The Green Man

All posts tagged The Green Man

The Leaf Chain from Amulets by Merlin

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on October 6, 2015
Posted in: Jewelry design, nature Jewelry. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

To enhance my amulets and pendants
I have created chain to carry the motif.
When I designed the Green Man it came upon me:
what was needed was a chain of leaves.

Leaf Chain

Leaf Chain

Small leaves to make a chain:
maple, oak, apple, larch and several others
eleven in all (so far!).
I now offer the leaf chain as both an enhancement to other pieces
bracelets, necklaces, hand flowers and waist chains (like belts for dancers).
Each chain is unique in that the order of the leaves vary
according to the time of their creation.
Most do not “repeat” a pattern;
they are composed in a completely random fashion.
Some of the leaf chains are “custom”:
they are created in the order of the client’s desire.
Every link is held together by a silver jump ring
soldered to make the chain solid.
In the past I created “eternal” chains
with no clasp
designed to simply put over the head;
but typically they are accompanied with a lobster clasp
for spring loaded security.

The Leaf Chain is an original design of Amulets by Merlin;
each chain is made one at a time by the artist.

more of Merlin’s Chains may be seen at the
Hand crafted Chain Page
created and developed
by Kirk McLaren
of Amulets by Merlin

Merlin’s Green Man Amulet

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on August 7, 2015
Posted in: Amulets, Celtic Jewelry, Celtic Lore, Druid Jewelry, Pagan Jewelry. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The Green Man in western culture it is found primarily in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Found from the ruins of ancient times carved in stone, there are many variations: a man’s face with branches and leaves.

The Green Man Amulet

In modern times one can find renderings of the Green Man as an architectural form: paintings, sculpture and amulets; considered as a manifestation of youth, re-birth and rejuvenation. In the modern lore of western traditions it has been adopted as the first stage in a man’s life. The succession follows: the Green Man: the Youth; the Hunter: the Father and the Sage: the Wise Old Man. By wearing the Green Man Amulet, one is acknowledging this early stage and supporting the youth in ones own life, the vitality of those around them.

Using oak leaves and acorns to adorn the face, I have placed an opal in the forehead: signifying vision and possibilities. For those who want more than the amulet I have a necklace version: the Green Man hung on a chain of leaves linked together.

More God and Goddess designs may be found on my Mythicals Page

Merlin’s Leaf Chain

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on August 21, 2014
Posted in: Jewelry design, nature Jewelry. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

To enhance my amulets and pendants
I have created chain to carry the motif.
When I designed the Green Man it came upon me:
what was needed was a chain of leaves.

Leaf Chain

Leaf Chain

Small leaves to make a chain:
maple, oak, apple, larch and several others
eleven in all (so far!).
I now offer the leaf chain as both an enhancement to other pieces
bracelets, necklaces, hand flowers and waist chains (like belts for dancers).
Each chain is unique in that the order of the leaves vary
according to the time of their creation.
Most do not “repeat” a pattern;
they are composed in a completely random fashion.
Some of the leaf chains are “custom”:
they are created in the order of the client’s desire.
Every link is held together by a silver jump ring
soldered to make the chain solid.
In the past I created “eternal” chains
with no clasp
designed to simply put over the head;
but typically they are accompanied with a lobster clasp
for spring loaded security.

The Leaf Chain is an original design of Amulets by Merlin;
each chain is made one at a time by the artist.

more of Merlin’s Chains may be seen at the
Hand crafted Chain Page
created and developed
by Kirk McLaren
of Amulets by Merlin

The Lord Tree

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on August 3, 2010
Posted in: Celtic Lore, Sculpture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

As the “Pagan Movement” has gained momentum in the overall global culture, within that movement is a very strong focus on the Goddess and the empowerment of Women. Although the entire community has embraced the fact that Women are more than simply “important” (they are essential to all things human!) one of the things that has been over looked is the Men who accompany them.

In an attempt to highlight Men’s contribution of the growing Pagan Culture, Isaac Bonewits wrote a book “The Pagan Man” which included detailed accounts of several men and their activities both singularly and collectively which include musicians, artists and scholars.

In my own part, I was commissioned to create The Lord Tree in bronze. The Tree is about 9 inches tall with details from all angles: In the leaves there is the image of the Green Man, the symbol Man in his youth (among other things).

The Lord Tree

Under the shade of the leaves is perched a man poised in the hunt. This symbolizes man in his middle age; the position of bread winner, hunter and tracker. These activities are often the work of the Father providing for his family, doing the necessary work for those around him: his community.

In the trunk of the tree is the face of the Sage: the Old Man. In this stage of life he has lived through his years, remembering the lessons of his folly in youth, the skills of his life as provider and now able to pass on the knowledge and wisdom he has collected in his lifetime. Here, instead of attempting to recapture his youth he teaches the new generation through story and song of experience and skill.

The Lord Tree holds the combination of all three qualities ( like the counterpart of the Warrior, Healer, Crone) of Man in one piece symbolized both as the tree itself and the root system that forms the base: the roots resolve into a Celtic knot work ring providing a never ending cycle of youth, strength and wisdom.

This statue is a one of a kind and currently in a private collection. More images of the Lord Tree may be seen in my website featuring the sculpture.

Want a custom statue created just for you? Please visit my How to Order Custom Page

The Leaf Chain

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on October 2, 2009
Posted in: Jewelry design, nature Jewelry. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Some years ago I wanted to enhance some of the amulets and pendants I created with a chain that would carry the motif. When I designed the Green Man it came upon me: what was needed was a chain of leaves.

leaf chain

Popping open a botanical book I then stared carving small leaves that could be then be attached together to make a chain: maple, oak, apple, larch and several others: eleven in all (so far!). I now offer the leaf chain as both an enhancement to other pieces and also bracelets, necklaces, hand flowers and waist chains (like belts for dancers). Each chain is unique in that the order of the leaves vary according to the time of their creation. Most do not “repeat” a pattern; they are composed in a completely random fashion. Some of the leaf chains are “custom”:they are created in the order of the client’s desire. Every link is held together by a silver jump ring that is in turn soldered to make the chain solid. I have in the past created “eternal” chains with no clasp but designed to simply put over the head; but typically they are accompanied with a lobster clasp for spring loaded security.

The Leaf Chain is an original design by Amulets by Merlin; each chain is made one at a time by the artist.

The Green Man Amulet

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on June 10, 2009
Posted in: Amulets, Celtic Jewelry, Celtic Lore, Druid Jewelry, Jewelry design, Pagan Jewelry, Wiccan Jewelry. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The Green Man as a work of art has many interpretations.  In western culture it is found primarily in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.  Found from the ruins of ancient times carved in stone, there are many variations: a humanoid face with a wreath of leaves and at times the face is composed of foliage: branches and leaves coming out of the nose and mouth.

The Green Man Amulet

In modern times one can find renderings of the Green Man as an architectural form: paintings, sculpture and amulets; considered as a manifestation of youth, re-birth and rejuvenation.  In the modern lore of western traditions it has been adopted as the first stage in a man’s life.  The succession follows: the Green Man: the Youth; the Hunter: the Father and the Sage: the Wise Old Man.  By wearing the Green Man Amulet, one is acknowledging this early stage and supporting the youth in ones own life as well as the vitality of those around them.

In my own work I have developed the Green Man Amulet.  Using oak leaves and acorns to adorn the face, I have placed an opal in the forehead: signifying vision and possibilities. For those who want more than the amulet I have a necklace version: the Green Man Amulet hung on a chain of leaves linked together.

You can view this and many other creations at the Amulets by Merlin Website.