An odd symbol of new growth …

Following the destruction caused by Storm Eunice here in the UK yesterday, and in northern Europe today, let’s call upon the Green Man.

He’s a symbol of the new growth that occurs every spring. Look! His beard is composed of twigs and branches, and he even has mushrooms tucked under his hair. You’ll find him on secular buildings, on churches, or even, as here, in the place where this odd fellow may be happiest, in a garden.

For Becky’s Square Odds…

… and Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and living in North Yorkshire, where I walk as often as I can, write, volunteer, and travel as often as I can.

43 thoughts on “An odd symbol of new growth …”

    1. Don’t we just? Hope you’re OK. My London family couldn’t travel home from here yesterday, but have heard that the roof of my grandson’s school was badly damaged.

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  9. Always happy to see the Green Man. And happy too to see the back of Eunice. I hope everything’s OK up your way? We landed at Gatwick yesterday afternoon (back from two weeks in Costa Rica!) – it was unnervingly windy but the pilot did a great job. And no trains at all to London so we ended up taking a taxi home 😮

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    2. We’re fine: it’s snowing now. Costa Rica eh? We’ll hear more soon, no doubt. When you’ve had time for your heart rate to settle after the landing. I imagine each passenger, of any religion or none, was praying frantically the whole time the pilot was landing. Welcome home!

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  10. He’s a cheery looking sort, hopefully he’ll send Spring our way now. We lost a few big old trees to Eunice yesterday which is a shame, hope it wasn’t too bad where you are.

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  13. I see most of the comments, including you, see him as a friendly soul, but he looks a bit sinister to me in those sideways portraits. I always like to see a Green Man in a church – apparently Canterbury Cathedral has 80 of them. The tiny village of Clun in Shropshire have a Green Man festival each spring where he has to defeat the Ice Queen on the bridge. Sadly I never managed to get to see it.

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    1. I love hearing about these old traditions, and knowing where to look out for my next Green Man. I’m sorry you find this example sinister. I still think he looks very avuncular.

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    1. I haven’t been to Norwich Cathedral since – oh, maybe my late teens, so I don’t remember if I met this fine fellow. Thanks for introducing me.

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  17. Oh what a smug looking Green Man. He’s definitely seen it all before. What’s a red warning storm to him? It’s just the rest of us perhaps learning a lesson for what’s to come with more energy in the climate system apparently we can expect more not less of these Dudleys, Eunices and Franklins.

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