Green Men

The term "Green Man" was coined by Julia, Lady Raglan in the mid-1800s during the folklore craze in England. Lady Julia and her contemporaries, amateur folklorists, had noticed (or been told about) a number of these seemingly Pagan foliage-faced figures carved in churches, pubs, and government buildings throughout the British Isles.

Since so many of these appear on the walls or columns of Catholic churches, people question whether or not they are genuinely Pagan. A Green Man could be a proscription against nature worship, or he could have been created by a sneaky Pagan artisan, who crafted the image so that indigenous Britons could still honor their deities while forced to attend Christian services. Or, he could just be a charming mascot. 

Some Green Men look tortured, spitting foliage and seeming aggrieved. Others look quite happy. Could they be giving homage to Amaethon / Graine / Bran, or a similar Celtic God of Nature?

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