Solstice Greetings

Happy Solstice 2012!

May your days grow longer...

Tis the Season -- Green Man Gifts for Yuletide Holidays

Tis the season of giving.  If you are seeking Green Man related gifts, check out the links below:

George Carruth's classic Garden Smile Green Man and other Nature Faces   are available at:
http://www.carruthstudio.com/categories/Nature-Faces.aspx

5 star mystery  novel about the Green Man: The Greening by Sharon Brubaker

Kathleen Basford's treatise is a classic: http://www.amazon.com/The-Green-Man-Kathleen-Basford/dp/0859914976/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1354446644&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=green+man+kathleen+basford#sfmsg_-7890*sfxd*0*sfxd*0@@

 

 

Mike Harding's terrific book: The Little Book of the Green Man  above.

A Green Man door knocker: http://www.amazon.com/Willlows-Hollow-Greenman-Door-Knocker/dp/B006MZIZXG/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1354446857&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=green+man+door+knocker#sfmsg_-7890*sfxd*0*sfxd*0@@



Green Man  and Green Cat T'shirts, Sweat shirts, PJ's and more:
http://www.cafepress.com/outinthegarden#sfmsg_-7890*sfxd*0*sfxd*0@@

       

 

A Green Man bottle opener:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Green-Mounted-Bottle-Opener/dp/B0069VL4C2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354447113&sr=8-1&keywords=green+man+bottle+opener#sfmsg_-7890*sfxd*0*sfxd*0@@


Green Man Music:  http://www.amazon.com/Songs-From-Wood-Jethro-Tull/dp/B00008G9JN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354447649&sr=8-1&keywords=songs+from+the+wood


http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Green-Man/dp/B0042MP4IA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354447587&sr=8-1

  Roy Harper's The Green Man

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Man-Roy-Harper/dp/B00005AQRB/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1354447678&sr=1-6&keywords=green+man#sfmsg_-7890*sfxd*0*sfxd*0@@


Green Man Gifts: http://www.greenmangifts.co.uk/

Spirit of the Green Man: http://www.spiritofthegreenman.co.uk/

Just a few ideas for your holiday shopping.  Enjoy!

Green Man / Leaf Man

With the advent of hurricane Sandy and its wild winds along with our usual November gales, leaves have been spiraling down in a whimsical ballet and carpeting the ground with brilliant color.  The sound of raking and mowers grinding up the leaves nearly drown out the crunch and swish as one walks through the fallen leaves. 

There are two wonderful children's books that are Green Man or rather Leaf Man related.  Lois Ehlert has a fabulous children's book entitled: Leaf Man
It's quite a whimsical take on the Green/Leaf Man.  Ehlert's books' graphics are a wonder.

Another wonderful story of a Leaf Men and the bugs going on a quest to safe the garden is: The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs by William Joyce.

  In this story, the Leaf Men help an old woman and her garden by setting the world back round to order.  The Leaf Men and the garden insects defend the garden from the evil Spider Queen.  It is a mythic tale of loss and recovery.  (and I will now bite my tongue and not wax poetic on the birth, death, rebirth theme again)  Joyce is an amazing artist, animator and storyteller.  His short film "The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore" won an academy award. See:  http://moonbotstudios.com/

Green Man Anomaly

Here in the US, the Green Man is almost an anomaly.  You can find Green Man sculptures in larger cities such as New York and Chicago. Outside of the urban areas, the Green Man is often relegated to garden art and personal collections.  It is humbling to see the amazing array of Green Men globally.  Fortunately, I stumbled onto this site: http://www.the-great-learning.com/pilgerwege-deu-en3.htm   
-- a catalog of photographs of Green Men and Sheela-Na-Gigs. 

Enjoy.

Green Man Masquerade Part 2

Are you in need of a last minute Halloween costume? If you would like to portray yourself as the Green Man, here are a few sources of Green Man masks:
http://www.rainewalker.com/catalog3.htm

 

These are exquisite, one of a kind, leather masks.

Etsy.com has a variety of masks from various artists:
http://www.etsy.com/search?includes%5B%5D=tags&q=greenman+mask

 

Artist, Larry Wood has created the beautiful masks below:

http://fantasyguilde.com/masks/grn/greenie.html

Here is an article on how to make your own Green Man mask:

http://www.squidoo.com/Green_Man_Unmasked

 

 

 

 

 

Green Man Masquerade Part 1

Spooks, witches, black cats  and ghosts moaning "Oooooooooh!"  Soon cries of "Boo!" and "Trick or Treat" will reign the streets.  All Hallows eve is coming next week!  The hunt for an outstanding costume is reaching a fever pitch.  Here are a few Green Man related ideas.

