Haddington »
As can been seen some of the ‘human’ heads are in fact Green Men. Indeed there appear to be as many Green Men at St Mary’s Collegiate Church as at Rosslyn Chapel. Many of them at Haddington are to be found outside particularly in the cornices. As these cornices completely encircle the church and the foliage, as in this example sprouts from both sides of the mouth we wonder if the symbolism of the cycle of life, death and resurrection is being deliberately reinforced? One can see that the foliage from the mouth becomes part to the floral carves on either side.
As we continue our research it is becoming quite clear that the Green Men at Rosslyn Chapel are not unusual either in form or number. It has been suggested that we ought to create a page of Green Men taken from Rosslyn Chapel and Haddington in order that they might be set side by side so that comparisons might be made easier. We shall give serious thought to this suggestion and meantime you might wish to read an article about the Green Man and its’ possible symbolism. To do so click here
