Wild man

The wild man (also wildman, or "wildman of the woods", archaically woodwose or wodewose) is a mythical figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to Silvanus, the Roman god of the woodlands.

The defining characteristic of the figure is its "wildness"; from the 12th century they were consistently depicted as being covered with hair. Images of wild men appear in the carved and painted roof bosses where intersecting ogee vaults meet in the Canterbury Cathedral, in positions where one is also likely to encounter the vegetal Green Man. The image of the wild man survived to appear as supporter for heraldic coats-of-arms, especially in Germany, well into the 16th century. Renaissance engravers in Germany and Italy were particularly fond of wild men, wild women, and wild families, with examples from Martin Schongauer (died 1491) and Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) among others.

Terminology

The first element of woodwose is usually explained as from wudu "wood", "forest". The second element is less clear. It has been identified as a hypothetical noun *wāsa "being", from the verb wesan, wosan "to be", "to be alive". The Old English form is unattested, but it would have been *wudu-wāsa or *wude-wāsa.

Wild man (disambiguation)

The wild man is a figure of medieval European art, literature and folklore.

Wild man may also refer to:

See also

Wild Man (Ricky Van Shelton song)

"Wild Man" is a song written by Susan Longacre and Rick Giles, and recorded by American country music singer Ricky Van Shelton. It was released in October 1992 as the second single from his album Greatest Hits Plus. The song spent twenty weeks on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, where it peaked at number 5. It was his last Top Ten hit on the country music charts.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

References