Steve Silk put together this blog post in 2008 on natural fashion: http://clattervalleygardens.blogspot.com/2008/12/three-ways-to-wear-plants.html

He briefly discusses the Surma and Mursi tribespeople of Ethiopia and their wearing of plants.

 Hans Silvester's book Natural Fashion gives more information on Tribal decoration.(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0500288054/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller)

 

Steve has a great photo of a Paris haute couture model wearing plants as a dress:

  a dress created by plantsman Patrick Blanc for Jean-Paul Gaultier.

 

 

Tantazlizing ideas for green wear and costumes!  More soon...

 

Mystery of the Green Man

Throughout history, the Green Man has remained a mystery.  There are many books and sites that discuss why the Green Man is a universal archetype.  Luke Mastin has compiled an oustanding

site devoted to the Green Man.  You can visit the site by following this link: http://greenmanenigma.com/

 

Check out the gallery of Green Men.  It's fabulous!!   Enjoy!

Autumn's Green Man

In my section of the world, the leaves are changing from green to brilliant hues of orange, red and gold.  Festivals abound at this time of year and I was lucky enough to find references to an autumnal Green Man ... otherwise known as "The Berry Man."  Below are some photos and links:

 from: http://www.projectbritain.com/calendar/january/hollyman.html

 

http://www.thelionspart.co.uk/octoberplenty/

 

If you can get to London in the next few weeks, here is information on a festival with "The Berry Man:"

Outside Shakespeare's Globe

Saturday 20 October 2012, 21h00 till Sunday 21 October 2012, 00h00

Organized by : Tamsin Lewis

Event page on Facebook

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Description

The October Plenty Festival is an urban harvest festival, celebrating British produce, tradition and independent farming with song, dance, games and plays.
The Festival begins with music and dance on the Bankside at Shakespeare's Globe where you will be joined by the 12 feet tall Corn Queene, the fiddle playing Bear and The BerryMan who offers libations for the coming year. The whole assembly then dances a farandole to Borough Market where there will be story telling in the Apple Orchard; a play performed on the cart-stage; music, dance, apple bobbing, conkers and the annual Execution of John Barley Corn. The market will be open for buying some of the best food and drink available in London.
This is a truly unique and somewhat eccentric event, the like of which you will not see elsewhere. And best of all - it's FREE!


The October Plenty programme:

The Corn Queene.
A huge Corn Queene effigy heavy with 'Plenty' - wheat, barley and other grains, and apples, root vegetables and foliage from the Borough Market - appears in a procession around the front of the Globe, Bankside, with the Company of actors and the time-honoured Hobby Horse in attendance, strung with cakes and loaves and led by the Berry Man.

The Berry Man.
The Berry Man - our Autumn incarnation of the original Green Man - decked with wild fruits and foliage, leads the company. He carries an Apple Tree to where it will be placed within the Bankside area, with general songs and music on the street for all.

The procession.
We then move through the streets to the Borough Market. There in the Green Market there is time to savour the delights on offer: soul cakes, apple biscuits, conker fights, cider from the New Forest, apple bobbing, a great beer selection and the wonderful market stalls as well as more dancing.

The Play.

The Story Orchard.
A glade of young English apple trees creates a space for children to gather. There they can re-clothe the trees with green wishes (paper apples) and listen to stories about apples, markets, harvest time and London sparrows!

There is a tasting table of old apple types from London by Brogdale Horticultural Trust with decorations created at Roots and Shoots, the Lambeth community gardens environment project. http://www.wherevent.com/detail/Tamsin-Lewis-October-Plenty

Zeleni Jurij

Zeleni Jurij - A Slovenian Green Man
I have found a decent translation and explanation of the Slovenian Green Man -- Zeleni Jurij and a very interesting music video.  The story can be found at: http://sms.zrc-sazu.si/pdf/02/SMS_02_Smitek.pdf   on pages 185-186.  The book is titled: The Image of the Real World and the World Beyond in Slovene Folk Tradtion by Zmago Smitek.  It is a wealth of folkloric information.

Two videos for your enjoyment - one in folkloric tradition and one rock n' roll based version. Magnfico is the star of the rock and roll version and is famous throughout the world: http://www.magnifico.info/    I would dearly love a translation!

