Green Man Misericord Greetings Card by Christopher Bell

The tradition of portraying a human face amongst or as part of leaves is a very old one in Northern Europe.  Its precise origins are lost to time, but it seems to have been an established tradition when the Romans invaded the Celtic and Germanic lands.  Native artwork of these peoples is based on complicated ‘knotwork’ and twisting forms representing vegetation.  Some of these were representations of animals or human faces. Green Men in various forms can be found as far away as modern Turkey and are also found in eighth century Indian art. 

The Green Man carvings are found in Northern Europe in the late medieval period and first appear as decorations in England in the twelfth century. Green Men are usually carved in wood or stone and adorn many English churches and cathedrals, especially the older ones. 

There is speculation that these foliate faces are remnants of pre-Christian beliefs, and that they represent ancient pagan deities or spirits of nature, since their symbolism is clearly that of growth, renewal and regeneration in the cycle of the seasons, and it seems there are parallels with folk customs, like Jack in the Green.