"There was no 'Green Man' before Lady Raglan named him so in 1939, thus linking such carvings to the various green men & Jacks-in-the-Green of British folklore & custom (none of which can be shown to be any older than the 17th century)"

There was a great traditon of carving heads in the 17th Century (one that sits above the fireplace in a local pub) especially in some of the remoter rural areas, specifically the Peak District of England. Here researcher Ann Ross came across a community of people who still worshipped 'the old gods', independent of any of the new-age mumbo-jumbo normally associated with any form of nature worship.

In their book 'Twilight of the Celtic Gods' David Clarke and Andrew Roberts intepreted the belief system of these people as a survival from England's celtic past, a point which Anne Ross concurred with at the time. Included in this was a continuing tradition of carving stone heads, which were incorporated in domestic buildings suchas houses, barns and walls as place guardians - they contained the spirit of the land. These were still being carved up until the last war, and a BBC Everyman programme entitled 'The Isle is Full of Noises' claims heads are still being carved today for this purpose, although they seem to indicate these are placed in a rural environment near the entrance to a wood etc.

The book and TV programme also list other examples of extant 'pagan' practice and belief that has survived from the distant past in. It's interesting that these beliefs are attributed to our Celtic ancestors as the English tend to ignore their Celtic past even though it still looms large in their consciousness - the enduring popularity of the Arthurian tales amongst other cultural elements reminds us many of their ancestors were Celtic too.

Regardless of the authenticity of the research of Clarke and Roberts et al (which seems valid but the book does indulge in some speculation . . .) there is a case for some sort of belief survival associated with green men, even if we can never discover their true meaning. Many may well be portraits but then so many stone carved heads on cathedrals and churches seem to be, but to presented as a foliate head must have been a special honour.

In truth, does it actually matter? Many on our Islands have lost their connection with their land and this was an important part of our character as we know from our songs and stories, and the modern green movement gives voice to this deep connection and perhaps even revilatises it in people who never might find that conection in todays urban environment.

Balance in all things; I don't see a purely empirical approach as necessarily the way forward - our ancestors on these islands relied on their instinct as well as their ability to reason to relate to the world around them. It worked from the time they crossed the land bridge after the ice retreated up to the last century in some places, and that must mean there's something in it.