The Green Man and the Wild Man

Who is the Wild Man? And who is the Green Man? Why are the two figures constantly overlapped and confused, when in reality they are two distinct entities and, although complementary, even opposite? In this innovative essay the author, for the first time, offers a clear description of differences and affinities, and above all traces a plot useful for the symbolic interpretation of the elements in play, accompanying the reader through a visual journey thanks to more than 80 illustrations. Among beasts, demons and demigods the reader is invited to analyze the focal points of the history of these two powerful silent archetypes protagonists of the collective imagination even before the sacred iconography (pagan and Christian). This book does not want to be an exhaustive study on the two figures, but a serious invitation to reflection and a solid starting point to discover the ultimate meaning of the coexistence between Natural Anima and Animal Nature.

TABLE OF CONTENTS / PREFACE / Natural Anima and Animal Nature / – SECTION ONE – Who is the Green Man? / The Green Man: The Natural Anima / – SECTION TWO – Who is the WILD MAN? / The Guardian / Merlin the Sorcerer / The Wild King and the Hermit / Sacred Naturalness: The Wild Saints / The Savage Men / The Dark Side / The Ogre and the Bear / The Devil / Wild Man: the Animal Nature