The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #113369   Message #3009727
Posted By: Jack Blandiver
18-Oct-10 - 08:04 AM
Thread Name: Any info about the green man?
Subject: RE: Any info about the green man?
Generally speaking horns aren't a feature of green men / foliate heads - in fact, the only one that springs to mind is the Romanesque head in the church of St. Miuchael's, Garway in Herefordshire (which features significantly in Phil Rickman's novel The Fabric of Sin) though I have seen others. Moving eastwards, whilst similar disgorging heads might be seen on the capitals at Southwell Minster, I wouldn't say they were horned as such, likewise the typical cat-heads found on a Romanseque doorway at Ely Cathedral. Norwich is bending down with pre-Reformation Foliate Heads, some quite devilish, such as misericords in the Cathedral & in St. Stephen's, but whilst the foliage strikes upwards in a suggestion of horns, I wouldn'd describe them as being horned as such. Others, such as the arm rests in St. Nicolas, King's Lynn present foliate brow growths which are certainly horn-like - likewise those found in Norwich Cathedral cloister who is similarly afflicted. Worth mentioning in this context is a very fine disgorging Foliate Stag on a misericord in the church of St.Agnes, Cawston not far from Norwich which is worth a look, as is the rest of the church for some fine angels and heads, foliate & otherwise. If you do go, check out the amazing SS Peter & Paul at Salle which is a mile down the road.