The Quest for the Green Man

John Matthews examines the Green Man as a recurring figure in mythology, folklore and the imagination of the natural world. The book follows his changing forms through British traditions, medieval architectural carvings and Arthurian material, including the Green Knight and related woodland figures.

Stories, poems and discussions of trees, seasonal customs, ritual, dance and figures such as Robin Goodfellow and John Barleycorn place the Green Man within a wider pattern of renewal, fertility and wildness. Matthews also considers his modern reappearance in ecological thinking, alongside illustrations drawn from medieval architecture and later art. Short meditations extend the book’s interest from historical tradition towards personal reflection on forests, nature and the living landscape.