Green Men @ Ancient Wisdom - Wholesale Gifts

Out of Stock

‘The Green Man’ is a medieval image usually found in churches. Carved in stone or wood he can be recognised as a face, often grotesque, with foliage sprouting from his mouth, nose, eyes or ears. Alternatively, he may be a face composed entirely of leaves.

The earliest known examples are in the art of Classical Rome, from where the idea seems to have moved northwards, to be adopted by Christianity and spread far and wide along the pilgrimage routes. The Green Man vanished with the ‘Old Faith’ after the Reformation. In the seventeenth century he made a reappearance on memorials and gravestones, and for the Victorians, he played a major role in their church restorations and as a decorative motif on street architecture.

Little is known of the origins of the Green Man, who he is meant to be, what he is meant to be, etc. The lack of substantial evidence leaves him open to individual interpretation. This unknown quality makes the character quite exciting!