Was Osiris the original Green Man? As Lord of Eternity and Ruler of the Dead, symbolising resurrection and re-birth. Osiris was usually green or black. Like the primeval mud from which life sprang or the Nile that kept the land of Egypt fertile. He was murdered by the evil Seth but restored to life by the love of his sister/wife Isis, with the help of jackal-headed Anubis, god of mummification. In this painting he sits on a throne, Isis behind him. In front of him is the im-y-wet fetish of Anubis (an animal skin tied to a pole on a stand). Small gauze frames in the shape of this god were strewn with seeds and left to sprout, a graphic demonstration of his powers!