 

 

The Green Man and the Garden

It's easy to feel the influence of the Green Man when out of doors. Look at the trees -- the shape of green faces in the leaves looking down, the bark on trees having interesting expressions.  Nature is alive and well.   The Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, England have an interesting tale, but also a living Green Man head and lovely Green Lady.
The "Giant's Head" at Heligan

The Mud Maid:
www.heligan.com

The Green Man Trail

I was surfing around the internet on this blustery, rainy evening on the Eastern coast of the USA amdi flood, storm and tornado watches.  I found a link for a "Green Man Trail" in Oxfordshire, England. http://www.bejo.co.uk/greenmantrail/html/index.htmlhe The site has an excellent trail of Green Man through Oxfordshire--history of the Green Man, historic sites, folklore, artists, and sightings of the Green Man in various neighborhoods.  If you are in the area and find some interesting Green Men, contact: info@greenmantrail.com

Disney and the Green Man - Redux

I have struggled to write this post reviewing the recent Disney Film "The Odd Life of Timothy Green."  Most critics panned the film, but our family and friends found the film sweet and enjoyable.  For those who know about the Green Man and the cyclic nature of birth, death and rebirth, the portrayal in the film is a 'no brainer.'  We felt that most of the critics missed the point.  Truly, the concept of the Green Man is hope.  Merriam Webster dictionary (www.m-w.com) defines hope as "To cherish a desire with anticipation."  Cindy and Jim Green, the parents who desperately want a child pin their hopes and dreams in a box of wishes and young Timothy comes from the garden adorned with leaves on his legs.  Timothy brings out the best in everyone.  He fulfills hopes to those around him.  It's a bit difficult to watch as the end of Timothy's cycle draws to a close, but it all makes sense.  The end completes this cycle. (Trying not to spoil the end of the film for those who have not seen it).   The film is sweet, magical, wonderful.  Our friends and family feel the film strikes a chord -- one that we need, but perhaps do not understand.  Most of the reviews read give the film two to two and a half stars.  We would give Peter Hedges and Ahmet Zappa four and a half stars for this wonderful film. 

 

 

a bit off topic- Star Trek and the Green Man

I cannot let the celebration of Star Trek's anniversary pass by...Congratulations Trek-dom for a fabulous 46 years!  http://www.startrek.com/

The only reference to a 'green man' is the little green guy who accompanies Scotty in the latest Star Trek film: http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Keenser It's not quite the Green Man I've been blogging about, but I must give nod and thanks to Gene Roddenberry --creator of Star Trek
http://www.roddenberry.com/corporate-gene-biography  on this auspicious day.
May Heavens Bless...

I am the Green Man

Here's a new trailer - a mystical, Celtic poem about the Green Man.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Go! Green Man! -The Green Man and World Peace

Surfing the interenet I located a really cool site where a young man is protesting nuclear weapons.
http://www.gogreenman.com/

 

Also, there is a Japanese television series Go! Green Man where the Green Man conquers evil. Check out this intro. to the series and enjoy!

 This is also linked to a Japanese television program titled: Go! Green Man

Girls just wanna have fun...

I'm playing with the Windows Live Movie Maker and created a second trailer for the book.

Here's the new trailer for The Greening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUSP2GY9IHA&feature=channel&list=UL


If you happen to be in the vicinity of Wales this weekend, check out the Green Man Festival with live music and film:
http://www.greenman.net/

Seeking Green Man and Green George stories

Dear Readers,
I am seeking any Green Man or Green George folklore/stories.  If you have one to share, please post on the comments or email me at: greenmanseries@gmail.com
I thank you.
Sincerely,
Sharon

Check out the article that accompanies the photo above at: http://nyslandmarks.com/treasures/08jul.htm  Home Page: http://nyslandmarks.com/treasures/index.htm

The Greening Trailer

Check out the trailer to the book: The Greening on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5QhiddP3N0&feature=autoplay&list=FLbw8cp915oXVDXVXs49NA9g&playnext=1

Not just any George...

Not just any George…

He’s not George Washington, George Carlin or George Lucas. He’s “Green George.”  If I was politically correct, I would post this blog entry on April 23^rd  -- Green George’s Day or the Christina celebration of St. George.
Green George is a Green Man figure from Eastern Europe and Russia.  He is the protector of the earth, god of vegetation and the forbearer for Spring. 

 Green George photo from: http://mazzoumemories.blogspot.com/2012/03/2011-cultural-events.html

In some Slavic countries he is known as Jarilo and is related to St. George (of St. George and the Dragon fame) or Zeleni Juraj:

  (from: http://www.visitdolenjska.eu/bela-krajina/vrsta-ponudbe)

There is an amazing article on Green George at: http://www.leluya.org/mythology/Green_George.php#

The Green Man at the Movies

The Green Man at the Movies

Here is Sean Connery as the "Green Knight" in the film "The Sword of the Valiant."    In the story of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,"  the Green Knight challenges a young Sir Gawain in a beheading game.  This game of life and death in the ancient Celtic poem/play is looked upon, by some critics, as the Green Knight as the Green Man.  Once again he is looked upon as bringing birth, death and rebirth.

The tale of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is also part of the Arthurian literature. The Green Knight appears in King Arthur's court.  He carries a holly branch in one hand (the Holly King?) and a sword in the other and has come to test a young knight in loyalty, strength and bravery.   Some critics say he is there to help the knight grow spiritually.  

