Omul Verde - Spiritul Padurii

Pentru stramosii nostri, multe spirite si zeitati erau asociate cu natura, salbaticia si fertilitatea. In cele din urma, daca tocmai ti-ai petrecut iarna flamanzind si tremurand de frig, cand vine primavara cu siguranta aduci multumire oricarui spirit consideri ca a vegheat asupra tribului tau.

Omul Verde este un zeu al vegetatiei si plantelor. El simbolizeaza suflul de viata ce se afla in seva plantelor si in pamantul insusi. Cu mii de ani in urma, padurile constituiau taramuri vaste, intinzandu-se dincolo de unde ochiul putea vedea. Astfel, padurile erau locuri intunecoase si infricosatoare si cu toate acestea, padurile erau locuri in care trebuia sa intri fie de voiai sau nu pentru ca in ele puteai gasi carne din vanat, plante comestibile si lemn pentru foc si construit. Iarna, padurile trebuie sa fi aratat pustii si dezolante dar odata cu venirea primaverii, acestea se reintorceau la viata. Este de inteles de ce vechii oameni atribuiau conotatii spirituale ciclului viata-moarte-reinviere.

The entity known as the Green Man is often found in the legends and lore of the British Isles, and is a masculine face covered in leaves and shrubbery. In some parts of England, a Green Man is carried through town in a wicker cage as the townsfolk welcome the beginning of summer. Impressions of the Green Man’s face can be found in the ornamentation of many of Europe’s older cathedrals, despite edicts from local bishops forbidding stonemasons from including such pagan imagery.

The Green Man is typically portrayed as a human face surrounded by dense foliage. Such images appear as far back as the eleventh century, in church carvings. As Christianity spread, the Green Man went into hiding, with stonemasons leaving secret images of his face around cathedrals and churches. He enjoyed a revival during the Victorian era, when he became popular with architects, who used his visage as a decorative aspect in buildings.

According to Ryan Stone of Ancient Origins: "The Green Man is believed to have been intended as a symbol of growth and rebirth, the eternal seasonal cycle of the coming of spring and the life of Man. This association stems from the pre-Christian notion that Man was born from nature, as evidenced by various mythological accounts of the way in which the world began, and the idea that Man is directly tied to the fate of nature."

Legends connected to the archetype of the Green Man are everywhere. In the Arthurian legend, the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a prime example. The Green Knight represents the pre-Christian nature religion of the British Isles. Although he originally confronts Gawain as an enemy, the two later are able to work together - perhaps a metaphor for the assimilation of British Paganism with the new Christian theology. Many scholars also suggest that the tales of Robin Hood evolved from Green Man mythology. Allusions to the Green Man can even be found in J.M. Barrie's classic Peter Pan - an eternally youthful boy, dressed in green and living in the forest with the wild animals.

Surse:
LearnReligions
LearnReligions
GreenManEnigma