Elaine C.

Block

The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds

(Foliate Heads on Medieval Misericords)
Reinardus. Yearbook of the International Reynard Society, Volume 13, Issue 1, 2000

Abstract
The Green Man has been a popular pagan motif for millennia, adorning ancient arches
and tombs, and medieval capitals, tympana and choir stalls. One type of Green Man
sprouts vines or leaves from the mouth or other facial orifices. The foliage does not cover
the face but rises at the sides, often crowning it and covering the adjacent sculptural
space. The other form is a foliate mask which covers the face and does not spread beyond
it. Both forms connect man to nature in mysterious ways, evoking Bacchus and other
gods. The Green Man is a popular motif on misericords since it was easily recognisable
and the form could be adapted to the trapezoidal space under the seat.

Foliage was the most common motif on medieval stone and wood carvings
in churches. A close look at many of these foliate images may reveal a face
surprisingly hidden among the leaves. Other foliate faces are clearer and hu-
man features: expressive eyes, extended tongues, bared teeth, are entwined
or fused with the foliage. Kathleen Basford, in a brief but monumental study
of the Green Man, has traced the roots of this phenomenon from Antiquity
to the Renaissance, and offers hypotheses and interpretations that form a
basis for any further study in this field.1 Basford’s Green Men are mainly
in stone, and more than half of them are in British churches. The present
study, with few exceptions, will concentrate on the Green Man motif on
medieval misericords.2 My survey covers a dozen countries, beginning with
the thirteenth-century foliate masks at Exeter and Poitiers Cathedrals, and
closing with the foliate cherubs on the choir stalls of Gaillon (on loan to
the Basilica of Saint-Denis), early sixteenth century.3 This study will also
analyse, to a greater extent than we find in Basford’s study, the differences
between types of medieval Green Men.
Trees were venerated in many pagan cultures: the Celtic Gods were al-
legedly related to tree spirits. Foliate heads decorated Celtic helmets, horse
1 K.Basford, The Green Man (Ipswich: D.S. Brewer, 1978).
2 Photographs of misericords in the following churches and cathedrals are included in
Basford’s book: Poitiers Cathedral, Southwall Cathedral, Coventry Cathedral, Loversall
Church, Lincoln Cathedral, Chester Cathedral, Whalley: St Mary, Cartmel Priory, Kings
Lynn: St Margaret, Ludlow: St Lawrence, Norwich Cathedral.
3 See the iconographic classification of Green Men in the Appendix to this article.
16 Elaine C. Block

harnesses and other objects both spiritual and practical. Miranda Green be-
lieves that these faces may represent gods, spiritual leaders, amuletic masks
or symbols of power.4 The Green Man appears in Roman art from the
first century AD, and was widely disseminated in the following century, ap-
pearing on triumphal arches in Rome, in temples and on tombs.5 A series
of sixth-century tombs from Neumogen, near Trier in Germany (now in the
Trier Landesmuseum),6 is adorned with foliate masks. The foliage is used on
these tomb-heads in different ways, sometimes trimming the face, sprouting
from facial orifices, or covering the entire face. On one carving the human
element is only suggested by the folds and laps of acanthus foliage.
The power of the tree spread around the globe, or possibly originated
in various civilisations. The American Indian tribe of Iroquois formed the
“False-Face Society” whose members wore bark masks, during rituals, to
exorcise diseases from sick tribal members.7 The masks were partially carved
on a carefully selected living tree. They were then carefully removed for the
powerful spirit of the tree lived in the mask only if the tree survived.8
These masks were not perceived as concealment, but rather as portraits of
mythological beings. Is this also true of medieval foliate masks?
The earliest foliate head in Christian France is on the fourth-fifth century
tomb of Sainte-Abre at Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand in Poitiers.9 Among pagan
motifs such as dolphins, vases and rayed busts, is a foliate head with vines
spraying from the mouth. It is not as much an antique image as a proto-
type for future Romanesque foliate heads.10 Basford feels there is a definite
change in the foliate head in the tenth century and continuing through the
twelfth, probably due to the teachings of Hrabanus Maurus, the eighth-
century theologian who influenced Christian iconography in many ways.
The demon heads which bared their teeth and glared at viewers may have
resulted from his idea that foliage represented “the sins of the flesh and
wicked men doomed to eternal damnation”.11 The demon type of foliate
head is rare on misericords, since these carvings existed only from the late
thirteenth century, after the demise of the demon head in stone. From the
thirteenth century, the foliate head flourished in France and two types were
4 M.
Green, Celtic Art: Reading the Message (London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1996).
5 Basford,The Green Man, p. 9.
6 Ibid., p. 10.
7 R. Ritzenthaler, Iroquois False Face Masks (Milwaukee: Milwaukee Public Museum,

1969), p. 18.
8 Z. Pearl Matthews, The Relation of Seneca False-Face Masks to Seneca and Ontario

Archeology (NY–London: Garland, 1978).

