Green Man Symbolism And Its Relation To The ’Paul is Dead’ Beatles Conspiracy
It was right before Christmas that I got an email from Matt Sergiou requesting an interview on the topic of the ’Paul is Dead’ phenomenon for his Conspiro T. V. platform. I was of course tickled pink and in fact deeply honored by his request.
I had been a long time fan of his 'The Occult Beatles' website and referenced it in my article on the 50th anniversary of the ‘Paul is Dead’ conspiracy which I wrote for Paranoia Magazine back in early 2019. We scheduled the interview for January 2nd of the current year.
Because of the time of year, namely the winter solstice, I was already immersed in the study of Christmas symbolism as it relates to my own on-going Aleister Crowley project. Funny then to find how that research dovetailed nicely with the Paul is Dead motif. But then again it should be of little surprise that any and all things Crowley should relate to The Beatles in general, and in particular - ‘Paul is Dead.’
The ‘Paul is Dead’ (P.I.D.) conspiracy, in short, stipulates that back in 1966, Paul McCartney died in a motor crash on the M1 motorway and was replaced by a body double. The remaining Beatles felt obligated to carry on the charade for Crown and money, whilst dropping hints to the fact, in songs and album covers, to appease their guilty conscience.
Matt was eager to exploit my angle on the matter which posits that Paul is not in fact dead per say but that the P.ID. conspiracy is very much alive and real, perpetrated by The Beatles for a variety of, undoubtedly, nefarious reasons.
As I told Matt in the interview, my recent research had yielded some surprising connections between P.I.D. and Christmas related themes including Father Christmas, the Grinch, the Green Knight and the Green Man. I talked about the tale of the Green Knight, how the Green Knight espoused a body double in the character of Bertilak de Hautedesert, lord of the castle which entertained and tested Sir Gawain before his fateful meeting with the Green Knight.
I also spoke on the symbolism of the Green Knight’s decapitation and its relation to P.I.D. There is of course the running theme throughout all these characters of the color green. I’ll take a little time here to touch upon some of the things alluded to but did not have time for during the interview. One of these regards the mythology of the Green Man.
The symbolism of the Green Man is deeply rooted in the vegetative cycle of death and rebirth, associated with winter and the Spring Equinox. This then of course brings us back to the Egyptian deity Osiris, lord of the underworld and the focal point of Egyptian birth/rebirth initiation rights. Let’s not forget that Osiris is depicted with green colored skin.
The image of the Green Man appears predominantly as a disembodied head or face [read: decapitated]. These are most often depicted in decorative stone or wood carvings adorning both ecclesiastical and secular buildings.
The motif of the Green Man is varied. He can appear surrounded by leaves and even with branches and vines sprouting from ears, nose and mouth. Sculptures of the Green Man can be found throughout the world, including Nepal, India, Borneo, Iraq and Lebanon. The image goes back at least to the 2nd century and scholars suggest it may have originated in Asia Minor, eventually migrating to Europe. There are foliated heads depicted in Templar churches in Jerusalem from the 11th century.
Perhaps most surprising is the symbols appropriation by the Christian Church. The image of the Green Man can be found in many Christian churches throughout Europe. One example is the thirteenth century St. Nicholas Church in Cyprus where one finds carved into its facade the Seven Green Men of Nicosia.
You can find the Green Man at St. Jerome's Church in Llangwm, Monmouthshire. It is a curious thing to find the Green Man spotted on buildings throughout England and incorporated into the names and symbols of commercial establishments like inns and pubs.
Along with its noted connection to Osiris, parallels have been drawn between the Green Man and other predominantly European deities including Dionysus, Odin and even Jesus. Specifically, the Green Man depictions originating in Iceland, Germany and Britain are said to be inspired by Nordic gods like Odin, Freyr and Mimer.
Mimer is of particular interest. Mimer was the uncle of Odin and featured as the God of wisdom and knowledge. Mimer’s Well is said to reside in the land of Ice Giants. Mimer is beheaded in the Asa-Vana war by the Vana Gods for his control over the Asa God chieftain Hoenir. Mimer’s severed head is then sent to Odin who, in attempts to preserve it, embalms the head with herbs and spices, after which he reanimates the head and keeps it with him for the wisdom it contains. Churches in Britain, after the age of the Vikings, continued the Green Man tradition as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.
It appears to me that the reference to Odin “embalming” the head of his uncle is a direct reference to the ancient Egyptian art of mummification. And what is mummification but a way to prepare the body for travel to the afterlife? Odin’s reanimation of the head, to keep it as an advisor, is a direct reference to this. The head lives again, and contains the wisdom of its travels to the land of the dead. This of course, would be an analogy of the initiation rights of Egypt and mystery schools which followed.
And of course, the severed head symbolism brings us back to Paul McCartney. A predominate feature in the ‘Paul is Dead’ motif regards the bruised and severed head of Paul which resulted from the initial car crash where Paul met his demise. Here is another indication that what we are seeing with the P.I.D. conspiracy of which The Beatles themselves perpetrated, is a veiled message that Paul has gone through some kind of sublime transformation, an initiation if you will.
But why go through all that trouble? Would it be going out on a limb to suggest that The Beatles were promulgating their own brand of religion, one that could even rival the popularity of Jesus? Such a limb of course could only produce a rotten apple.
But then Crowley would have something to say about that, wouldn’t he?
Watch my entire interview with Matt Sergiou on Conspiro T.V. here:
Here is a link to The Occult Beatles:
Follow Andrew Arnett on Twitter here: @AndrewArnett