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The Green Man

The concept of the Green Man comes from decorative carvings in castles and cathedrals throughout Europe depicting a male face surrounded by leaves commonly growing out from the sides of his face. James Frazer in The Golden Bough put forth that this was a great vegetation god of the pagans that were snuck into Christian contexts by craftsmen still following the ancient ways. Such a deity is no longer considered by historians to have existed, and the carvings have been written off as simply decorative. Nevertheless, the Green Man remains an important image to Wiccans.

Lord of the Trees - He is a god of all that grows from the earth, a lord of the forest and spirit of the harvest. He is also a fertility god, but this aspect generally applies to the fertility of the earth, not with animal sexuality. He is particularly associated with oak, which are the leaves that generally sprout from his face. He is the guardian of the Earth.

God of Renewal, Irrepressibility, and Patience - Like other vegetation gods, the Green Man may wither or sleep in autumn, but he always comes again anew in spring. Never can he be permanently killed, no matter how bleak the winter. He teaches us that, like the oak, goals may take time to mature, and that there may be setbacks. In the end, however, he always prevails.

The Green Man is most often honored at Beltane and represents the summer season. He can be the passive counterpoint to the more aggressive Horned God of winter.