The Green Man in Europe

Interesting article on the Green Man in the churches of Europe:

http://www.travelhoppers.com/2011/03...hes-of-europe/

Along with the image of the horned god, this is one of my favorite pagan symbols.

[Silver]

The green man is definitely cool.

I love my Green Man oracle cards...anything to do with trees and nature makes me smile.

I'm going to Glastonbury later this year. Anyone ever been?

Oak

[norseman]

Yep, Oak, several times. I have walked the spiral paths but am still here

The Green Man - the most persistant pagan god , the spirit of the Wild Wood. Pops up in may folk tales - Robin Hood, the Green Knight of Arthurian legend, green spirit i.e. Elder races - it goes on .

[Silver]

I didn't know Robin Hood was also a green man. I have a pic of my son for one of his first homespun Halloween costumes ~ Robin Hood!

[norseman]

In earlier times, the British Isles was a scary place. A Wild Wood that was never ending, home to bear, boar, and wolf and a few tribes scratching a living in the clearings. Many legends of forest spirits called wood woses, faery wildfolk, green men, or wild men - these were the Green People, powerful spirits who had to be appeased being very capricious. Early man found the forest floor littered with flint arrow heads which they called Elf bolts which were deadly. The early shaman knew that these spirits used certain places in the forests as power sources to manifest themselves and so left offerings for them. These power sources are still there if you know how to look. The Green Man represents the wild untamed primal forces of Nature, not as we see it now - safe, controlled and civilised.
The green-clad wildmen passed into lore as fairies and were given names such as Hob, Robin, or Robin Goodfellow - this is the true origin of Robin Hood who has mythological significance well beyond an outlaw.
In the Traditional Craft of the Wise, The Lord is often addressed as Robin, and The Lady as Marion.
The continued existence of the Green Man in churches all over Britain shows that this land was NEVER truly christian but has always had a pagan heart !

[LadyVirgoxoxo]

Hehe norseman I agree, Europe will forever truly be pagan, just like much of the world has origins in some sort of paganism. The Green Man is very interesting, I want one somewhere in my house lol. Thank you OP for sharing the article!

[norseman]

The Green Man in my Sacred Circle Tarot

I write for and participate pretty heavily with that travel site where the article was published. The site has a lot of articles on "spiritual travel" that makes one go HMMMMM.....