Mysterious little green men have come under the spotlight thanks to research by an Exeter academic.

Scores of the green man’s image, complete with foliage coming out of his nose, can be found in Exeter, which is known as a UK green men capital – and Judith Richardson-Dawes of Newtown, North Devon, is trying to find out why.

Judith, an Exeter University graduate of medieval studies and an acclaimed artist in the technique of calligraphy and gold illumination, teaches medieval manuscript workshops at

National Trust properties in Devon.

She said: “The green man is really a most fascinating subject and I am branching out into a new field by giving talks on the subject.

“Devon is a hotbed for them and they are still something of a mystery.”

Hundreds of examples of the green man, the image of a human face surrounded by foliage or with foliage coming from the mouth, eyes or nose, exist in churches throughout Devon.

Originally a pagan image, possibly imported by the Romans, it was then a fairly basic fertility symbol, and was borrowed by Christian art in Saxon times. Its use in the cathedral is concentrated in the older, eastern, wing.