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| The Green Man at Kilpeck Church |
At the moment I am listening to the book called 'Queens of The Wild' by Ronald Hutton. In it he argues the case that there has not really been a female pagan goddess through the Christian Medieval period. You know those questions that slip unbidden to the top of your mind. Was there really an Earth goddess transformed from the prehistoric age to run alongside the Christian medieval framing of sculptures, well that argument has been going on for the last 200 years.
Through Fraser's 'Golden Bough' book to Margaret Murray, folklorist, archaeologist and believer in a witch cult. Or perhaps even Marijas Gumbita on her Gods and Goddesses. They follow a pattern that probably led from the past Victoria age when there was a great revival of folklore history in the country, and there were attempted reconstructions of facts that did not exist.
But Professor Ronald Hutton allowed one male into his book and quietly smudged the legends around him. That is the 'Green Man', an effigy you will find in some churches with writhing foliate coming from his mouth and around his head. Hutton sees him as decorative, a fluid piece of art, grasped from somewhere, maybe from Indian culture.
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| Author unknown |
There is a Medieval book called the 'Bestiary' showing animals both real and made up, morality storytelling being their function. The congregation of most Medieval churches were not literate, why not surround them with carvings and images of visually frightening sculptures and art work so as to bring them to heel.
Professor Hutton ends up with a simple message about belief, don't look backward for your belief/spiritual system but forward and create your own.
Environmentalism has experienced a new revolution because of Climate Change, and yes people I believe it is happening, so no arguments there please. But it has made us look at the natural world around us, Lovelock's Gaia theory took hold at one time, seeing the Earth as female, people hug trees in the hope that the life of a tree will bring them comfort, as does walking in nature of course.
But don't go off the edge of sanity, as this video of females, who stayed but a short while at Hebden Bridge, before moving off To Donegal, and created a cult of simplicity. Now I shall go and try and find them to see what happened along the way - chuckle. Thanks to my daughter for this reference, who always says Hebden Bridge is full of old hippies.
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/06/review-queens-of-wild-by-ronald-hutton.html
Don't go leading me astray now Thelma! That book sounds amazing, and I love the Kilpeck Church photo and anything to do with Green Men be they made in stone or wood. Must finish the 1,000 page re-reading of The Pillars of the Earth before I think of any other books!
ReplyDeleteIt is a heavy book to listen to Jennie, especially with a bad narrator. And I only went to it because of the Green Man connection, which is about an hour long at the end. But I think Hutton is right about the Green Man as a style rather than an actual spiritual being. The Kilpeck church I think was done by a school of masons/sculptors and so follows in the tradition of a style.
DeleteAnd how do I get to the Hebden Bridge, and is it sturdy enough to hold all of us?
ReplyDeleteHebden Bridge lies in a narrow valley with just one road and railway running through, so better come by train Joanne.
ReplyDeleteThis issue of Britain Magazine has a story on women warriors!
ReplyDeleteour famous warrior queen was Boudicca of course, though there have been others in medieval who defended the castle whilst their lord was abroad. Never heard of the Britain Magazine Debby.
ReplyDelete