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Green
Men in St Magnus Cathedral - SMC003
St
Magnus Cathedral contains five carvings believed to be of
Green Men.
This type of carving, generally associated with churches of
this period, depicts human-like heads, either with leaves
and twigs for hair or with such foliage coming out of their
mouths sometimes both. It is believed that these are symbols
of fertility, possibly representing the corruption of the
flesh, or decay and sin.
They are also believed to have been influenced by ancient
Roman carvings, although there are differences between the
two styles, with the Green Men depicted as grotesque, and
the Roman work having benevolent expressions
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