Zera and the Green Man
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About Zera and the Green Man:

About thirteen years ago, when author Sandra Knauf's children were in elementary school, she found a terracotta mask of the Green Man at a local flea market. She brought it home, painted it green, and hung it in her garden. It was such an unusual and powerful image she became a bit obsessed to find out exactly who this Green Man was. She did some research and learned that the Green Man predated Christianity. His image (in various forms) was found in many cultures around the world. She discovered that at its most basic, the Green Man was a symbol of humankind’s connection with Nature.  

For years Sandra had been very interested in writing, gardening, and environmental issues. At this time she was reading a lot about genetically-modified food, and the more she read about GMOs, the more alarmed she became.

(One of the first things she read was Michael Pollan's in-depth article on the "New Leaf" Potato, "Playing God in the Garden." This article led to a lot of further reading.)

The Green Man imagery and what was happening with our environment and food came together in Sandra's mind as a story. She knew that the protagonist would be a girl, and she wanted to make the Green Man real. 

The Green Man

Picture

This is the Green Man wall hanging that the author found at the flea market.
 
The Green Man image is found in many forms (all the faces are made of leaves, but there is a huge range of types of faces and expressions). They are most often found in the medieval architecture of Europe, and often in churches. However, the Green Man is also seen in other, non-European cultures—you may be surprised to learn that there is a "green god" in Egyptian mythology—Osiris!

It is said that the Green Man comes to the forefront in cultures that are
undergoing environmental stress. Ten years ago you did not see many Green Men
(and Women) in the U.S. in art, but today he (and she) can be found
everywhere.
 

Picture
The author's garden.
This is a shed in Sandra's home garden. She describes her garden  as messy but much-loved, and has had this Green Man plaque hanging on the shed as inspiration for years. One of the family's three dogs, Tulio, a Chihuahua-mix, is in the foreground, next to a tub of pink lilies just starting to bloom.





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"Jack-In-The-Green" (by Jethro Tull)

Have you seen Jack-In-The-Green?
With his long tail hanging down.
He sits quietly under every tree ---
in the folds of his velvet gown.
He drinks from the empty acorn cup
the dew that dawn sweetly bestows.
And taps his cane upon the ground ---
signals the snowdrops it's time to grow.

It's no fun being Jack-In-The-Green ---
no place to dance, no time for song.
He wears the colours of the summer soldier ---
carries the green flag all the winter long.

Jack, do you never sleep ---
does the green still run deep in your heart?
Or will these changing times,
motorways, powerlines,
keep us apart?
Well, I don't think so ---
I saw some grass growing through the pavements today.

The rowan, the oak and the holly tree
are the charges left for you to groom.
Each blade of grass whispers Jack-In-The-Green.
Oh Jack, please help me through my winter's night.
And we are the berries on the holly tree.
Oh, the mistlethrush is coming.
Jack, put out the light.

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