Who is the Green Man?

Explore any garden center here in the U.S. and you will likely find a depiction of a man emerging from the forest, his face morphing with leaves and green. This type of sculpture is also commonly depicted in the architecture of buildings and churches in Europe. To NeoPagans and Wiccans he is the Lord of the Wood, and the Horned God. The horns represent the waxing and waning moon. He is also called the Oak King, and is the embodiment of fertility, virility and growth. His powers peak at the Summer Solstice when the days are longest and then he becomes the sacrificial harvest each fall. He is finally resurrected each Winter Solstice with the return of the Sun.
This ancient myth of vegetation gods and resurrected gods is universal. Consider the myth of Osiris in Egypt, Tammuz in Babylonia, Cernnonus of Celtic lore and even the Christ of the Bible. In Eastern religions Krishna and Rama are symbols of abundance and eternal life.
The Green Man is depicted in literature as Robin Hood, The Green Knight in Arthurian legend, and Enkidu in the Gilgamesh story. He is Puck in Shakespeare's A Mid Summer's Night Dream, and the Jolly Green Giant of modern advertising.
One author Francesca De Grandis in Be a Goddess writes that any time that you invoke the Goddess you automatically invoke the God because he is a part of her ever entwined as one. The author reminds us of the Craft expression "First we meet the Goddess, and then we meet the God." She explains, "Once you have taken Her energy in, you will come to let in the love of the Horned One in a way that you never could without Her tutelage."
For tonight's circle we called exclusively on the God so that we can understand and appreciate him more thoroughly.

Lord of the Dance (version 2)
I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun;
I was called from the darkness by the song of the Earth,
I joined in the singing and she gave me birth.
(Chorus)
Dance, then, wherever you may be!
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you on, where ever you may be,
I will lead you all in the Dance, said he!
I sleep in the kernel and I dance in the rain,
I dance in the wind, and through the waving grain,
And when you cut me down, I care nothing for the pain --
In Spring I'll be Lord of the Dance again!
I see the maidens laughing as they dance in the sun,
I count the fruits of the harvest, one by one;
I know the storm is coming, but the grain is all stored,
So I sing of the dance of the Lady and the Lord.
We dance ever slower as the leaves fall and spin
And the sound of the Horn is the wailing of the wind;
The Earth is wrapped in stillness and we move in a trance,
But we hold on fast to our faith in the dance.
The sun is in the south and the days lengthen fast,
And soon we'll sing for the winter that is past,
Now we light the candles and rejoice as they burn,
And dance the dance of the sun's return!
They cut me down, but I leap up high!
I am life that will never, never die.
I'll live in you and you'll live in me --
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he!
The moon in her phases and the tides of the sea,
The movement of Earth, and the seasons that will be
Are rhythm for the dancing and a promise through the years --
The Dance goes on through joy and tears.

Words by Marty Hale-Evans

--anon, Traditional Shaker, adapted.