9 Basford, The Green Man, p. 11.
10 Ibid., p. 12.
11 Cited in Ibid., p. 12.
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 17

identifiable: the “tête de feuilles” and the “masque feuillu”, which will be
discussed below.
Green Men looked down from roof bosses, capitals and corbels in cathe-
drals and adorned baptismal fonts, tombs and tympana, long before they
were carved on poppies, panels, arm-rests and misericords of choir stalls.
With few exceptions, the image is limited to the head, with no body at-
tached in any way. This composition may reflect the tradition of reverence
for the severed head; saints’ heads for example, were separated from their
bodies, encased in gold and jewels, and adored. Foliate-heads are rarely
female, perhaps because of the strong association with the male god Bac-
chus. Occasionally the faces are expressive, conveying an aura of mystery.
In some forms this figure sprouts foliage (tête de feuilles); in others it is a
mask (masque feuillu), integrated directly with the foliage. The photographs
which accompany Basford’s text are almost all of the first type; the sprouters
have vines usually emerging from the mouth but occasionally also from nose,
eyes or forehead.12 It is probable that the foliate heads on stone before the
thirteenth century were mainly of the sprouter type.

The Green Man on Misericords

The Green Man lends himself remarkably well to misericords. Not only was
the subject instantly recognisable by the viewer, but the shape of the image
could easily be modified to fit the triangular or trapezoidal space reserved
below the choir-stall ledge for these supportive carvings. The foliage could
extend in any direction to cover the space and be of limited or extensive
quantity. The adaptability of this image, along with that of monsters and
mermaids, made it a favourite choice for misericord sculptors. Also, the sig-
nificance of the powerful pagan image was well suited to its position under
the seats. The foliate man had pagan charisma, and while he is viewed on
capitals and corbels in spaces high above the choir stalls, his natural place
is under the seats, in the company of the profane imagery so prominent in
the nether region of the choir stalls (Ill. 5).

The Earliest Foliate Misericords 13

The earliest misericords consisted of foliage, sometimes ordinary but other
times ornate and magnificent. Exeter misericords, for example, has orna-

12 The foliate masks in Basford’s book are at Lichfield Cathedral (capital), Würtzburg

Deutschauskirche (roof boss), Bamberg Cathedral (statue base), Auxerre Cathedral (cap-
ital), and Poitiers Cathedral (dorsal spandrel and misericord). All other photographs
appear to be sprouters.
13 See the Iconographic Index of Green Men at the end of this article.
18 Elaine C. Block

mental foliage, some of which incorporate human heads or monsters (Ill. 1).
Misericords at Poitiers, the oldest extant set in France are mainly foliate.
While narrative motifs developed in the fourteenth century, foliate designs
continued through the fifteenth century. Note especially those at Chich-
ester Cathedral and Hospital, and at Rodez and Villefranche-de-Rouergue
by André Sulpice (Ill. 2), where they alternate with narrative motifs. In
England the central carving was frequently framed by foliate supporters
(Ill. 3). Occasionally the foliage includes acorns, bunches of grapes, or seeds
(Ill. 4) essential to the economy of the times, or even a local plant such as
the thistle in Scotland.
In England the Green Man was also called “Jack o’the Green”, at least
from the eighteenth century, and was associated with the celebrations on
the first of May. He may be represented on misericords by a head covered by
foliage or an ordinary head visible behind foliage.14 The sprouting heads are
usually not considered to represent this particular May Day celebrant. The
two variant types by which this form is known in French (tête de feuilles,
masque feuillu) both appear in England and in other countries, as well as
in France itself. For our purposes we will call them, respectively: Foliage-
Sprouting Heads (Ill. 6) and Foliate Masks (Ill. 7). A series of three heads on
a column of the south porch at Chartres Cathedral illustrates both types.
The central head is a mask of acanthus leaves, while the lateral heads sprout
foliage from their mouths: on the left, oak; on the right vine-leaves – the
two main varieties of foliage associated with Bacchus.

Foliage-sprouting Heads
Although the heads that sprout foliage may vary, they share several fea-
tures. Most important is that they maintain the clear outline of the head
and distinct facial features (Ill. 8). These are definitely human heads. There
is often a neck, sometimes a chest, and at least once, at Southwell Minster,
an entire body, where a seated figure appears in a grove. On these miseri-
cords the vines are luxuriant but remain at the sides of the carving rather
than framing the figure. Foliage is a major feature on all the stalls in this
cathedral, but only this one contains a figure sprouting leaves. The foliage
is in no sense a mask, nor does it hide any part of the face.
Secondly, with this type of Green Man, foliage sprouts from one or more
of the facial orifices, usually the mouth (Ill. 8) but occasionally the nose
(Ill. 9) or eyes (Ill. 10). The source of the foliage appears to be within the
head, sometimes sprouting from the beard or forehead. It is usually oak, but
14 This type of “Green Man” is not included in this study, since the foliage is neither

attached to nor emerging from the face. He is definitely a human form behind the foliage.
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 19

