Green Man. Who is he?

He can be found in churches, chapels and cathedrals all across Europe. He dances in May Day processions in Britain. He appears on temple walls in India and in churches in Borneo. He is the dimly remembered symbol of an ancient spirit of Nature, recognized and revered by many civilizations and adopted by many religions. This elemental pagan image peers at us from the roof bosses and columns of hundreds of our oldest churches and from the T-shirts, a witness to the changes of centuries, yet as unchanging as the very earth from which he springs. The image of a male face not just surrounded by green foliage, often displays the flora flowing out of his mouth. What could this possibly represent?

The “Green Man” forest spirit has travelled the world for centuries and seems to have adapted to local cultures as the centuries have passed. Some of the best evidence of