Pagan, Shinto & Spiritual Book Reviews July 2016

Mark Olly, Revealing The Green Man

(Moon books, release date August 26, 2016)

Readers of Pagan Tama will know that I am rather fond of the Green Man, and so I was very excited to learn that Moon Books is due to release a brand new book on the Green Man next month, which I have been lucky enough to get a sneak preview.

Like a large percentage of books already published on the subject, Revealing the Green Man attempts to interpret the Green Man as a relic of ancient, nature-based spiritual traditions. In fact, much of this book (especially the earlier chapters) is less about the Green Man and more about hypotheses regarding pre-Christian religion; it’s almost like a lightweight version of The Golden Bough and all its derivatives. Some of these hypotheses are intriguing, like the idea that the Green Man might originate from the Verderers of medieval times. I particularly liked the fact that so many different cultural ideas relating to the Green Man (even if loosely) are included. I also really liked the large number of images included in this text, especially the more modern artistic interpretations of the Green Man – these are really beautiful.

However, we’re now living in a world of an increasing number of Pagans who are challenging certain assumptions made about the history of Paganism and witchcraft. It seems to me that more and more Pagans are questioning the romanticised narratives of Paganism’s history, such as the widespread belief that the Green Man (together with Jack-In-The-Green etc.) are most definitely evidence of a nature-based, clandestine Pagan religion that existed alongside Christianity in medieval Europe. Although this idea is undoubtedly appealing, many recent commentators, included Pagan commentators, have pointed out that real evidence supporting this belief is scant. Not that this necessarily matters to Pagans – for many of us, the Green Man is sacred for what he has come to represent now, rather than what he may have meant in the past.

While Revealing The Green Man is an intriguing and enjoyable read, I felt that it needed to be bolder in confronting some of problems surrounding past speculations about the Green Man’s historical meanings in order to truly “reveal” what this complex symbol really is. By not including these arguments, I felt this book was perhaps not as progressive as it could have been. Nevertheless, an interesting and thought-provoking addition to the growing collection of books on the Green Man out there.