GREEN CHILDREN of Woolpit | The story of the green boy and girl found in England | History Calling

The story of the GREEN BOY AND GIRL found in England (Woolpit to be precise) in the 12th century is one of the strangest stories in English history. Two sources seemingly written within living memory of the episode by William of Newburgh and Ralph of Coggeshall, claim that one day during the 1100s these youngsters appeared near the wolf pits close to the town with green skin, strange clothes, an inability to speak the language, some very odd dietary requirements and no sign as to where they were from. When one or both of the children grew up (accounts differ as to when the boy died), they said they were from an underground land called St Martin’s, where it was always twilight and that they had stumbled into the town through some caves after hearing the ringing of bells. But who were the green children of Woolpit? Is this strange medieval mystery just a folktale, or is it a real story? Some (not me!) even suggest that this is one of many instances of alien visits to Earth. Assuming the answer is a little less extreme than that, how might we account for this tale, if we accept it as being based in fact and what might be the answer to this odd historical medical mystery? In this History Calling documentary, we’ll look at the evidence for the existence of these mysterious green children, their apparently strange appearance and details of their lives. We’ll examine what can supposedly cause green skin and consider the popular idea that they might have been suffering from hypochromic anaemia aka chlorosis. Are we dealing with two of the strangest people in history, or is this just a fairy-tale?

SUBSCRIBE with NOTIFICATIONS switched on for new videos every Friday.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

WHEN THE PLAGUE CAME TO TOWN IN 1665

LEARN MORE:

John Clark, The Green Children of Woolpit

Open Street Map

NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.

[Lindsek]

What an interesting story… The “green skin with green clothes” reminds me of the Green Knight from the Arthurian legends, who was also otherworldly and unexplainable. Though these strange children predate even that legend! Still, I wonder if they’re related at least culturally, given the Green Knight is said to be a metaphor for the mysterious power of Nature, and the children emerged from the forest themselves. Half of the duo (the boy) perished shortly after coming into contact with civilization, as Nature can, while the other half (the girl) thrived, as Nature also does. Maybe a reach, but your videos are always thought-provoking! Thank you!

[kittybitts]

Awhile ago when a person was sea sick they were said to be 'green about the gills.' It may be that there was a slang term for a sickly looking person that called them green and the description of the children changed over time for the green to be taken literally.
I'm a hospice nurse. People turn all sorts of unusual colors when they're sick or dying. Liver failure causes a patient to turn a yellowish, orange color, often even the whites of their eyes turn yellow. If you eat enough carrots you turn orange. When a person is very ill they can turn a sort of pale color, when a pale child is starving their skin can become sort of opaque and the underlying tissue can make them look a strange color. When people are dying their hands and feet can turn a sort of mottled purple and blue color as their circulation shuts down. The children may have had a greenish hue if they were a yellowish color and their veins and arteries were more visible because they were severely malnourished.
Thanks for the great story!

[dees]

I’m from that area. I haven’t heard that specific story, but stories about people coming from or disappearing into holes in the landscape and having odd adventures are fairly standard round here. Occasionally odd caves are found such as those in the town of Royston. These sorts of places may have inspired the stories.

[katherinebarlow]

This reminds me of the Blue Fugates of West Virginia - turns out they had a rare mutation that inbreeding caused. Modern medicine was able to cure it. Blue and green are often not distinguished from one another in different cultures - maybe it was something similar?

[mariannehay]

It sounds to me like a severe case of abuse or lost children. Malnutrition, illness, or over eating of certain foods can definitely change the colour of your skin (although I believe green to be either an attempt to describe an odd colour or an embellishment). The odd stories about where they came from, I put that down to part truth and part childhood imagination. Maybe these children experienced something very traumatic and in an attempt to explain themselves, this was the closest they could come up with. Either way, this was as always a very well presented and interesting story. Thank you. I love your videos!

[tarbhnathrac]

Decades ago, I worked lowest rung for one of the big three auto companies. During the recession, a manager was hired from the 'outside', very unusual for the time, from the banking sector. He was at least 4 levels above me. I would occasionally pass him in a hallway, but we didn't know each other and never spoke. I know his job was extremely stressful, especially so as he also had to adjust to the culture on top of times being economically tough. Although a handsome young man, within just a few months, he appeared constantly exhausted and harried. After near a year I happened to enter an escalator at the same time as him and was shocked. He was green, and I mean GREEN, like, camo green. I knew I was WAY out of line but caught him just as we both were leaving the escalator, apologized for being unforgiveably intrusive, further stated I understood I knew nothing of his life, health, stresses or relationships, but that whatever it was it wasn't worth his health. He looked shocked and just stared as I walked away. He was gone within 2 months. I never knew what happened to him, but scuttlebutt was that he returned to finance.

