So Who is the Green Man
Placing his origin in time is as difficult as placing him in location. Certainly, there are depictions of similar creatures throughout history, going back some four thousand years to Babylon, where one Avator of the god Tammuz bears more than a passing resemblance to the Green Man of the Celts. Ancient Greek and Roman mythology also showed some of their gods in similar form, Dionysos/Bacchus often depicted with leaves instead of hair. In Celtic Mythology, the god Cernunnos has been illustrated with horns and leafy hair and beard. It is more than likely that the Celts have influenced the British Green Man, as they associated their gods with the land, as well as the flora and fauna dependent on it.
The depiction in churches is more difficult to explain. Mike Harding, the English folk singer and comedian, has identified over 1000 churches with carvings of the Green Man. He has offered one explanation, that despite the buildings being erected to the glory of the Christian god, the builders also wished to propitiate the native gods. Others feel that they were included only as elements of folk decoration. Whatever the truth, they may be found in many mediaeval structures.
"His roots may go back to the shadow hunters who painted the caves of Lascaux and Altimira... through Robin Hood and Morris Dances... and Gawain and the Green Knight... but one common theme runs through all, death and rebirth and the Green that is all life." - Mike Harding
A great number of the images and practices of the modern church have a Pagan origin. Yew trees and Holy Water, candles and bells are all of Pagan origin while the dates of most of the major religious festivals are either on or close to Pagan feasts or major calendar events. Also, the fact that many of the oldest churches are on Pagan sites (some even within stone circles) and that saints like Brigid or Bride are Christian versions of the Pagan Goddess Brid, all indicate a stronger Pagan influence on Christianity than the Church has cared to admit.
The Green Man therefore may be just another example of a Pagan image brought into the Church to be made safe. As to the Green Lady, well there is good reason to believe that the cult of the Virgin Mary which was suppressed with such vigour by the Reformation and by the Puritans was related to the worship of the Green Man's female counterpart. One of the Green Man's manifestations was as Robin Hood, the Lord of the Merry Greenwood. This Robin Hood had nothing to do with the bows and arrows and Sheriff of Nottingham stories. He was an older and more powerful figure and the Robin of Loxley figure was grafted on much later. Robin Hood was a lord of Misrule as well as the King of the Wood. His lady was Maid Marion and thus the Merry Greenwood and Merry Men thus become Mary's Greenwood and Mary's Men and the Morris Dancers who danced on May Day got their name not from the Moors or Morriscoes but from Mary - they were Mary's dancers and their dances when they leap into the air are a symbol of Life triumphing over death.
