Jones, Jonathan (5 April 2023). "The coronation invitation reviewed – is Charles planning a pumping pagan party?". The Guardian. Stephen Miller (2022). The Green Man in Medieval England: Christian Shoots from Pagan Roots. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5275-8411-2. During the post-war era literary scholars interpreted the Green Knight as being a literary representation of Lady Raglan's Green Man as described in her article "The Green Man in Church Architecture", published in Folklore journal of March 1939. This association ultimately helped consolidate the belief that the Green Man was a genuine, Medieval folkloric, figure. [7] Raglan's idea that the Green Man is a mythological figure has been described as "bunk", with other folklorists arguing that it is simply an architectural motif. [3] a b Olmstead, Molly (2023-04-08). "Is the Green Man British Enough for the Royal Coronation?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339 . Retrieved 2023-05-07. Centerwall, Brandon S. (January 1997). "The Name of the Green Man". Folklore. 108 (1–2): 25–33. doi: 10.1080/0015587X.1997.9715933. ISSN 0015-587X.

In Britain, the image of the Green Man enjoyed a revival in the 19th century, becoming popular with architects during the Gothic revival and the Arts and Crafts era, when it appeared as a decorative motif in and on many buildings, both religious and secular. [ citation needed] American architects took up the motif around the same time. [ citation needed] Many variations can be found in Neo-gothic Victorian architecture. He was popular amongst Australian stonemasons and can be found on many secular and sacred buildings, [ citation needed] including an example on Broadway, Sydney. [17] Doel, Fran; Doel, Geoff (2013). "The spirit in the tree". The Green Man in Britain. Cheltenham, England: The History Press. ISBN 978-0750953139.Miller, Stephen (19 April 2023). "The Christian history of the Green Man motif (letter)". The Guardian. The Green Man motif has many variations. Branches or vines may sprout from the mouth, nostrils, or other parts of the face, and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Found in many cultures from many ages around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetation deities. Often used as decorative architectural ornaments, where they are a form of mascaron or ornamental head, Green Men are frequently found in architectural sculpture on both secular and ecclesiastical buildings in the Western tradition. In churches in England, the image was used to illustrate a popular sermon describing the mystical origins of the cross of Jesus. a b c Araneo, Phyllis (2006). Green Man Resurrected: An Examination of the Underlying Meanings and Messages of the Re-Emergence of the Ancient Image of the Green Man in Contemporary, Western, Visual Culture (MCA thesis). Queensland, Australia.: University of the Sunshine Coast. doi: 10.4227/39/596566fcfaf95. Simonds, Peggy Muñoz (1995). Iconographic research in English Renaissance literature: a critical guide. New York: Garland Science. p.321. ISBN 9780824073879. The deed is done by the Abbess of Kirklees, who acts as the priestess in some ancient pagan ritual. Could it be that the tales of Robin are more ancient than previously believed? Could they really be tales of ancient Egypt and even Sumeria? Passed down over millennia and altered by time?

Usually referred to in art history as foliate heads or foliate masks, representations of the Green Man take many forms, but most just show a "mask" or frontal depiction of a face, which in architecture is usually in relief. The simplest depict a man's face peering out of dense foliage. Some may have leaves for hair, perhaps with a leafy beard. Often leaves or leafy shoots are shown growing from his open mouth and sometimes even from the nose and eyes as well. In the most abstract examples, the carving at first glance appears to be merely stylised foliage, with the facial element only becoming apparent on closer examination. The face is almost always male; green women are rare. Lady Raglan coined the term "Green Man" for this type of architectural feature in her 1939 article The Green Man in Church Architecture in The Folklore Journal. [5] It is thought that her interest stemmed from carvings at St. Jerome's Church in Llangwm, Monmouthshire. [6]Green Man" type foliate heads first appeared in England during the early 12th century deriving from those of France, and were especially popular in the Gothic architecture of the 13th to 15th centuries. The idea that the Green Man motif represents a pagan mythological figure, as proposed by Lady Raglan in 1939, despite its popularity with the lay public, is not supported by evidence. [1] [3] [4] Types [ edit ] 6th-century Byzantine mosaic in the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, Istanbul. Not to be confused with Wild man. A foliate head in the shape of an acanthus leaf: a corbel supporting the Bamberg Horseman, Bamberg Cathedral, Germany, early 13th century

From the Renaissance onward, elaborate variations on the Green Man theme, often with animal heads rather than human faces, appear in many media other than carvings (including manuscripts, metalwork, bookplates, and stained glass). They seem to have been used for purely decorative effect rather than reflecting any deeply held belief.What we also find however in some of the earlier tales is that Robin Hood and Little John – like Jesus and John the Baptist – were equals. Walter Bower, in the 15th century, said that Robin Hood together with Little John and their companies rose to prominence.

There are elements of the Robin Hood myth that relate to other legends. The ‘tree of life’ is seen as ‘Robin’s Larder Tree,’ supplying all that could be required like the ‘Horn of Plenty’ or the ‘cauldron’ of Celtic folklore. Anderson, William. Green Man: The Archetype of our Oneness with the Earth, HarperCollins (1990) ISBN 0-00-599252-4 Robin’s link with the ‘Horned God’ is also telling as he is Lord and Master over the human ‘animals’ of the Forest and they are guardians of their stolen treasure, like the hoarding, serpent Nagas of Hinduism. They do good deeds for those who deserve them and dastardly deeds to those who do not. Why they were included in the construction of these buildings by the masons has perhaps been lost in the mists of time. American artist Rob Juszak took the theme of the Green Man as Earth's spiritual protector and turned it into a vision of the Green Man cradling the planet; Dorothy Bowen created a kimono silk painting, titled Greenwoman, as an expression of the feminine aspect of the legend. [10]Perhaps the importance of ancient treescapes in our history accounts for their depiction in the places of worship. Sandars, p. 283, "the 'Green Man' peering through hawthorn leaves in the Norwich cloisters and at Southwell is the true descendant of the Brno-Maloměřice heads" (famous bronze Celtic pieces) MacDermott, Mercia. Explore Green Men, Explore Books, Heart of Albion Press (September 2003) ISBN 1-872883-66-4