may be vine leaves, stylised leaves, or occasionally some other type. If the
foliage is poisonous the image may portend death.15 Single leaves, a pair of
stems with leaves or profuse foliage may fill the sculptural space.
At the Abbey of Maigraunge in Fribourg (Switzerland), the misericord
carving is more elaborate. A disembodied head sprouts two vines from a
closed mouth (Ill. 11). The vines extend outward and downwards, ending in
sprays of leaves and rich bunches of grapes. A smiling head at New College,
Oxford, sprouts from its eyes oak leaves that fill the sculptural space (Ill. 12).
At Saint-Pol-de-Léon a forehead sprouts two outsize leaves. Sprouters with
acorns are particularly luxurious (Ill. 13). These heads with their luscious
oak leaves and acorns are more than just pagan; they are a direct reference
to Bacchus.
The head may be an inverted devil head (Ill. 14) or, as at Ambierle
(Haute-Loire) and Pocé-sur-Cisse (Loir-et-Cher) wear the ass’s ears of a
fool (Ill. 15). Several heads are bearded; several are grotesque. A few smile.
Several African heads sprout the same foliage. At Windsor Chapel robust
twigs emerge from the half-open mouth, forming ornate foliate arrangements
at the ears (Ill. 16). Some sprouters are crowned, perhaps marking pagan
rulers. A figure at Loversall (Yorkshire) sprouts luxurious foliage from the
mouth. It falls below the chin, rises at each side of the face, and covers
the crowned head. The facial features are clearly modeled: the head seems
rather perplexed at what is going on. Two roundels at one end of a bank
of choir stalls at Salins-les-Bains, Saint-Anatoile (Jura) present simplified
examples of foliage-sprouters. One of the heads, wearing a crown, sprouts,
from his pursed lips, two sprays of leaves that extend to the sides of his face
(Ill. 17). A pendant roundel shows a female head with ornate braids at either
side of the face. From her closed lips emerge three sprays of foliage: one falls
downwards below the chin; the other two rise upwards at the sides, quite
separate from her face. Here the foliage is emblematic; it indicates that these
two figures are pagan. They are supposedly the legendary parents, known
to be pagans, of St Anatolius, the patron saint of the church.
On misericords the composition is always symmetrical, but on oddly-
shaped spaces of corbels symmetry may be sacrificed to stress profiles or
types of foliage.
Thirdly, the foliage usually rises to frame or crown the head. Sometimes
it extends to the far corners of the seat, far-removed from its source. Never
does it cover any significant part of the face.
Most sets of choir stalls have only one leaf-sprouter. Saint-Fargeau (Yon-
ne) however, has a set of distinct foliage sprouters. Two of them are female,
15 Green, Celtic Art, p. 122.
20 Elaine C. Block

which is rare for this iconography. Several hide behind foliage, and one has
the ears of a fool. Foliage sprouts either from the brows, eyes or mouths of
the different heads. At Einbeck (Germany) foliage sprouts either from the
mouth, eyebrows, or nose of the four male heads (Ill. 18, 19, 20). In all,
eighteen of the ninety heads sprout foliage from eyes, ears, nose or brow,
rather than from the mouth. All the other heads sprout foliage from both
corners of the mouth. One male head, uniquely, sprouts small animals, rather
than leaves, from the mouth.
The sprouting head is tripled on two misericords and one arm-rest. The
basic image is actually a single head with three faces: a central frontal face
with a pair of lateral profiles. Each face has three mouths and three noses,
but they share two eyes and are attached to a single neck. The distinguished
bearded and crowned head at Cartmel Priory (Cumbria) has a closed mouth,
perhaps smiling, on its central face (Ill. 22). The profile heads sprout foliage:
the left of oak and the right of vine leaves, both, as we have seen, associated
with the Bacchanalia. The triple head at Whalley (Lancashire) is similar to
that at Cartmel, except that here the head is covered by a flat cap instead
of a crown. The profile faces sprout ornamental foliage rather than oak and
vine leaves. An arm-rest at Lausanne cathedral consists of three heads under
one hat. They are in a pot, and from their mouths spew reptiles, certainly
an evil symbol.
Whilst a triple head might signify the Trinity, Prudence, Janus, intensity
of emotion, the three ages of man or the three races of man, those that
sprout foliage are in a different category and evoke the image of Bacchus.16
We thus have here a Bacchic Trinity, a powerful image, tripled as were the
heads of the greatest Pagan Gods. Cerberus, the dog who guards hell is
triple-headed. Basford calls this tricephalus a triple-headed Beelzebub: the
root of all evil.17 It is not necessary for a Satanic trinity to look evil; a very
ordinary face wearing a crown and holding a mace may, when tripled, denote
the antithesis of the Holy Trinity, a Satanic Trinity or even an Antichrist.
On seven misericords (two in France and five in England) the heads
sprouting foliage are animal, mainly lion heads but some indeterminate. A
dog at the cathedral of Saint-Claude (Jura) sprouts a pair of huge leaves
from its mouth (Ill. 21). Several elaborate pagan lions reside at some churches
in England. A symbol of strength, and in some instances a symbol of Christ,
the lion is a natural choice for an animal “Green Man”. It is nevertheless
surprising to attribute to an animal the life-force, the source of vegetation

16 See E.C. Block, ‘Judaic Imagery on Medieval Choir Stalls’, Reinardus 8 (1995),

pp. 25–47.
17 Basford, The Green Man, p. 21.
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 21

and symbol of fertility. One animal head is inverted, and sprouts an abun-
dance of vines and exploding seeds. Two animal heads sprout abominable
animals rather than foliage (Ill. 23). Anthony Weir interprets this image as
a representation of blasphemy, heresy, scandal or generalised evil.18 Once
more, removed by five hundred years from the Green Man, we may not be
able to understand him completely.
At least 90 heads sprout foliage on medieval misericords. By far the
greatest number are in France (40) and Great Britain (33), with a few in
other countries: Belgium (2), Cantons of Helvetia (1), Germany (5), the
Netherlands (3) and Spain (4). A number of supporters on English mis-
ericords present sprouters either to complement the main motif or as an
ornament. Many arm-rests also are decorated with sprouters. At Einbeck in
Germany they continue the theme of the misericords.
The leaf-sprouter is only one form of the Green Man. Certainly this
image connects the vegetal world with the human world, and the Christian
world with the pagan. It does this in a specific way by making the human
figure, in fact the human head, the source for the vegetation.

