Introducing the wild and enigmatic woodwose
What’s that in the woods? Could it be? It is! Behold a woodwose! Not to be confused with a green man but a hairy, beclubbed and lion friended woodwose! What is a woodwose? Well, I suppose that they need some introduction in this cold modern world. A woodwose is a wild man of the woods, a popular character in medieval myth and stories. Wood or wode simply means wood and wose means man. They are very hairy and wild. Indeed, it is their defining quality, their wildness. They appear in art, heraldry, church decoration and literature. A good example being the medieval poem, Gawain and the Green Knight, where the hero has a long and dangerous journey encountering dragons, lions, and woodwose.
Alexander the Great and the wild man’s snare
Another popular story which involved the wild men of the woods is an Alexander the Great story. Alexander was another popular character in medieval England and despite never setting a foot in England became the subject of many stories. One involved a wild man who decided to catch and kidnap Alexander. Alexander became aware of this wicked plot and set a snare trap for the wild man which he baited with the only thing that both wild men and unicorns cannot resist a young woman. The theme of the woman being able to tame the wild man is an ancient one which goes back to the Epic of Gilgamesh. In Carlisle cathedral, there is a misericord of a wild man and a nymph. He looks on her lovingly as she looks out of the carving directly at the viewer, confident in her power over the wild man.
Woodwose carvings and mythical encounters
In Coventry, the wild men of the forest were very popular indeed. In Holy Trinity church at the city center there are two nice woodcarvings one on the front door and the other on a misericord. They show the wild man in all his hairy glory sitting with his Herculean club and pet lion.
Nearby at Kenilworth, Queen Elizabeth was entertained by a troop of dancers dressed as wild men. King Charles VI of France once joined his friends and dressed as wild men and was nearly burned to death by a stray spark that ignited the costume which was soaked in pitch and oil to attach the hair.
The next times you are in an old church, have a good look around. On the walls or under a misericord you might find a wild man of the woods or even a whole family of them! You might also see a green man or any other of the mass of mythical creatures that amused and entertained our medieval ancestors.
