The green children of woolpit

Once upon a time in the quiet English village of Woolpit, something very peculiar occurred. Animal snares were set up around the village to keep woodland creatures at bay — but one day, rather than trapping wolves, a different kind of trespasser fell prey to the pits.

Two abandoned children, with skin as green as leaves.

It was harvest time in the 12th century community of Woolpit. The village was located in one of England’s more populous agricultural regions. Yet its inhabitants still clung to their pastoral roots, and their love of folklore.

The villagers were going about their daily duties when they came upon the children — one boy and one girl. The pair spoke in a bizarre tongue and wore clothing that no one had seen before.

A few villagers pulled the green children from the pit while others brought them something to eat. They refused all food but raw beans.

A landowner named Sir Richard de Caine took in the foundlings and soon had them baptized. Yet the little boy struggled to adapt. Not long after their arrival in Woolpit, he fell ill and died.

The young girl, however, survived — and began learning English. Once her vocabulary grew big enough, she relayed her story to the villagers.

The little girl and her brother hailed from St. Martin’s Land. It was a region forever cloaked in twilight, and surrounded by a swirling river. Everyone in St. Martin’s Land was green. Gazing across the river, they spied another land far brighter than their own.

How exactly the siblings arrived on the other side, she was unable to explain. The little girl claimed they were tending to her father’s cattle when they discovered a cave. They entered the narrow opening, crawling deeper into the darkness.

Suddenly there was a flood of light — brighter than anything they could imagine. It was then that the green children tumbled headfirst into the pit.

The girl remained in Woolpit where she found work as a servant in Sir Richard de Caine’s house. Eventually she rechristened herself Agnes and married a royal official named Richard Barre from the town of King’s Lyon, 40 miles outside Woolpit.

Source:

Creepy History: Who Were The Green Children of Woolpit?

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