The Woodwose in Suffolk & beyond:: a pictorial guide
Who is, what is and where is a Woodwose?A woodwose is a full-bodied wild man figure, mostly found carved in stone or wood and particularly concentrated within Suffolk churches. They are also found in other counties and countries across Europe. The figure is usually seen as naked but covered with hair and a long beard, grasping a club. There are occasionally female woodwose found as well.Woodwose can be wild and exuberant or stationery and sentient but they are always enigmatic and a part of that dark ‘other’ world.Variants of woodwose include having a shield, standing, sitting, kneeling or having crossed legs. They can also be seen fighting a dragon or being attacked by a lion. Very occasionally they may ride a horse or other animal. Sometimes they just get into your head and stay there!Pete Jennings has had over twenty books published on folklore, mythology, Paganism and the supernatural. He has not just researched a pictorial guide but provided the historical and wider contextual analysis. It will enable the reader to understand the possible origins and thinking behind this mysterious creature.