Where: Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln
Description:
A 14th-century carving of a leaf-covered face (The Green Man) peers out at you from the stone tracery decorating the stone gateway by the choir screen.
The are also other Green Man figures on one of the choir stall armrests (late 14th Century) and on a roof boss in the Cloisters. There is also a lion with foliage coming out of his mouth, which I have yet to discover where it is hidden.
Why we recommend visiting:
English Cathedrals are awe-inspiring places to visit, but in a true English sense, they can also be surprising, amusing, and even shocking in their quiet, often hidden humour. Taking time to explore them in greater depth or, ideally, taking an informed tour within them can add to your visit and appreciation of English culture.
There is adventure in just getting there:
Lincolnshire is one of England’s largest but least visited counties, yet it has a wealth of attractions and landmarks. Possessing one of Europe’s finest Cathedrals, Lincoln is a quiet medieval city perched high on a ridge above the River Witham. It has a direct rail connection to London (1:30 min) and a great reputation for slow food and sustainable tourism.
Description
I have always been fascinated by the concept of the Green Man, a Puck-like figure often represented in English mythology as a face looking out at you from within the green vegetation that gives them their name. They are commonly represented in paintings, ceiling plasterwork, and, in particular, stone or wood carvings in English medieval art, and this surprisingly pagan symbol can often be found within medieval English religious buildings, such as the carving in the archway to the North choir aisle of Lincoln Cathedral.
The Green Man is believed to symbolise the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. He is a Pagan symbol who heralds Spring after a long winter and the renewal of lush vegetation. Yet, after many centuries, who they are, what they represent, and why they are present in so many churches remain a mystery and topic for debate.
Travel Tip: When visiting old English (and even some Western European) Churches and Cathedrals, always look at the hinged folded seats and accompanying misericords (‘mercy seats’ – a small wooden shelf on the underside) where the choir sits. Many have interesting and unusual carvings worked into the wood.
Variations on the Green Man carving
The “Disgorging Head” type: where often the carving has loads of vegetation spewing out of their mouth, and occasionally their ears, and even their eyes
The Wodewose: The Green Man does also have an aspect as a kind of guardian of the forest, and the trees and the plants therein.
Face Pullers: Impish figures watching you from within their covering of foliage but often taunting you by pulling faces or sticking out their tongues.
English Mythical characters: They have been attributed to be mythical figures such as Robin Hood, Jack in the Green, Puck, and the May King.
Green Women: Very rarely, you come across a green woman or even a green animal, but for the most part, they are masks of men who have beards and hair of made of leaves.
Today, the Green Man is increasingly being interpreted and used as an environmental symbol.
What Do They Mean?
Unfortunately, Medieval architects have left us no records of why these figures were commissioned or why they were allowed to incorporate them so freely into their designs. Nor do we find any clues of their purpose or religious meaning in church records.
They may be myths linked to the Greek god Dionysus (or Bacchus to the Romans), the god of wine, fertility, and religious ecstasy. Others have suggested they may represent the absorption of Druidic and Pagan customs and symbols representing tree worship into the Church. Your guess is as good as mine!
They were just a part of church decoration, inoffensive in nature, figures of fun and amusement that seemed to cause no offence to Medieval churchgoers, none of whom ever bothered to explain their reason for being there.
Travel Tip: Other Green Men in Lincolnshire
Cadney – All Saints Church in a 13th Century corbel (an architectural bracket often below balconies or roof struts in churches).
Claypole – St Peter Church – on a capital c. 1325.
Crowland Abbey – 15th Century roof boss.
Gedney – St Mary Magdalene Church – foliate head roof bosses.
Harpswell – St Chad Church – Memorial of William Harrington, rector, c. 1350 and on the font.
Grantham – St Wolfram – 13th-century corbel.
Moulton – All Saints – Late 12th Century heads in the foliage in the arcades of the nave.
Navenby – St Peter – foliate carvings on the founder’s tomb.
Saltfleetby St Peter – A horrifying head in the north arcade (Pevsner’s description).
Thornton Abbey – Foliate head bosses under the gatehouse – late 14th to early 15th Century.
West Keal – St Helen – North arcade capitals with human and animal heads in the foliage.
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