The world over, the Green Man has been known as an ancient sacred symbol of the forests, the guardian spirit of planet earth's entire ecosystem.

 

According to the wisdom traditions of antiquity, he takes care of the life on this planet.

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He comes in for a bad rap these days, and it is argued in certain quarters that he is not a good fellow at all. But I do not believe it started out that way.

 

The Green Man is a metaphor, an ancient archetype who symbolises a belief system that respects all living things. 

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I did this painting many years ago, and used the symbology to signify the wanton destruction of life on earth.

 

Here, we see the Green Man as the last man standing after the once magnificent forest has been clear cut, observing with sadness the axe in the tree stump, and contemplating his own inevitable demise.