The Foliate Mask

In the second type of Green Man, the leaf has replaced or at least fused
with the face. Eyes are generally visible and sometimes nose and mouth,
but as holes or gaps in the leaf rather than as realistic human features. The
most famous, and perhaps the most beautiful of these masks is at Bamberg
Cathedral, on the base of a statue of a mounted knight, called The Rider,
c. 1230. It is not certain who or what this rider represents, whether he is
an idealised version of knighthood or whether he is an idealised portrait
of a king such as Frederick II.19 The statue stands by the East choir of
the cathedral, on a base trimmed with curls of foliage. The artist was the
Bamberg Master, who probably also carved sculpture at the cathedrals of
Rheims, Mainz and Trier.20 The foliate mask extends below the foliage on
the statue base, and forms a corbel under the horse’s left foreleg. It consists
of a large acanthus leaf with many lobes and sub-lobes which stem from the
nose and rise symmetrically in pairs, spanning to cover the face and ending
in a fringe that replaces hair. One additional lobe emerges from the lower
lip and covers the chin. Nose and mouth are articulated with the leaf and
18 A. Weir & J. Jerman, Images of Lust. Sexual Carvings on Medieval Churches (Lon-

don: Batsford, 1986), p. 106.

19 See W.R. Valentine, The Bamberg Rider: Studies of Medieval German Sculpture (Los

Angeles: Zeitlin & Ver Brugge, 1956). Valentine considers that this statue, as well as that
of a second Rider, in the market-place at Magdeburg, represents Frederick II.
20 Ibid., p. 97.
22 Elaine C. Block

eyes are hollows, looking vaguely to the left, deep behind the foliage. The
shape of the head is completely hidden; in fact the shape of the mask is an
elongated rectangle. Even so, the leaf has come alive in mysterious ways. It
appears to be introspective and querulous, perhaps reflecting the philosophy
of the knight mounted above.
The foliate masks on choir stalls follow the general form seen on corbels
and roof bosses. The masks at Ormes (Eure), Montmorency (Val d’Oise)
and Astorga in Spain have foliage over the face and extending at the sides;
the face is seen through the foliage. Eyes and mouth are visible among these
foliate forms. The foliate mask at Carenton (Manche) is similar, with three
leaves forming the brow and a bump showing through a leaf for the chin. A
smiling mask at Saint-Léonard (Oise) is also of leaves (Ill. 24). The sides of
the head are hidden by the foliage. Hexham Abbey (Northumberland) has
a smiling foliate mask.
A foliate mask fills a spandrel on the back of the thirteenth-century
choir stalls at Poitiers.21 Foliage seems to grow from the bridge of his nose,
from his eyebrows and from his chin, and completely covers his face. His
features, however, remain visible, and with the foliage cover the small space
to form a curved triangular face. The mask shares the dorsal panels with a
veritable bestiary of household and legendary animals and grotesques. Other
spandrels present daily activities and occupations, such as the slaughtering
of a pig and an architect at work; but the Mask looks on unperturbed, and
is perhaps the most powerful image of them all.
The shape of the mask may be diamond, square or round, but the out-
line of a human head is gone. The humanoid spirit seems to emerge through
the leaf and be equated with the leaf. In the case of a double quatrefoil
at Cologne, one head appears to be without and the other with the foliate
mask. While such leaf masks on corbels or carved in stone can have grotesque
expressions and twisted mouths, the misericord leaf-masks are usually quite
calm. Miranda Green believes that Celtic masks express fright, fierceness,
or may be sublime or secretive; she realises, however, that these interpreta-
tions may be anachronistic and formed without context.22 Basford believes
that the Green Men may represent demons, lost souls, or sinners, and are
probably not spirits of renewal.23
There are a few animal leaf masks. The mane of the lion, for example,
may be replaced by foliate forms.

21 The choir stalls at Poitiers Cathedral are the oldest extant set in France. There are

two foliate masks on the misericords as well as the extraordinary mask on a dorsal panel.
22 Green, Celtic Art, p. 18.
23 Basford, The Green Man, p. 20.
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 23

Comparisons among the Green Men

The important distinction between the leaf sprouters and the foliate masks
is that the foliage remains on the masks instead of moving away from the
head. The foliage hides the underlying human form either by covering it
or by replacing it. The foliage has adopted a few human features without
losing the basic vegetal appearance. The foliate mask may therefore be of
two types, one where the foliage hides the face and the other where the leaf
has become alive by incorporating a few human features into its form.
The foliate masks and the leaf sprouters may have different meanings.
Perhaps the image of the sprouter tends to deify man, to make him a pagan
god. Although the head may look quite normal, man is here given superhu-
man powers. He is productive; he is fertile; he is responsible for feeding the
world. This image might also be a Springtime symbol when fertility rites
are important. The sprouter may also have an eerie side, since the foliage
that is sprouted often looks as if it is gushing forth uncontrollably. In a
few cases the head spews a mess of small animals. The leaf-sprouter is a
powerful image.
The masks may signify the spirit of the vegetal world, or a spirit that has
conquored the human world. They might also convey non-pagan meanings.
Several masks at Besse-en-Chandesse probably represent sloth and gluttony.
Such themes would be difficult to convey on a sprouter, since the mouth is
usually open and is the focus of the image.
Several sets of choir stalls, in contrast to the isolated leaf sprouters, have
a number of foliate-masks, often accompanied by images of human heads
adorned by foliage on other misericords. Champeaux (Ile-et-Vilaine) has six
of these green men, each different (Ill. 25, 26). The shape of the masks and
their expressions are varied.
The stalls at Cuisery (Saône-et-Loire) have thirteen foliate-masks. Each
carving has foliage on a different part of the heads: hair, ears, cheeks, and
one is an animal head. New College at Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) has six
foliate masks. One is a monster, one is bearded, one has empty eye sockets
that will be filled with the eyes of the wearer of this mask. One head, tripled,
is covered with worms and horrid-looking creatures rather than with foliage,
but it seems to be part of the Green Man series. The cathedral at Magdeburg
(Germany) has six masked green men on its misericords, and also humans
decorated with foliage. One carving has a lion face in the middle of a leaf.
The reasons why certain sets of choir stalls have many Green Men while
others have one or even none, are never clear. It is not certain whether a pro-
gramme underlies the misericords of all choir stalls, but such a programme
might have focused upon pagan imagery. The patron of the stalls might feel
24 Elaine C. Block

