Friday, July 2, 2010

The Green Man

Do you see that face? It's no trick. I found that laughing face embedded in the side of an old tree at Island Lake State Recreation Area. I've told you before that I find some strange things on my adventures. This might be one of the strangest of all.

It seems as if I have found an old mythical creature this time. A Green Man, a Tree Spirit, or a Dryad. They are all similar beings. I guess this one would mostly fit the identification of a Green Man. I've been to this place a few times now, and the face is always there laughing at me.

He never talks to me, but maybe that's because he isn't in much of a condition to say much anymore. The tree doesn't look to be alive now, but maybe that face isn't laughing at me at all. Maybe what it's laughing at is death. Death always gets the last laugh though.

This is the tree from the distance I see it every time I go there. The face is still there. It never goes away, no matter what distance or angle you stand from it. I've seen pictures where somebody would shape a tree or put a mold on it so it would grow to a shape they wanted, but this looks completely natural. That face is the real face of the tree.

There are stories and legends of the Green Man from all over the world. Those stories come in many forms. A lot of you know of one of these stories from your part of the world. If you do a quick web search you might find out quite a few interesting things about this guy.

From the things I've read, the Green Man is a symbol of rebirth. It couldn't be more appropriate than it is here. I first found him at the beginning of spring, right before the leaves came back to the forest. I've watched as the leaves grow all around him. There is also some green right in his face. Hopefully that rebirth is also meant for him.

I've seen a lot of strange things since I began my everyday adventures. Have you ever seen anything like this? Or have you ever seen something so strange when you were out enjoying nature? Tell me about it. I'm sure everybody would love to read about it.


Nature Center Magazine - The subject for our Free Wallpaper today is Dandelion.

13 comments:

  1. He has a strange mischievous grin as though he knows something you don't :-)

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  2. I LOVE HIM!!!! We have a face on one of the trees in our yard...I will take a photo of it and put it on my blog in the future...I think they are so cool looking..yours looks a bit mischeivious....which I LOVE.

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  3. A few plains tribes thought that cottonwoods were where your soul went to.nice shot.

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  4. Very impressive story about the green man.
    Haven't come across anything like that before though.
    will be looking out for it when I go into the woods again :)

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  5. It is very strange if we never see any strange things during our hiking trips.

    But we are strange to them as well.

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  6. Cool story and I think he was there to greet you :) or, you've done a nice carving on that tree...

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  7. Indeed! We saw a relative of your friend, and I'll be sure to include it on the appropriate day.

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  8. There are several green men in Rosslyn Chapel, featured in the Da Vinci Code. The significance behind the many different carvings of the Green Men is unknown, although William Anderson believes even if one were to regard him as the lowest level, as a mascot of the Masons, his presence in so many regions and over long a period of time indicates that he had a particular meaning to them. In some legends they speak about a green knight, although the symbolism and the identity of the knight is unknown.

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  9. What an interesting story. I'll have to keep my eyes open from now on and see if I can spot one of these green men.

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  10. I've never seen a tree with a face, unless it was a cat tree with my roommate Binga's face staring at me from above. That's what I get for being an indoor-only kitty.

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  11. Interesting story for sure, Ratty! When I see the Green man like that, I usually opt to go the other way..Scary to me!

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  12. I am always encountering strange happenings in nature. Yet I no longer consider them "strange" per say. They always make me smile. I just enjoy them and try to understand the message.

    I really like your naturally formed Green Man! Rebirth and renewal is what he means to me.

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  13. Wow.. this green man sure has a sinister laugh.. it'd really creep me out if I'd see a one even in broad daylight =D And it's my first time hearing that Green man = rebirth.

    I guess I've seen tree faces too, on TV mostly. As for strange things of nature.. I remember seeing a strange spider some ages ago, which had extra frontal limbs formed like pincers of a crab. So I used to call it the crab spider. I never saw it again after we moved from that area though. A creepy critter. -__-

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