The Green Man & The May Queen

May is upon us and the story of the Green Man and the May Queen is one of fertility, seasonal renewal, and the union of nature's forces. The Green Man captures the spirit of the wood, while the May Queen, with her bright crown of flowers, embodies the potential of spring. Together, they herald the beginning of summer (and provide us with an excellent excuse to eat, drink, and be merry). But who are the Green Man and the May Queen... and where on Earth did this story come from?

Let’s start with the Green Man.

The Green Man | England

Firstly, the name “Green Man” was coined in 1939 by Lady Raglan to describe the foliate head carvings frequently found embedded in church architecture.

Lady Raglan’s use of the name Green Man specifically relates to the face of a man normally formed from or entirely surrounded by leaves, carved or engraved into the architecture of medieval churches in England. The appearance of these Green Men seem to coincide with the Norman conquest of 1066 with many early gothic churches playing host to one or several examples.

Of course, these were not the first examples of foliate heads found in Britain, nor do they come anywhere close to being the oldest case of “Green Man” worship. 

The earliest example of a foliate head carving in Britain actually dates back to a 4th century Roman villa in Suffolk, but the cult of the “Green Man” goes back much, much further…

Today, we celebrate the Green Man as the spirit of the wood and the connection between man and nature. A symbol of rebirth, fertility, and untamed nature, he is often associated with the horned god archetype worshipped across Europe, and as the leader of the wild hunt during the darker months of the year. The pagan Green Man is the counterpart to our seasonal triple goddess in the British Isles, appearing as the Oak King in summer, and the Holly King in winter. This modern interpretation and his inclusion in the May Day festival is closely tied to the pre-christian rituals that mark the shift in seasons.

Jack of the Green | England

A folk custom originating from 17th century England and later revived in the 19th century. A 9 foot “Jack” made from wicker and covered with ivy would be guided through the streets before being stripped of his leaves to release summer. Jack was a commonly used name in medieval England that meant “any common fellow”. By Elizabethan England, the name Jack had become the John Doe of folklore, but by the 19th century, it had developed an association with the otherworld. See: Jack Valentine, Jack the Ripper, Jack Frost, Spring-heeled Jack, Jack-O-Lantern…

Herne the Hunter | England

Herne is a figure from English folklore who was first penned into being by Shakespeare in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Depicted as a horned spectre who haunts Windsor Park, he reportedly rode out during stormy nights and was connected to The Wild Hunt. While Herne himself was a Shakespearean invention, the Bard most likely drew on the ancient legend of the wild huntsman deity (most likely Cernunnos) for his tale.

Cernunnos | Gaul & Celtic British Isles

The Celtic god of wild things seems to have originated in Gaul, but we have archaeological evidence of his continued worship in England owing to the Romanisation of British societies. Depicted as a horned, male deity, sitting cross-legged and holding a neck torc (an item of jewellery associated with wealth and status), Cernunnos is the masculine spirit of woodland, fertility, animals, and untamed nature.

Arawn & Gwyn Ap Nudd | Wales

Arawn is the Welsh king of the underworld Annwn and leads the Cwn Annwn (Hounds of Annwn) on the wild hunt. He is often connected to Cernunnos, and sometimes depicted with antlers. Another figure linked to the kingship of Annwn and its hounds is Gwyn Ap Nudd, (a separate entity who is sometimes written as Arawn’s son) the king of the underworld and the fair folk. Gwyn Ap Nudd kidnaps the beautiful maiden goddess of flowers, Creiddylad, on her wedding day. Creiddylad becomes the eternal May Queen and King Arthur declares a fight for her hand every May Day (Calan Mai) until doomsday. Creiddylad is often compared to the Greek goddess of spring and death, Persephone.

Silvanus & Faunus | Ancient Rome

Silvanus and Faunus were both Roman deities of the countryside. Silvanus was often depicted as the gentler of the two - a helpful presence to farmers and more human in his visage. Faunus was the wild god of untamed nature; associated with the Greek horned god, Pan, he was a closer friend to animals than man. Both were connected to fertility, hunting, and animals.

Dionysus & Pan | Ancient Greece

Dionysus and Pan were both ancient Greek deities connected by and associated with nature. While Dionysus represented the wild side of mankind, Pan was portrayed as a Satyr (a horned faun) who dwelled away from human civilisations, preferring the wilderness. Despite this, Pan was the patron god of shepherds and flocks, as well as fertility and untamed nature. Dionysus is the god of ritual madness, fertility, vegetation, and wine - he routinely invited his ritual participants to shake off the skin of humanity and, sometimes literally, adopt the skin and nature of beasts.

Tammuz | Mesopotamia

Finally, we reach the cradle of civilisation itself: Mesopotamia. Here, Tammuz was the god of vegetation, shepherds and fertility. He represents the birth of new life in Spring and, as such, was the consort of Inanna (the Mesopotamian equivalent of Aphrodite). In later Greek myth, Tammuz is represented by Adonis, Aphrodite’s lover. Both tales involve a youth irrevocably intertwined with nature and beloved by the goddess of sex and fertility; in both tales, the goddess grieves her love’s descent to the underworld. In each case, we are drawn to the parallels of nature’s shifting seasons, where abundance and life inevitably leads to death and decay.

Okay, So… Who is the May Queen?

This one's a little easier to answer: She’s the goddess. Whether she hails from Greece, the British Isles, Scandinavia, or India - it seems the world has an abundance of primordial fertility, sex, and nature goddesses who are central to May festivities.

In England, we celebrate the union between the goddess of spring and the spirit of the wood (the Green Man), which is thought to herald the beginning of summer. A global theme from ancient tradition, even Botticelli’s masterpiece, Primavera, depicts a version of the spring festival using ancient myth: The nymph Chloris (derived from the Greek Khloros, meaning greenery or new growth) on the right-hand side of the scene, is being abducted by the god of the west wind. Leaves and foliage fall from her mouth as she transforms into the goddess of Spring, Flora (the figure to her left). In contrast with her previous incarnation, Flora is covered in blooming flowers with a rounded belly. At the forefront of the tableau stands Venus, goddess of love. The trees are burdened with golden apples, symbolising the fruit of summer, and the youthful god Mercury makes an appearance as Venus’ lover.

While both the Green Man and the May Queen are recognisable legends across the world, English celebrations have lost the connection between our goddess of spring and the underworld. In contrast, the Welsh deity of Gwyn Ap Nudd and his consort, Crieddylad, seem a perfect twin to Hades and Persephone from ancient Greek tradition. However, our Cernunnos (and to a lesser extent Herne), bear startling similarities to Pan and Faunus - though they’ve lost the goat legs, they’ve maintained the role of the wild, horned god. 

We will be at the Green Man festival in Clun this year where the festivities take on a more brutal form - The Green Man and the Ice Queen battle for the turn of the season!

For now, here is your May Penasium challenge: 

 

In the quiet wilderness of the English countryside, something is changing. Medieval history graduate, Anwen, has spent the last year trying to find her feet in the noisy, tireless city where she works as an assistant librarian – with little success. So when her friend phones to tell her that the Green Man carvings displayed in their local church have disappeared, she can’t help but book a train ticket back to investigate. Upon her return, Anwen finds a village shrouded in an unnatural cold and hears a voice calling her name from the deep shadows of the bordering forest…

 

In whichever way speaks to you – whether that be poetry, art, story or song – tell the story of Anwen and the Green Man.