Green Man by Bre Geier

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Green Man - It is known that stonemasons drew on many pagan themes for their decorations but we have few pointers as to the meaning behind this particular figure. Sometimes a Green Man carving is given a particular title- Silvanus (god of the forest) at the Abbey of Saint Denis, France; and Okeanus (both god of the sea and a satyr) in Mundanya, Istanbul. This has led many to seek clues in myth, legend and religion. John Barleycorn - celebrated in song - shows the same themes of death and rebirth, as does the Green Knight in the Arthurian story of Sir Gawain. Medieval legends of the Wild Men- dressed in leaves, living in the forest and venturing forth to take food, have been connected with the Green Man. In some stories of Robin Hood - the robber and hero dressed in green - he attains godlike status and links with the Horned God Herne. Present-day Western pagan thought identifies the Green Man as the symbol of the qualities of godhood within the male, as well as being an expression of the life/death/rebirth cycle and its relationship with the transcendent life-force, the Goddess, the female expression of godhood. A horned deity of trees and green growing things of Earth; god of the woodlands. In Old Welsh his name is Arddhu (the Dark One), Atho, or the Horned God. One of the most ancient figures in European tradition, pre-dating perhaps even the Aryan invasions. He seems to be a God of vegetative strength, a masculine figure of fertility and life-energy. He is usually imaged as a large or giant male, clad entirely, or perhaps actually composed entirely, in green leaves. He appears on the fringes of popular awareness in a bewildering number of guises: his archetype may be recognized in as widely divergent sources as the central figure in the 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight on the one hand, and on the other as the basis behind the modern commercial image of the Jolly Green Giant�.His is an image which transcended all other Celtic God forms and became a version of the Christian Devil every bit as potent as the Horned God. His randy woodland image became firmly linked in the minds of the churchmen with "evil" witches who cavorted with him under the light of the full moon. He is possibly an Oak King image, a symbol of fertility and of the waxing year. He is also linked to Cernunnos, the Horned God of the wild. Archetypally, he is the male fertility principle of the Earth Mother. A legendary pagan deity who roams the woodlands of the British Isles and Europe. He usually is depicted as a horned man peering out of a mask of foliage, usually the sacred oak. He is known by other names such as "Green Jack, "Jack-in-the-Green" and "Green George." He represents spirits of trees, plants and foliage. It is believed he has rain making powers to foster livestock with lush meadows. He was frequently depicted in medieval art, including church decorations. Green George, as he is usually called in spring Pagan rites, is represented by a young man dressed head to foot in greenery, who leads the festival procession. In various festivals, Green George, or an effigy of him, is dunked in a river or pond to ensure that there will be enough rain to make the meadows and pastures green. >{? It is also believed by some the Green Man shares an affinity with the forest-dwelling fairies since green is the fairy color. In some locals of the British Isles the fairies are called "Greenies" and "Greencoaties." In the myth of "The Fairy Children," there appears two fairy children, a brother and a sister, who have green skin and claim to be of a race with green skin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gwalchmei - Hero of Welsh legend found in Culhwch and Olwen, the triads and other sources. He is courteous and eloquent in addition to being a brave warrior. He is seen as the nephew of Arthur and is equated often with Gawain. God of love & music & son of the Goddess Mei; the "Hawk or Falcon of May."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gwydion/Gwidion/Gweir/Gwyddion - Gwydion, one of the nephews of Math ap Mathonwy, and brother of Arianrhod. He contrived Gilfaethwy's rape of the maiden Goewin, Math's foot holder. He did this by starting a war with Pryderi of Dyfed, stealing his pigs, and thus taking Math away on campaign. But he and Gilfaethwy doubled back and Gwydion forced the other women to leave Goewin with Gilfaethwy, who raped her. When she confessed this to Math, he levied as punishment on his nephews that they spent three years as animals, Gwydion as a stag, a wild sow, and a wolf, breeding each year with his brother Gilfaethwy who was hind, boar, and she-wolf. They produced three offspring, whom Math made human and raised at his court. Afterward, they were restored to the court. Gwydion raised Arianrhod's virgin-born son Llew Llaw Gyffes, winning for him his name and arms by tricking his mother, and created a woman out of flowers to marry him. After that woman, Blodeuwedd, betrayed Llew to his death, Gwydion restored him to life and turned her into an owl. Shape-shifter & God of the arts, eloquence, Kindness, & magic.[GWID-ee-ohn or GWITH-ee-oh] Also Gwidion Ap Don and Gweir. A son of Don, and the uncle of Llew who changed his wife Blodeuwedd into an owl. Perhaps all the Arthurian legends were once attributed to him, but they were eventually grafted solely onto King Arthur.Gwyddion was very wise, especially in music magick, and he once rescued Llew by singing an enchantment. He was referred to as master if illusion, a helper of humankind and a fighter against the greedy and small-minded. He supported the cultural arts and learning, and tried to stamp out ignorance. Because of all this praise., he is sometimes called the Druid of the Gods. He got his own education from his uncle Math. Like many other Pagan cultures, it was customary for the mother's brother to teach her sons.Gwyddion and his brothers fought in the Battle of the Trees to ensure that the dog, deer, and lapwing he took from Annwn could remain on earth. His last foray into the Otherworld resulted in pigs (sacred to many Goddesses, most notably Cerridwen) being brought to humankind. In Celtic mythology, Gwydion was a son of Beli and Danu. He helped Gilfaethwy rape Goewin, Math ap Mathonwy's foot-holder. He accomplished this by stealing Pryderi of Dyfed's pigs, thus sending Math away to fight a war. Gwydion and Gilfaethwy were supposed to be with him, but they snuck back. Gwydion forced Goewin to stay with Gilfaethwy and he raped her. She told Math, and he turned them into animals. Gwydion was, for one year each, a stag, sow and wolf. Gilfaethwy was, for one year each, a hind, boar and she-wolf. Each year, they had a child together and Math turned the three children into people. During the Battle of Cath Godeau, Gwydion turned trees into warriors, thus winning the war begun by his brother, Amaethon. Gwydion raised his nephew, who was born a blob. The blob was placed in a chest by Gwydion. Arianrhod, the blob's mother, created three geases: only she could give him a name; only she could give him weapons; he would have no human wife. Arianrhod denied him the three aspects of masculinity. Gwydion raised him anyway, even without a name. Later Arianrhod saw him killing a wren with a single stone. She said that he was a bright lion with a sure hand and he took the name Llew Llaw Gyffes ("bright lion with a sure hand"). Gwydion then tricked her into arming him. Llew created his own woman out of flowers, Blodeuwedd. After Llew Llaw Gyffes was killed by Blodeuwedd, Gwydion resurrected Llew and turned her into an owl. In the Welsh tradition, Gwydion was the nephew of Math, lord of Gwynedd. In order to help his brother, Gilvaethwy, rape Gowein, the young woman who was Math's foot holder, Gwydion stirred up a quarrel between Math and Pryderi, son of Rhiannon. This meant that Math was away at war. When he returned and discovered the deception, Math turned his nephews into a stag and a hind for one year, into a boar and a sow the next and into a pair of wolves the third. Later, Gwydion took charge of his sister Arianrhod's son Lleu.