The Green Man

Green men are figures or heads that were carved in churches, abbeys and cathedrals from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. Inspired by the illustrations in book margins where heads were used to terminate trails of foliage, they were usually carved in the form of human masks, cats' or demons' heads. Richard Hayman discusses the origins and definitions of these fascinating figures and traces their many declines and revivals throughout history. --from publisher description