The Green Children of Woolpit
Two mysterious green-skinned children appeared in 12th-century Woolpit, speaking an unknown language.
- Region
- Suffolk
- Country
- England
- Category
- Folklore
- Date
- 1150
- Continent
- Europe
The report
In the 12th century, villagers in Woolpit discovered two children near a wolf pit with green-tinged skin. They spoke an unknown language and refused to eat normal food, surviving only on raw beans at first. The boy died young, but the girl adapted, lost her green hue, learned English, and claimed they came from a twilight land called 'St. Martin’s Land,' where the sun never fully shone. Historians have suggested explanations ranging from malnutrition to folk allegory, but the mystery remains unsolved.
Sources and further reading
Location
52.2211, 0.8911
Keep looking
More Folklore reports More from United Kingdom More from Europe