a special attraction to foliate imagery, or the carver might specialise in such

imagery; or again, a foliate design in a circulating pattern-book, similar to
the sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt, might have caught the fancy of a
patron of a set of choir stalls.
There are many more foliate masks, 125 in all, than leaf sprouters. France
has 59 while Great Britain has 25. Germany has 34, most of which are on the
choir stalls – the misericords and the quatrefoils below the misericords – of
Cologne Cathedral. Only a scattering of foliate masks adorn the misericords
in Belgium, the Netherlands or Spain.
The masks seem to have more expression than the sprouters, largely
because the latter usually have open mouths. Except for the few masks that
have snakes and other abominable creatures, the foliate masks seem more
benign, less powerful but more mysterious images than the sprouters. They
transfer man to the vegetal world, clothe him in green, and perhaps hide
his evil nature.

Conclusions
The Green Man reached his zenith in the Middle Ages, following a long
passage from classical civilizations. As medieval traditions faded, and the
Italian Renaissance mowed its way through northern Europe, the foliate
masks and leaf-sprouting heads were replaced by entire figures, no longer
isolated visages. Heads were attached to arms and legs, and sometimes to the
lower torso; but these body parts were covered by or replaced with rolling
scrolls of foliage. Even the Renaissance mermaids have foliate tails (Ill. 27).
Foliage became a more important part of the background, in low bas-relief,
such as the seat backs from the chapel of Gaillon, now at the Basilica of
Saint-Denis. Fantastic animals and demi-figures clamber on vines and leafy
scrolls. The Green Man, the link between man and nature, had disappeared.

Author’s address:
1 rue Castex
Paris 75004 — France
E-mail: Elainecblock@cs.com
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 25

APPENDIX: GREEN MEN ON MISERICORDS24

A. Figures who sprout foliage – 90

Humans who Sprout Foliage

Belgium – 2
Bruges: Saint-Sauveur
SB-10 Head with cap attached to buttoned jacket spews fire-like foliage from
the mouth
Hastière, church
N-08 Leaves and grapes from mouth
Cantons of Helvetia – 1
Freiburg: Maigraunge
SWH-3 A foliate spiral with different leaves from each side of the mouth
France – 40
Aisne: Oulchy-le-Château, chapel
N-01 Inverted head with vines from its mouth
N-03 Vines with leaves and grapes from mouth of man with flat hat
Hautes-Alpes: Vence, former cathedral
NB-03 Foliage from mouth
WH-05 Foliage sprouts from mouth
Aveyron: Salles-Curran, parish church
NH-06 Vines sprout from his mouth and end in leaves and grapes
Calvados: Lisieux, Saint-Jacques
SH-13 Foliage from mouth
Cher: Massay, Abbaye Saint-Martin
SH-06 Foliage sprouts from mouth
Côte d’Or: Flavigny, Saint-Genest
NB-02 Foliage from mouth frames the face
Côtes d’Armor: Tréguier, Saint-Tugdual
NB-06 Foliage sprouts from ears and vines from the mouth of this angry head
with a mouthful of teeth
Dordogne: Monpazier, Saint-Dominique
NB-10 Stems issue from his mouth
24 The abbreviation system used to indicate the placement of images on the choir stalls

and the placement of choir stalls in the church is as follows: N (North), E (east), S
(south) and W (west) indicate the cardinal directions of the choir/nave walls where the
choir stalls are placed.
If there is a double row of stalls, “B” indicates the base row and “H” indicates the high
row. “q” refers to quatrefoils on back panels under the misericords found only in Cologne
Cathedral. These are included with misericords since the iconography is similar. “L” and
“R” refer to the left and right supporters on English misericords. Numbers are from the
west, the usual entry to the choir, to east unless otherwise indicated.
26 Elaine C. Block

