Greenman Hamr

This wood carving is a greenman spirit made out of an ancient wood knot. As a tree slowly ends its life cycle after it has fallen its life force flows into the remaining parts of the 'live' wood. The wood knots are the final remaining pieces as the remainder become insect food and plant compost. In this found piece I have carved out the wood spirit face that remains. In older times the hunters respected the wood spirits and would never enter a wood without knocking the most ancient tree in the wood to wake up the woodspirit. A woodspirit is a lucky charm to ensure those who have the tree in their home will have good luck. This exceptionally unusual piece of wood has been bleached by years of exposure to the sun. This last remaining piece of branch was found in an amazing place Vancouver Island. You can not go further in the 'west' than Vancouver Island. I lived and wandered in the untouched (and also touched) forests. They are truly unique in there diversity and beauty. This piece of wood was part of an area that had been lived in but abandoned now. I thought this piece of wood would hold a weilgiest and it certainly did. At my naming ceremony the wielgeist chose the name Hamr.