So who is the Green Man

So who is the Green Man? We know that The Green Man is the symbol of nature's rebirth in the spring. He is the guardian of the forests, he is the protector of the wild places, and he is a positive masculine image of men as caretakers.

The Green Man is known by many names all over the world. His story is the oldest agricultural cycle. He is born in the spring, loves in the summer, is cut down at the Harvest, spends winter in the Underworld, and is reborn in the spring. The story is told in the tale of John Barleycorn, a well known English folksong, and the Green Man foliate face is also the Mask of Dionysus, used in Greek drama.."

His appearance varies somewhat, but the theme is always the same - an ample beard and hair of foliage surrounding an ancient visage, in many cases almost obscuring the face altogether. Occasionally he boasts antlers, as those of a deer, and sometimes leaves and tendrils from his mouth. Here is the first clue as to his origin and nature. He is a being associated with growth, and death and rebirth. The antlers also bear testimony to a connection with Herne the Hunter, recorded in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor.

Hern the Hunter and Cernunnos are both symbolised by a stag and is sometimes associated with the gods of the Underworld, also the Druid's Horned God of Fertility, Hu Gadarn, who was usually portrayed with the head of a stag. His Celtic name is unknown, although he may be associated with Derg Corra, the early Celtic "Man in the Tree." Cernunnos is a Roman name meaning "horned one." Roman invaders associated Cernunnos with the god Mercury. He is later associated with "Herne the hunter," of European legend, and his appearance was eventually adapted as the Christian Devil's.

Among the Celts, the stag was thought to be one of the three Oldest Animals. They are the Blackbird, trout and Stag, and they represent the water, air and earth. A stag, always accompanies the Man in the Tree or Derg Corra. He is the Celtic guardian of knowledge. In particular, the Celtic hunters had a fondness for the stag. Additionally, the Stag God, is sometimes referred to in Celtic mythology as the Lord of All Stags. The stag is believed to represent those qualities of masculinity, which the Celtic hunters thought most important to achieving success. These qualities, such as, the vigilance, alertness, aggression and potency one sees during the rutting season, served to make the stag a symbol of reverence for hunters.

Cernunnos is the mysterious horned deity worshipped by Iron Age Celts across Europe until the end of the first century. Very little is known about Cernunnos except his name and his image, which appears on numerous stone carvings and other artefacts throughout Europe. He appears crowned with stag's antlers, is often seated in a meditative position, and is almost always depicted with images of wild animals.

The Oak King and the Holly King are part of Celtic mythology, and are often seen as aspects of the Green Man. They are usually considered "twin gods," or sometimes two aspects or manifestations of the same god, often the Horned God. The Oak King rules the Summer (and is sometimes called the "Summer King") and the Holly King rules the Winter (and is thus called the "Winter King").