It would take many scholarly thoughts and pages of literary criticism that would fill this blog to a yawning status -- but, once more, the Green Man a.k.a.  the Green Knight is represented by a mysterious figure, one who represents birth, death and rebirth and also the constant battle of good vs. evil. 

I

Disney and the Green Man

I cannot tell you how amazed and excited I was to see the trailer of Disney's new film "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" on television yesterday.  The Green Man has come to a major motion picture...well, a Green Man of sorts.  I need to wait until the movie is released on August 15th, but the synopsis is that Timothy Green grew from the garden.  He has some magical powers and from what I gathered from the film clips, he makes people feel good! Here's the link to the film:
http://disney.go.com/the-odd-life-of-timothy-green/index.html
 
Let me know what you think.
 More on this later and a kitsch-y Green Man film with Sean Connery.

Jack in the Green Videos

Wonderful youtube.com!  Here is a video with Morris Dancers and Jack-in-the-Green on Beltane 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNB3VVSD6Ow&feature=related  as well as a lovely song about Jack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VMduKN7qgI&feature=related

Photo from: http://grumpyvegan.com/blog/2011/05/01/happy-may-day/

My Green Man

One of my interpretations of the Green Man.  He's available at:
www.cafepress.com/outinthegarden   "Old Sage" is coming soon.

Jack in the Green

Another guise of the Green Man is "Jack-in-the-Green."  The Jack-in-the-Greens date back to the 16th and 17th centuries in Britain where elaborate garlanded men would lead May celebrations.  In recent times, Jack-in-the-Greens lead Morris Dancers in celebration and at Maypoles.  The Jack is a man who is covered in greenery over a framework.   (photo from: http://www.madjacksmorris.co.uk/jackinthegreen.html) Jack-in-the-Greens are also seen in in the celebration of Straw bears   (photo from: http://citynoise.org/article/1930)  and the British 'Burryman' (a man covered in sticky burrs)(photo from:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4784271.stm ) . Jack-in-the-Greens traditionally celebrate Spring and the Straw Bears, winter.  One of my favorite interpretations of Jack-in-the-Green is from Jethro Tull's song of the same name: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZSwHXKu0Q Find a copy of the lyrics at: http://www.absolutelyrics.com/lyrics/view/jethro_tull/jack-in-the-green/

Harry Potter and the Green Man

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! Our family has very fond memories of attending birthday parties for Harry at the former Borders Books and Music.  But, I digress.  What does Harry Potter have to do with the Green Man? Actually, there isn't a connection, but there is a great set in the movies that is adorned with Green Man faces. Due to copyright, I cannot copy and paste the photo here...but, here is the link to the photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orangeaurochs/6938855414/in/photostream/
Enjoy! 

Famous Olympic Green Man

How exciting to watch the opening ceremonies to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London!  Even more exciting was seeing the Green Man commercial by Dow Corporation!  Check it out here if you have not had a chance to see it: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dow-chemical-olympics-2012

  Hey, was that Sylvia waving from the one window in the commercial?  Amazing!  Enjoy!

Garden Smiles

Green Men are a favorite venue for garden art.  My family and I are always on the hunt for Green Men. Once we found a fountain (which, in truth, was extremely ugly) with Green Men all around.  Many are portrayed as Dionysis.  George Carruth is one of my favorite sculptors of "Nature Faces."  He has a variety of Green Men faces -- all with a touch of humor.  Sometimes I think our home is an alternate gallery of his Green Men.  I wonder if any readers have started seeing Green Men in sculpture? If you are in a city -- look up!  New York's Barnes and Noble bookstore in Greenwich Village has Green Men.  Townhouses near the Walter's Art Gallery have Green Men adorning them.  Down town Chicago has a plethora of Green Men as you walk the streets near the art museum.  Carruth's work is at our National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  Just a few examples on U.S. soil.  It is my dream to travel to Europe to go on a Green Man hunt.   (Carruth's work can be seen at: www.carruthstudio.com)

Many Names...

The Green Man is a universal archetype.  Throughout history he has had different guises and many names.  Buddha is considered to be a Green Man as he was born in a tree.  Osiris, Adonis, Dionysis, Al Khidr are also Green Men.  More contemporary Green Men are Robin Hood, the May King and even the Jolly Green Giant.  Some say even Yoda is a Green Man with his wisdom and teaching of Luke Skywalker.  There are many more names for this egnima.  The Green Man continues to pique our interest.
The Green Giant (greengiant.com)
  Al Khidr (www.khidr.org)


Buddha - http://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2009/04/marking-the-buddhas-birth.html
Interesting article on Buddha and trees: http://sacredsites.com/asia/india/bodh_gaya.html



Robin Hood