Eure: Villette, parish church

S-03 Foliage sprouts from his mouth
Finistère: Saint-Pol-de-Léon, former cathedral of Saint-Paul-Aurélien
NH-16 Two leaves sprout from the mouth
SB-14 Leaves sprout from hair
Indre: Levroux, collegiate church of Saint-Sylvain
NB-12 Leaves from mouth cling to sides of the head
Indre-et-Loire: Beaulieu-les-Loches, parish church
N-06 Large leaf sprouts from each side of his mouth
N-09 Foliage from mouth and no hair
E-01 Bearded head has a collar painted gold and a green leaf from each side
of his mouth (Bishop’s chair)
S-04 Head has ass ears and leaves from mouth
Indre-et-Loire: Poce/Cisse, Saint-Adrien
S-03 He wears a fool’s hat and foliage sprouts from his mouth
Isère: Saint-Geoire-en-Valdaine
N-02 Twigs sprout from mouth
S-03 Head with foliate brow
Jura: cathedral of Saint-Claude
NB-06 Old bearded head with cap; foliage sprouts from his ears
SB-04 Bearded head, one oak leaf at each side which starts behind the head
Loir-et-Cher: Vendôme, La Trinité
S-03 Oak-leaves from cheeks; leaves and acorns from his closed mouth. A band
of leaves circles his head
Loire: Ambierle, former priory of Saint-Martin
SB-02 Caterpillar-type animals, head down are at each side and bite the ends
of the twigs
SH-04 The face looks down through two long leaves which sprout from his
mouth
Loire: Saint-Croix-en-Jarez
S-06 Branch is in mouth; grapes on one side and a leaf on the other
Haute-Loire: Langeac, Saint-Gall
EH-04 Vines sprout from mouth
Maine-et-Loire: Montsoreau, parish church
N-03 Sprout foliage
Maine-et-Loire: Le- Puy-Notre-Dame, Notre-Dame
SH-04 Grapes – leaves sprout from mouth; leaves sprout from head
Oise: Gerberoy, former collegiate church
S-09 Vines from mouth
Bas-Rhin: Thann, Saint-Thiébaut
NB-05 Two Heads over a Pagan Head. The female head has a garland on her
hair; the man wears a soft peaked hat. Their chins rest on the garlanded head
of a bearded man with leaves spewing from his mouth. Possible an orgy or
pagan rite
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 27

SB-07 Leaf eyebrows; leaves from mouth

Sarthe: Précigné, Saint-Pierre
S-02 In fool’s cap with large ears and point at forehead he wears a buttoned
shirt. Leaves spew from his open mouth and swirl around his face
Haute-Vienne: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat
NB-01 Leaves sprout from mouth
Yonne: Saint-Fargeau, Saint-Ferréol
NB-08 Foliage sprouts from mouth
NB-09 Foliage emerges from woman’s forehead
NH-06 Leaves emerge from man’s eyes
NH-08 Foliage sprouts from mouth
NH-09 Foliage emerges from woman’s forehead
Germany –5
Nieder-Sachsen: Einbeck
S-05 Leaves sprout from eyebrows, cover chin and lower face but leave visible
features
S-06 Leaves sprout from mouth, curl upwards and form swirls over the fore-
head
S-07 Foliage sprouts from nose. It does not hide the face
S-09 Leaves cover sides of face; leave features visible. A small third leaf sprouts
from forehead and goes over the top of the bald head
Rheinland-Pfaltz: Boppard
NH-04 Foliage sprouts from mouth.
Great Britain – 33
Berkshire: Windsor, St George’s Chapel
NH-04 Head with bat ears; vines sprout from clenched teeth
SH-17 African features, flowing hair, beard; vines from mouth end in large
leaves at sides of face
Cambridge: St John’s College
S-02 Head in foliage sprouts a leaf
Cheshire: Chester Cathedral
S-22 Mouth sprouts foliage (L: and R: Small foliate mask)
Cumbria: Cartmel Priory
SW-2 Crowned head with triple face shares two eyes, sprouts a single leaf (ivy
and oak) from each profile
H&W: Hereford All Saints
N-01 Foliage sprouts from mouth
Lancashire: Lancaster Priory
S-06 Leaves sprout from mouth and form a cap
Lancashire: Whalley, St Mary
N-03 Triple faced bearded head shares one pair of eyes, with a single leaf
sprouting from the mouths of the profile heads. No foliage covers the faces
S-06 Head with full beard sprouts a single leaf from each corner of the mouth
28 Elaine C. Block

Lincolnshire: Boston, St Botolph

NH-15 Head with one large leaf on each side of his mouth
Lincolnshire: Lincoln Cathedral
NH-09 Head with curled beard; foliage and nuts sprout from sides of mouth
and covers sides of cheeks, ears and hair. Two pair of nuts drop below his chin
without hiding it
Lincolnshire: Stamford Hospital
SH-07 Leaves sprout from eyebrows to form a crown
London: Royal Foundation of St Katharine
NH-02 Vines sprout from mouth; foliage covers hair and frames face
London: Westminster Abbey
NB-03 Foliage from corners of grotesque mouth rises above head and outward
Norfolk: Kings Lynn, St Margaret
S-06 Foliage sprouts from mouth to cover hair and chest (L: and R: Pair of
oak leaves)
Norfolk: Norwich Cathedral
NH-21 Pomegranates sprout from each corner of mouth
ST-01 Foliage sprouts from nose, brow and chin; covers ears and hair; face is
still visible
Northamptonshire: Great Doddington St Nicholas
S-02 Small head; vines and leaves sprout from mouth
Northumberland: Hexham Abbey
N-11 Vine leaves sprout from nose and form a hat
S-12 Foliage sprouts from mouth and frames head
Nottinghamshire: Sneinton, St Stephen
N-08 Tongue extended, large leaves sprout from mouth
Nottinghamshire: Southwell Minster
W-05 Seated man, in tunic and hat with chin straps, hands on knees, sprouts
three large oak leaves from each corner of his mouth. They form a group
distinct from his body
Nottinghamshire: Wysall, Holy Trinity
W-02 Leaves sprout from mouth
Oxfordshire: Oxford, New College
N-06 Smiling face, leaves grow from eyes, brows, lips, cheeks
Shropshire: Ludlow, St Lawrence
N-11 L: and R: Cross-eyed head sprouts large leaf from corners of mouth,
foliage frames head, without covering hair. [Antelope in central scene]
Shropshire: Tong, St Mary with St Bartholomew
N-04 Grapes and leaves entwined, emerge from mouth, climb up sides to cover
head. Vines also twine under chin, with a small bunch of grapes at the neck
Sussex: Chichester Hospital
N-08 Foliage from eyes
Warwickshire: Coventry, Trinity Church
S-05 Foliage from mouth, covers hair and ears. Foliage on supporters
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 29

