There could be a far sadder story behind the mystery of the green-skinned children of Woolpit.
The children were reportedly found with a very nervous disposition, unsurprisingly.
Image credit: Randolph Caldecott via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) / IFLScience
Unlike the very real, very blue, family of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky, the story of the green children of Woolpit is riddled with speculation and hearsay; but, if true, the children’s lives could be a harrowing example of child neglect and the devastation caused by war.
The story of the green children of Woolpit is described in just two chronicles, neither of which actually give firsthand accounts. The details of both accounts also differ, and as a whole, the children’s story is widely questioned as to its legitimacy.
Accounts state the story took place sometime within the reign of King Stephen (1135 to 1154) or King Henry II (1154 to 1189), with the first being written by English historian William of Newburgh in his work Historia rerum Anglicarum (1196-98). The second account was detailed by English chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall in the Chronicon Anglicanum (1200-99).
Story of the green children of Woolpit
The legend begins sometime in the mid-12th century, around the year 1150, during a time in England’s history called “The Anarchy” – a 19-year-long civil war sparked by a female heir to England’s throne being subverted by a male relative.
Set in the ancient English village of Woolpit, Suffolk, it gets its rather on-the-nose name from the Old English wilf-pytt meaning “pit for catching wolves”, referring to the village’s big pit for catching wolves.
While reaping the fields near the wolf pit, villagers came across two young children. The young girl and boy appeared to be dressed in unusual fabrics, they were speaking an unrecognizable language, and their skin was tinted bright green.
The two were taken to the home of 12th-century squire Sir Richard de Calne where they were offered food, which they promptly refused. Despite the villagers offering the children a variety of foods, the pair refused to eat anything for days. That is until they came across some green beans growing in Calne’s garden, which the children picked and ate raw.
Surviving on just green beans for many months, the two eventually acquired a taste for bread. After living with Calne for some time they were eventually converted to a more balanced diet and their green skin began to disappear.
While accounts differ, some claim the boy died shortly after the pair were baptized, hinting at a link between the two events, but, like much else in this story, the claims are unsubstantiated. Other claims state the boy passed away before being baptized, while some claim he died shortly after being found.
As the girl grew, she eventually learnt to speak English and was then able to tell the story of where she and her brother came from.
“We are inhabitants of the land of St. Martin, who is regarded with peculiar veneration in the country which gave us birth.”
She described the land, stating that England was quite different from her home, although her country was Christian and had churches.
“We are ignorant [of how we arrived here]; we only remember this, that on a certain day, when we were feeding our father’s flocks in the fields, we heard a great sound, such as we are now accustomed to hear at St. Edmund’s, when the bells are chiming; and whilst listening to the sound in admiration, we became on a sudden, as it were, entranced, and found ourselves among you in the fields where you were reaping.”
Read More – The Mysterious Tale Of The Green Children Of Woolpit
Leave a Reply