The Enigma of the Green Man - The Green Man in Popular Culture







 
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THE GREEN MAN IN POPULAR CULTURE

In addition to its original function in architecture and other art, the motif of the Green Man has, especially in our modern environmentally-conscious culture, become a common theme in a bewildering range of other fields. Here are just a few examples:

Literature and Books:

  • The Green Man is a 1969 ghost story by Kingsley Amis

    "The Green Man" is a 1969 ghost story by Kingsley Amis
    (Source)

    "The Green Man" is a 1969 ghost story by Kingsley Amis, in which the spirit of an evil and predatory Green Man (made up of branches, twigs and leaves) is conjured up at the inn of the same name (website).
  • “The Green Man” is a 1966 historical/fantasy novel by Henry Treece, set in 6th Century Jutland, Arthurian Britain and Scotland, and based around the same original story as Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” (website).
  • “The Green Man” is a 1979 children's picture book, written and illustrated by the American author Gail E. Haley, in which an encounter with the natural environment transforms an arrogant young man into a steward of the Earth and it's inhabitants (website).
  • The Green Man is a major character in Stephen Lowe Watson's 2015 environmental fantasy adventure novel "Root Rage", about tree spirits and humans and how we share the world (website).
  • The Green Man is the name of two distinct members of the Green Lantern Corps, an organization of super-powered intergalactic guardians in the comic-strip stories of DC Comics (website).
  • The Green Man (also known as Someshta) is a minor character in Robert Jordan’s popular “Wheel of Time” fantasy series, and is the last of the Nym, or world gardeners, who are beings made of woven leaves and vines (website).
  • Green Man Press is the publishing company of American fantasy illustrator and publisher, Charles Vess (website).

Film and Video:

  • “The Green Man” is a 1956 British film starring Alastair Sim, George Cole and Terry Thomas, with no other Green Man associations other than the name of the inn where the events take place (website).
  • GreenMan Video Productions is a Toronto-based video company (website).

Music:

  • “The Green Man” is the name of albums by: ex-Take That member Mark Owen (1996); English folk-rocker Roy Harper (2000); New Age guitarist Richard Searles; hardcore dance outfit Shut Up & Dance (2007) (website).
  • “Green Man” is a song on XTC's 1999 album “Apple Venus Volume 1” (website).
  • Green Man is the name of a trip-hop/Celtic/world music band based in California (website).
  • Greenman Rising is a folk-rock band based in the Midlands, England (website).
  • Green Man Press is an English publisher of early music scores (website).
  • "Green Man Review” is the name of a magazine (now a website) reviewing fantasy books and music, particularly folk and roots music (website).

Theatre and Performance:

  • John Bate's 1635 book on fireworks showing a 'Green Man' fireworks technician (photo licensed for re-use)

    John Bate's 1635 book on fireworks showing a "Green Man" fireworks technician (photo licensed for re-use)
    (Source)

    The Green Man is a figure used in the emblem of the Pyrotechnics Guild International of fireworks technicians, derived from a tradition dating back to the 17th Century whereby fireworks enthusiasts, known as Green Men, protected themselves using fresh leaves (website).
  • The Green Man Project is a story-telling and theatrical performance by John Conway, featuring an 8ft tall green giant (website).
  • Green Man Theatre Troupe is a non-profit community theatre company based in Elmhurst, Illinois (website).
  • Green Man’s Morris and Sword Club is a Morris dancing troupe in England (website).
  • Project Green Man is a Canadian non-profit environmental and educational project developed by Jeff Arsenault of the Garden Foundation (website).
  • The Green Men are two popular fans of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team (although they have since spawned many copies, in Philadelphia and elsewhere), who dress in green lycra full-body suits and perform publicity stunts (website).

Festivals:

  • Clun Green Man Festival is an annual Green Man and nature festival in Clun, Shropshire, England (website).
  • The Green Man Festival is a major folk-rock music festival held annually since 2003 in the Brecon Beacons area of Wales (website).
  • The Greenbelt Green Man Festival is an environmental and nature festival in Greenbelt, Maryland (website).

Breweries:

  • The Green Man is a common name for English pubs although, surprisingly, it has only been used since the 17th Century (when the Distiller’s Company Green Man and Still heraldic arms were in common use), and most inn signs tend to depict a forester, a wild man or even Robin Hood, rather than a foliate head (website).
  • Green Man Brewery is the name of at least two breweries, one in Dunedin, New Zealand (website), and one in Asheville, North Carolina (website).

Neo-Pagan Businesses:

  • The Green Man is a store in North Hollywood, California, selling candles, herbs, incense, jewellery, etc, for Wiccans and other pagan practitioners (website).
  • The Goddess and the Green Man is a store and online business, based in Glastonbury, England, selling candles, jewellery, gifts and craft items in support of a pagan way of life (website).

Commercial:

    The Green Man image is being used by any number of commercial enterprises, such as this garden design company in B.C., Canada

    The Green Man image is being used by any number of commercial enterprises, such as this garden design company in British Columbia, Canada
    (Source)

  • Greenman Sustainable Buildings is a Canadian company specializing in sustainable and energy-efficient building solutions (website).
  • GreenMan Technologies is an American company in specializing in alternative energy, renewable fuels and innovative recycled products (website).
  • Greenman Garden Design is a Canadian landscaping company specializing in environmentally friendly garden designs (website).
  • Green Man Tree and Landscape Services is a landscaping company in Wisconsin, USA (website).
  • Green Man Leather is a Canadian company producing hand-crafted leather goods (website).
  • Greenman Alliance is a recruitment consultancy specializing in the building, environmental, energy, water and carbon sectors (website).
  • Green Man Financial Advisors is an American company providing project finance and financial solutions for renewable energy and clean-tech start-ups (website).

 
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