Throughout the ages, man had a certain respect for nature. Many cultures imagined that there must be some spirit or god responsible for nature and the wilderness. The Romans called him Sylvanus, literally, ‘Of the woods’

Some call him Pan, some call him Faunus – similar beliefs manifested itself in similar ways across Europe.

While this is obviously a pagan construct, it became fashionable to decorate buildings in the late 19th century with images that represent Sylvanus in some way. Religious buildings were not exempt from this practice; after all, a harmless motif can hardly be wrong, right?

The symbology in such representations is exclusively related to the cycle of nature. It is a symbol of rebirth and of new beginnings. This mirrors the cycle that starts every spring and continues through till winter.

Whenever you see such a Green Man on buildings you will notice that it takes one of three forms. The simplest is a face staring out from within foliage. It could also be a male face with leaves or branches sticking out of his mouth. The most ornate representations show a male face with foliage sticking out of his mouth, nose and ears.

I find this to be interesting. We attribute female characteristics to the environment but these decorations are always male. I wonder why we mentally switched genders like that.

Prague is no stranger to the Green Man motif and you can find several around the city. I have tried to find them all, but it seems that some may have been removed or changed during renovations.

1. In the Old Town Square, the arcades along the Eastern side of the square conceal a Green Man on the keystone of one of the arcades. It’s only visible if you stare right up at the keystone so it’s missed by the throngs of tourists that shuffle through this Square. (See the first picture above)
2. In the Castle complex, several Green Men stare at you from the facade of St Vitius Cathedral. They were added during restoration work in the 19th century. They also are high up on the facade so the detail is difficult to discern.

3. The facade of the church of St Hastal in the Old Town should bear eight Green Men but a careful inspection shows that no such green men exist.
4. The Charles University is a modern building but part of the original gothic wall exists and contains a Green Man too.

3. The rear side of the Powder Tower has two Green Men too. Since they’re on the underside of decorative detail on Tower, I only found them because I was looking for them. (In the picture below, it’s hardly distinguishable from the rest of the stone work)