The Green Man

Wiki:

A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found on carvings in churches and other buildings (both secular and ecclesiastical). "The Green Man" is also a popular name for English public houses and various interpretations of the name appear on inn signs, which sometimes show a full figure rather than just the head.

The Green Man motif has many variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or "renaissance," representing the cycle of growth each spring. Some[who?] speculate that the mythology of the Green Man developed independently in the traditions of separate ancient cultures and evolved into the wide variety of examples found throughout history.

A foliate head in the shape of an acanthus leaf: a corbel supporting the Bamberg Horseman, Bamberg cathedral, Germany, early 13th century

A medieval Green Man (disgorging type) on the capital of a column in an English church

Grave slab in Shebbear churchyard, Devon, England.

This stone carving of a Green Man from Dore Abbey, Herefordshire, England, retains some of its original colouring.

Wiki:

Superficially the Green Man would appear to be pagan, perhaps a fertility figure or a nature spirit, similar to the woodwose (the wild man of the woods), and yet he frequently appears, carved in wood or stone, in churches, chapels, abbeys and cathedrals, where examples can be found dating from the 11th century through to the 20th century.

To the modern observer the earlier (Romanesque and medieval) carvings often have an unnervingly eerie or numinous quality. This is sometimes said to indicate the vitality of the Green Man, who was able to survive as a symbol of pre-Christian traditions despite, and at the same time complementary to, the influence of Christianity: rather than alienate their new converts, early Christian missionaries would often adopt and adapt local gods, sometimes turning them into saints.

Detail of a "disgorging" medieval misericord in Ludlow parish church.

The Green Man appears in many forms, with the three most common types categorized as:

The Foliate Head - completely covered in green leaves
The Disgorging Head - spews vegetation from its mouth
The Bloodsucker Head - sprouts vegetation from all facial orifices.

This wood carving of a "foliate head" type is on the Renaissance screen at Dore Abbey.

The Green Man by sculptor Toin Adams at the Custard Factory, Birmingham, England.

Fountain found in Campo San Giacomo, Venice], Italy.

18th century print of chimney-sweeps' May Day Jack in the Green in London.

Osiris, lord of the dead. His green skin symbolizes re-birth.

Illustration of the sign which hung outside a public house in Covent Garden in the 1970s

Carving at entrance to Schloß, Tübingen, Germany.

The Green Man. 2000 studio album by Roy Harper.