http://www.ymtblog.org.uk/2007/11/26/autumn/ Behind the scenes glimpses of York's Museums Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:29:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.ymtblog.org.uk/2007/11/26/autumn/comment-page-1/#comment-16 Gaby Sat, 08 Dec 2007 10:40:18 +0000 http://www.ymtblog.org.uk/2007/11/26/autumn/#comment-16 Oh Mike - how long have you got? The Green Man is most commonly recognised as a particular kind of mediaeval ecclesiastic carving, which shows a face with leaves growing from its mouth and/or with leaves for hair. There are variations where the face becomes part of a single leaf. Some scholars have interpreted the Green Man as an image of death, such that after burial, our bodies become nourishment for trees and plants. However, Green Man carvings typically depict a face which is alive (or as alive as a carving can be) sometimes seeming to be angry or in pain. The image or idea of a person becoming a plant is one, which we also find in the myth of Daphne - who became a laurel tree in order to escape Apollo's amorous advances – and also in traditions such as the Burry Man of South Queensferry and Jack-in-the-Green of May Day celebrations, as well as countless others. The romantic view of nature as a purely positive force is a relatively modern one. Prior to the industrial revolution the natural landscape was largely perceived as a wilderness to be tamed and conquered by man. Since the industrial revolution this view has changed, art, literature and even politics have increasingly portrayed the countryside as ‘good’ and the city as ‘bad’. In a nutshell - the Green Man has become a symbol for the symbiotic relationship, which we imagine previous, societies to have had, with the natural world. Oh Mike – how long have you got?
The Green Man is most commonly recognised as a particular kind of mediaeval ecclesiastic carving, which shows a face with leaves growing from its mouth and/or with leaves for hair. There are variations where the face becomes part of a single leaf. Some scholars have interpreted the Green Man as an image of death, such that after burial, our bodies become nourishment for trees and plants. However, Green Man carvings typically depict a face which is alive (or as alive as a carving can be) sometimes seeming to be angry or in pain. The image or idea of a person becoming a plant is one, which we also find in the myth of Daphne – who became a laurel tree in order to escape Apollo’s amorous advances – and also in traditions such as the Burry Man of South Queensferry and Jack-in-the-Green of May Day celebrations, as well as countless others.
The romantic view of nature as a purely positive force is a relatively modern one. Prior to the industrial revolution the natural landscape was largely perceived as a wilderness to be tamed and conquered by man. Since the industrial revolution this view has changed, art, literature and even politics have increasingly portrayed the countryside as ‘good’ and the city as ‘bad’.
In a nutshell – the Green Man has become a symbol for the symbiotic relationship, which we imagine previous, societies to have had, with the natural world.

]]> http://www.ymtblog.org.uk/2007/11/26/autumn/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Mike Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:33:24 +0000 http://www.ymtblog.org.uk/2007/11/26/autumn/#comment-15 That's really interesting. Can you explain a bit more about the Green Man ? That’s really interesting. Can you explain a bit more about the Green Man ?

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