Green Man
| Greyhawk Deity | |
|---|---|
| Green Man | |
| |
| The Green Man, as depicted in Beyond the Crystal Cave (1983). | |
| Title(s) | |
| Home Plane | Prime Material Plane (Sybarate) |
| Power Level | Demigod |
| Gender | male |
| Class(es) | Bard 12, Druid 14 |
| Alignment | Chaotic Neutral |
| Portfolio | Growth, Abundance |
| Domains | |
| Alias(es) | John Barleycorn, Mother Nature's Son |
| Superior | unknown |
The Green Man is an Old English god of Growth and Abundance who can be found on the Island of Sybarate in the Hold of the Sea Princes. His sacred animal is the harvest mouse. His symbol is the hop.
Description
The Green Man is depicted as a bearded man wearing a skullcap, grinning and carrying a foaming mug of beer. He may appear in the guise of a gardener, brewer, forester, or any similar occupation. Once per round the Green Man may breathe out a cloud of intoxicating gas.
Relationships
The Green Man is linked to an alien group of deities - the Old English mythos - that also includes such figures as Wayland and Gogmagog. They aren't organized in any way; they're just grouped together because they fit nowhere else.
Realm
The Green Man has a home within Porpherio's Garden on the southern coast of the Island of Sybarate, where he was persuaded to come by the wizard Porpherio Profoundeus. He dwells in a well-furnished cave whose door is surrounded by two upright beams with dog-roses climbing on them and a wooden lintel. The interior is filled with jars and stills for fermenting beverages. The inside of the cave is always daylit, regardless of the time of day outside.
Dogma
The Green Man is concerned with mundane plants and animals and their produce, especially the making of beers, ales, and wines. He favors the simple folk of the countryside and inspires plants to grow with song. He avoids those whose alignments do not contain at least one neutral component and abhors violence.
Worshipers
The Green Man is called upon by peasants and smallholders to increase the growth of their crops and help them bring home the harvest as only he can. Few choose him as their permanent patron, and he takes little interest in those who do.
Clergy
Clerics of the Green Man must become at least mildly intoxicated before they go to sleep if they wish to regain their spells in the morning. They can be lawful neutral, neutral, or chaotic neutral. They are often bearded and/or hirsute, and wear comfortable tunics of woodland green.
Temples
The Green Man is worshipped anywhere that is in contact with the earth. Lush meadows, fields of crops, and orchards are all appropriate places.
Rituals
The Green Man requires neither sacrifice nor propitiation.
Holy Days
Holy days in the Green Man's faith are the Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, and any other day his followers can think of an excuse to celebrate.
Bibliography
- Browne, Dave J., Tom Kirby, and Graeme Morris. Beyond the Crystal Cave. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