Warwickshire: Stratford-upon-Avon, Holy Trinity

S-08 Grotesque head; foliage sprouts from mouth
Wiltshire: Mere, St Michael the Archangel
S-06 Head with protruding tongue; foliage sprouts from mouth
Yorkshire: Beverley St Mary
N-13 Head; two large leaves sprout from mouth
Yorkshire: Hackness, St Mary the Virgin
S-04 Foliage from mouth
Yorkshire: Loversall, St Katherine
N-01 Bearded head; leaves sprout from mouth, cover sides of face, chin, hair
and ears. Most of his face is still visible
Italy – 2
Aosta: Cathedral
NB-06 Snakes from mouth. Tongue is out, lips are pulled back to show teeth,
eyes are pouches and ends of snake are like horns on the head
NH-04 Humanoid face with hairy skin and two leaves from open mouth
Netherlands – 3
Haarlem: St Bavo
N-14 African head; leaves from mouth
S-03 Large leaves sprout from man’s mouth
Venlo
N-02 Oak leaves sprout from mouth full of teeth
Spain – 4
Astorga: Cathedral
NB-01 Horned leaf head with cornucopias or leaves from mouth
EH-09 Leaves from mouth cover ears and hair
Plasencia: Cathedral
N-02 Foliage sprouts from mouth
Tavalera de la Reina: Convent
S-23 Leaves sprout from mouth, go up by cheeks and cover top of head

Animal Heads that Sprout Foliage – 7

France, Essonne: Milly-la-Forêt, Assomption-Notre-Dame

NH-04 Lion Mask. It sprouts foliage from mouth
France, Jura: Saint-Claude, Cathedral
NB-03 Small animal head with large leaf sprouting from sides of its mouth
Great Britain, Devonshire: Exeter Cathedral
S-14 Animal head sprouts foliage from mouth
S-16 Dragon head sprouts foliage
Great Britain, Lincolnshire: Lincoln Cathedral
NB-12 Lion mask; foliage sprouts from mouth
NH-15 Lion-mask; foliage sprouts from mouth
30 Elaine C. Block

Great Britain, Northamptonshire: Higham Ferrers, St Mary

S-02 Foliate Lion mask. Vines spring from his mouth

B: The Foliate Mask

Foliate Masks – 125

Belgium – 2
Hastière, church
S-05 Head Peers from Foliage
Liège: Sainte-Croix
N-03 Leaf-Head. Foliage blends into forehead, nose and chin
France – 59
Haute-Alpes: Vence, former cathedral
SH-08 Smiling head; tongue partly out, seen through leaves
SH-10 Head in foliage
Eure: Bourg-Achard, Saint-Lô
E-06 Distorted face in foliage
Eure: Bourth, Saint-Just
N-07 Head with foliate hair, sideburns, beard and eyebrows
Eure: Goupillière, Notre-Dame
N-07 Triple foliate head with curly hair; a foliate profile at each side N-08
Mask of a foliate head with open mouth and bulging eyes S-05 Foliate mask
has leaf hair, cheeks and beard
Eure: Ormes, Saint-Germain
NW-1 Two foliate profiles
S-02 Head has leaf ears, hair and cheeks, and smiles
Finistère: St-Pol-de-Léon, Saint-Paul-Aurélien
NH-13 Face in foliage
Ile-et-Vilaine: Champeaux, Sainte-Marie-Madeleine
NB-04 Foliate head smiles
NB-07 Foliate head looks angry
NH-07 Foliate head laughs
NH-11 Foliate head has a moustache and semi-smile
SB-12 Foliate head may be crying
SH-13 Foliate head with puffy cheeks
Indre: Saint-Marcel, parish church
NH-03 Foliate head
SH-04 Foliate head
Loire: Ambierle, former Priory of Saint-Martin
NB-06 Bearded head between leaves
NH-02 Head with hair and foliage
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 31

Haute-Loire: Langeac, Saint-Gall

NB-01 Foliate mask
NH-06 Head with foliate moustache
N-08 Head with foliate ears, moustache and sideburns
Oise: Morienval, Notre-Dame
N-08 Head with foliate ears
Oise: Néry, Saint-Martin
S-01 Head with snakes on his brow
Oise: Remy, Saint-Denis
SW-02 Head below foliage
SW-03 Head above foliage
Oise: Avilly-Saint-Léonard, parish church
SW-1 Foliate head
S-05 Foliate head laughs
S-07 Foliate head
Val d’Oise: Montmorency, Saint-Martin
NB-08 Laughing foliate head with foliate hair
NH-06 Foliate head with foliate hair and cheeks
SB-07 Foliate head
SH-06 Foliate head smiles
Puy-de-Dome: Besse-en-Chandesse, Saint-André
SB-07 Foliate profiles: one laughing and one crying
SH-05 Glutton head with fat cheeks and a cheery expression
Saône-et-Loire: Cuisery, parish church
NB-01 Head with foliate ears and moustache
NB-08 Head with open mouth and foliate chin: singing or screaming
NH-01 Head with foliate ears grimaces
NH-05 Head with foliate ears and cheeks
NH-08 Head with frown and foliate beard
NH-09 Foliate head
NH-11 Three-quarter profile facing left, with foliate hair
SB-04 Head with foliate sideburns
SB-06 Head with leaf at each side
SB-09 Head with foliate ears
SH-05 Head with foliate hair
SH-09 Head with foliate hair and ears
Sarthe: Conlie, parish church
NB-04 Foliate mask
NH-01 Semi-foliate man
Sarthe: Le Mans, Cathedral
N-16 Head with foliage
Savoie: Abondance, Abbey
S-04 Foliate mask
32 Elaine C. Block

