More Green Man

While I’m thinking about the Green Man/Horned God. I thought I share what is perhaps my favorite song dedicated to the God. “Hymn to Herne” by S.J. Tucker – her voice is perfect for this!

And for your reading pleasure, the lyrics:

You can say your prayers
Work your rites
Burn your little candles
Day and night

You can shimmy till dawn
To the pounding drums
But you best be ready
When the Horned One comes, yeah

If you wake to the sound
Of a hunting horn
dance a ring
In the gathering storm

If the Solstice time gets
Your panties in a wad
It’s just the coming
Of the Horned God

He will call you out
Make you sweat
Give you a blessing
That you’ll never forget

So revel in the chase
And let your heartbeat run
Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One

Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One

Hunter who tracks
Outside of time
Guardian lord
Of ancient rhyme

Brother stag
In the musky glen
And consort of the Goddess
In her woodland den

We call you forth
As we make our way
Walking in your power
Every day

Guide us true
In our hunt this night
and maybe even later
In the Great Rite

He will call you out
Make you sweat
Give you a blessing
That you’ll never forget

So revel in the chase
And let your heartbeat run
Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One

Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One

If you wake to the sound
Of a hunting horn

Dance a ring in
The gathering storm

Revel in the chase
And let your heartbeat run

But you’d best be ready
Little one
You’d best be ready
When the Horned One comes

He will call you out
Make you sweat,
give you a blessing
That you’ll never forget

So revel in the chase
And let your heartbeat run
Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One

Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One

The Green Man

Herne, horned one, leaper in the corn
Deep in the Mother, die and be reborn

I recently received this Green Man pendant - I wear it all the time now

In my ongoing endeavorers to connect to the male aspects of Divinity, I’ve become very attached to the idea of the Green Man. To me, he is the spirit of wildness, rebirth, and rediscovery of the self.  He is the forests and the vines; the provider and the very thing provided; the heart of Nature. I connect him very closely with the Horned God figure and understand them as two sides of the same coin, and often use the names interchangeably.

Both the Horned God and and Green Man are powerful symbols of sacrifice and rebirth. They are symbolic of the very food that we eat and which nourishes us. The Green Man speaks to our wildness – something our culture has managed to suppress in most people. We are not encouraged to seek our wildness; we are told it is evil, harmful, and savage. The Green Man actually offers our society a softer version of masculinity. The Green Man does not seek to dominate or control – he is free to be himself while allowing others to do the same.

I’m sure as time goes on, I’ll write more about my particular views on sex and gender later – but now isn’t the time. I just wanted to share a little of my understanding of the Green Man.