The Green Man -- The Black Watch

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Date Posted: 23:22:30 10/21/01 Sun
Author: Nancy
Author Host/IP: spider-tj072.proxy.aol.com / 152.163.213.207
Subject: The Green Man

The Green Man, Jack-in-the-Green, The Oak King, is one of the more complex images of Celtic mythology, transcending all other Celtic Gods.

Christianity eventually changed him into the Horned God of the Forests, and then finally into their devil. You can even find his image on a can of veggies - yes, the good ole Jolly Green Giant a registered trademark. He goes back to the willing king/god sacrifice that seems to be the corner stone of nearly all religions. Folk swore they saw him in the summer foliage, and the churches warned that he cavorted with witches 'neath the light of a full moons. One tends to wonder, if he were so feared by the newcomer Christians, why then is his image found carved in so many of the early kirks?

Even down in to Landbeach, 4 miles NNE of Cambridge, where the beams were found to contain pagan carvings, a green man and had a desiccated heart under one of the pillars in the aisle. In Derbyshire at Melbourne a Green Man in carved upon the capital, and at Crowscombe in Somerset (above) a much later bench-end clearly shows the Green Man with a cap of leaves and wines coming from his mouth.

The Green Man is archetypically the male fertility symbol and symbol of the waxing God/sacrifice. At Beltaine the Holly King and the Oak King battle for rulership of the lands, and the Oak King banishes him until Samhaine, when they once battle again and the Oak King is banished. The Story of the Green Knight and Sir Gawain is likely based upon this ancient ritual.�

Nancy :)

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