Does King Charles' coronation invite feature a pagan symbol?

King Charles III’s coronation invitation has become the talk of the town and not just because it officially identifies his wife as Queen Camilla for the first time. A little green figure on the bottom of the card has intrigued netizens, with some calling it a Pagan symbol. This has created a row online, with many bestowing their own meanings on the leafy smiling face – the Green Man. Let’s look at paganism and the row around King Charles III ’s coronation invitation. What is Paganism? Paganism is a Christian term used to refer to spiritual beliefs and practices that do not follow Abrahamic religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Patheos.com says Paganism “represents a wide variety of traditions that emphasise reverence for nature and a revival of ancient polytheistic and animistic religious practices”. Polytheistic refers to belief in more than one god, while animistic is the belief that the universe is controlled and organised by a power. As per BBC, contemporary Paganism has expanded in the last Century and its growth has coincided with the shrinking of Christianity in Europe. The story of the Green Man According to an Unherd report, in medieval Europe, foliate figures were found on different objects across churches and monasteries. Since 1939, these figures have been called the ‘Green Men’ in the English-speaking world owing to folklorist Lady Raglan. Lady Raglan believed that these foliate heads that adorned English churches originated from the myth of Robin Hood and the Jack-in-the-Green of May Day, the report added. “Hiding in plain sight in churches, the Green Man embodied ongoing pagan sympathies,” says The Spectator.

However, there were no pagans in high medieval Britain and her theory was debunked by historians.

But people had already come to believe that there was a pagan woodland deity called the Green Man, who was a fertility god. [caption id=“attachment_12424432” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Green Man were found in churches across Europe. Wikimedia Commons File Photo[/caption] “The Green Man rapidly established his place as a British icon: a symbol of the supposed survival of the ‘old ways’, an embodiment of joyous fertility who would come to root the new spiritualities of the 1960s in something native and ancient – or seemingly so,” Dr Francis Young, a historian and folklorist specialising in the history of religion and belief, wrote for The Spectator. According to Historic UK, the Green Man represents “how images from the Old Religion were brought into Christian churches before the Reformation, and is one of the most ancient, pagan symbols to be found in the Christian church.” The Green Man has also become a popular name for English inns and pubs. ALSO READ: King Charles III's coronation is less than a month away: Here's what we know Controversy around Charles’ invitation The design of Charles’ invitation, created by heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson, is a nod to the king’s love of nature and climate conservation, reported Daily Mail. Buckingham Palace, which revealed the design on 4 April, said the Green Man is “an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign”. [caption id=“attachment_12424442” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] King Charles III’s coronation invitation has become the talk of the town. AP[/caption] “The shape of the Green Man, crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom”, Associated Press (AP) quoted the palace as saying. Soon after the card was shared, a debate started on social media about the invitations featuring the ancient motif of the Green Man. UK minister for overseas territories called the Green Man a “beautiful” symbol of God’s creation.

Green Man is one of the most ancient symbols of all, and appears on countless churches across the land and beyond.
It is a symbol, among other things, of our relationship with the natural world (or in Christian terms, God’s creation). This is beautiful https://t.co/fln8XwcdkL

— Zac Goldsmith (@ZacGoldsmith) April 6, 2023

But musician Winston Marshall disagreed. “Why is the Jolly Green Giant more prominent on the coronation invite than any Christian symbols?” “He’s the head of the church. Has he forgotten the first commandment? “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” This is paganism. Shame,” the former Mumford & Sons band member wrote in a tweet.

Why is the Jolly Green Giant more prominent on the Coronation invite than any Christian symbols?

He’s the head of the church. Has he forgotten the first commandment?

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”

This is paganism. Shame https://t.co/FeKN1Y5TUB

— Winston Marshall (@MrWinMarshall) April 5, 2023

Alice Roberts, a professor of Public Engagement in Science, commented: “The Green Man is not “an ancient figure from British folklore”, but a name invented for foliate heads in churches, in 1939.” The Green Man in the invitation and its purported pagan connections or not, Charles’ Christian coronation ceremony on 6 May is definitely something the world will be watching. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.