Man, Variations on A Theme, and another one titled St. George: Christian Dragon Slayer or Pagan Green Man?. If that's not enough info, why not google for "Green Man"? Have fun!
