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.
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
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.
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.