Tarn-et-Garonne: Négrepelisse, Saint-Pierre

N-03 Bearded head with large foliate ears
Yonne: Montréal, parish church
NWB-01 Two foliate heads
SB-03 Foliate mask
Yonne: Saint-Fargeau, Saint-Ferréol
NB-02 Woman’s head with foliage hat
NH-01 Head in foliage
SB-06 Head in foliage
SH-04 Head between leaves
Germany – 27
Constanz: Cathedral
SB-11 Green Man
Einbeck: Parish church
N-04 Head with foliage on nose
S-02 Head with foliage on hair and cheeks
S-04 Foliate head. One leaf covers mouth and nose
Cologne: Cathedral
NB-10q Foliate mask
NB-12q Foliate animal mask
NB-13 Foliate mask
NB-13q: Foliate mask
NB-16q Foliate mask
NH-07q Foliate mask
NH-09q Foliate mask
NH-15q Foliate mask
SB-21q Foliate mask. Grim head with frowning mouth framed by four large
leaves
SB-23q1 Foliate mask. Humanoid face framed by four large leaves
SB-23q2 Foliate mask. Animal head peering through large leaves
SH-03q Foliate mask
SH-11q Foliate mask
SH-13q Foliate mask
SH-15q Foliate mask
SH-17q Foliate mask
SH-19q Foliate mask
Sachsen-Anhalt: Magdeburg Cathedral
NH-16 Smiling mask with beard and horns, flat nose, fiery hair, foliate frame
SB-02 Head in foliage
SB-03 Bearded mask with foliate ears, flat nose and wide cheek bones
N-04 Foliage with head in the middle
S-12 Foliage with lion face in the middle
S-22 L: and R: Foliage with upper part of a face
S-30 Foliate mask
The Green Man: Link between Two Worlds 33

Great Britain – 24
Cumbria: Cartmel Priory
S-12 Grinning foliate mask
Devonshire: Exeter Cathedral
N-03 Man in foliage (L: and R: Soldier’s head in foliage)
Devonshire: Sherborne Abbey
N-01 Mandrake. Bust of hooded man with foliage growing from his hood
N-04 Elaborate foliate mask (L: and R: Foliage)
Hampshire: Winchester Cathedral
NH-11 Foliate mask with teeth
SH-13 L: and R: Foliate mask
Hampshire: Winchester College Chapel
N-09 Foliate mask. Stems from cheeks, chin, bridge of nose and eyebrows
H&W: Hereford All Saints
N-05 Man’s face between two leaves
Lincolnshire: Lincoln Cathedral
NH-06 Head among acorns and oak leaves
NH-08 Satyr with hindquarters of a lion, hides among oak leaves Lion-headed
monster with front paws of a lion and tail of a snake
Northamptonshire: Great Oakley, St Michael
S-02 Grotesque with carved designs on face, flowing leaves as hair and side-
burns
Northumberland: Hexham Abbey
N-08 Foliate mask unsmiling
N-12 Foliate mask smiling
S-07 Four grotesque-animal heads, forming a square leaf
Oxfordshire: Oxford New College
N-05 Triple face. Man’s fantastic triple head with extended tongue, worm
eyebrows, bat-wing ears. Central face has protruding tongue. Side profiles
have different noses and mouths: right profile with crooked nose like caricature
of Jew, left mouth is partly open (as if talking)
N-19 Foliate mask. Only smiling mouth and nose are visible behind foliage
covering eyes, ears, hair, chin
N-20 Monster in foliage
N-26 Foliate mask. Man’s features are visible but the rest of the face is covered
with foliage. The empty eyes would be filled by the masked person
N-28 Crowned foliate head, framed with vines and leaves (R: Winged two-
footed hybrid with long neck wears a Jew’s hat)
N-29 Bearded foliate head
Yorkshire: Beverley St Mary
N-11 Foliate mask
N-13 L: and R: Foliate head
Yorkshire: Wakefield, All Saints Cathedral
N-07 Head with leaves
N-16 Pagan mask
34 Elaine C. Block

Netherlands – 1
Amsterdam: Old St Nicholas [Oude Sint Nikolaas]
S-12 Head in foliage
Spain – 4
Astorga: Cathedral
EB-05 Foliate mask. Leaves circle the face
EH-01 Foliate mask, with quizzical expression
SB-14 Two angry foliate heads
Leon: Cathedral
NH-14 Triple face. Three ugly heads with three bulbous noses and four eyes

Animal Masks – 4

France, Saône et Loire: Cuisery

SB-07 Animal head with foliate hair
Germany, Cologne Cathedral
SH-17q Lion Foliate Mask
SH-26 Foliate Lion Mask
Germany, Sachsen-Anhalt: Magdeburg Cathedral
S-12 Foliage with lion face in the middle