[LilBanchik]

Long term copper poisoning can cause a greenish discoloration of the skin. Usually you develop jaundice which is yellowish but rare cases of greenish skin discolorations have been noted. It’s often hereditary (Wilson’s disease) and is then usually fatal but if they had been exposed to high copper poisoning over a long period of time it’s possible to recover if removed from the high copper environment.

[JayietheRiverWarrior]

This was super fascinating! I love how you examine the reliability of sources and take into account the human aspect of people lying, exaggerating, or just plain misremembering.

This story and its origins remind me a lot of the tale of the Pied Piper and the odd details of specific times and dates mentioned in the tale, and the records the town itself apparently has about the event. Do you think that’s a story you might examine in a video sometime? I’ve always wanted to know more about the supposed real events that may have inspired the fairytale, whatever those events were.

[PotatoTrain]

I wonder if it was a Hansel and Gretel situation. Some children kept isolated and then abandoned. Possibly suffering a type of jaundice/liver issue but the words describing the colours became altered over time. Some precedence for this is the way colours were described by the greeks and romans with blue being used for many hues including purples.

[MrTroughton]

I stumbled across your channel by chance a few months ago, spotting a video that "looked interesting" - as I've always been fascinated by the more obscure corners of history. It truly was. Since then Friday has become 'History Calling' Day and now I eagerly await your uploads. P.S. Your voice/accent is an added bonus :)

[CindyandRicoTheCoonhoundCross]

I really appreciate this channel. Thank you for not being like some other YouTubers who say they're going to upload X amount of times a week then slowly decrease. Your quality and research into topics are amazing! Thank you!

[LenaFerrari]

For context, I'm a med student
So, the description of clorhosis sounds exactly like anemia due to iron deficiency. It can be common in woman after they start menstruating, due to the blood loss, if they don't have a proper diet. So everything fits there.
No anemia can make you green. Iron deficiency would make you pale. But some types of anemia can lead to jaundice, wich gives a yellowish color to the skin, that I guess could be perceived as green.
It can't explain anything else, tough

[donnicholas]

It's an interesting story. It sounds to me to be a folk tale. Maybe these children did really exist, but their story
was embellished a lot.

[amymahers]

You’ve done it again! It never fails! You have found another interesting incident in history and included us in your journey. Whether it’s “real” or not, it’s so wonderful. It made me think of “The Elves and the Shoemaker”, a story I have told my grandchildren for years. They would always ask me if it was “real”. I would just shrug my shoulders and say, “If it’s not, it should be!” FRIDAY’S ROCK!!!

[kate_cooper]

I’ve seen this story retold several times and each version gives different possible mundane explanations stated as the definite facts. One version stated their native language was actually Dutch, another said they were from Belgium. One said the “green” skin was an exaggeration of a discolouration caused by malnutrition. Another said they were covered in green dye from their father’s workshop which eventually washed off. All versions agree they were recently orphaned. Presumably, the only real answer is that no one knows.

[JodieWithanIEOfficial]

I always find this story truly fascinating. I wish I could travel back in time and see this event for myself.

[JJoy-bkyr]

I'm getting a Shetland Islands vibe from the description of the children's home country. Sheep, Christianity, constant twilight. Shetland is very far north, so the sun does not rise high in the sky. I just looked this up - seems the Shetland Islands have one of the most cloudy, overcast climates on Earth.

[snowcreek]

Fantastic story! Thanks for bringing us another tale to ponder.

[patrickc]

Honestly this is my favourite YouTube Channel! I really, really love (as weird as this might sound) how you cover stuff that we simply will never know the answer to👀 Also really appreciate how you always try to explain the reality of these events as much as possible!

[davidlancaster]

I love this story! Its been a wonder for me. I do believe its possible. I appreciate the facts you've brought to light and I trust your veracity. I have experienced strange phenomenon and keep an opened mind as well as an open eyes. Thanks for sharing this one with us. Appreciate all you do. Lvya much