Our story begins in Suffolk, England, some time in the 12th Century. Two young children are found at the edge of a field by farmers as they reaped the crops. This would not be terribly uncommon. However, the children have green hued skin, clothing of an unknown fabric, and speak a language not native to the area.
the farmers are quite purplexed by the children, but take them in to their homes and attempt to care for them. They ate little to no food offered to them except for, raw beans that they shoveled into their mouths.
The children remained distant but slowly began to learn. They began to eat other foods, as well as learn the language. The green color of their skin also faded slowly. sadly, the boy became sickly and did pass away. The young girl however went on to thrive. Her coloration faded to a normal tone, she developed more of the local language and was even baptised.
After the young girl had learned enough of English to detail who they were, she told the farmers everything. She stated that her and her brother had come from a land known as Saint Martin's Land, a subterranean world inhabited by green people. she described the land as never seeing full sunlight, like their world was in a perpetual twilight. According to a recounter of the story they were unsure of how they were found.
The girl said everything in their land was green. The children had been herding their father's cattle when they heard a loud noise.The children became lost and followed one of the cows into a cave, then eventually, guided by the sound, emerged from another cave and into land near the field. The sound is suspected to be the bells of a nearby church.
The girl was moved to a role as a servant in a royales home. She went on to marry a royal officer in the same court and lived out her days in normalcy. this is one of the most well known legends of this type of phenomenon in history. While it is mainly conjecture and story, there does seem to be creedance and documents behind it.
This is however, not the only time it has happened. Historian Gerald of Wales, explorer of the 12th century tells a similar story of a boy who, after escaping his master, "encountered two pigmies who led him through an underground passage into a beautiful land with fields and rivers, but not lit by the full light of the sun.
With regards to the description of the strange land, Paul Harris suggested in Fortean Studies 4 (1998) that the children were Flemish orphans, possibly from a nearby place known as Fornham St. Martin, which was separated from Woolpit by the River Lark. A lot of Flemish immigrants had arrived during the 12 th century but were persecuted under the reign of King Henry II. In 1173, many were killed near Bury St Edmunds( where the sound of the bells came from). If they had fled into Thetford Forest, it may have seemed like permanent twilight to the frightened children. They may also have entered one of the many underground mine passages in the area, which finally led them to Woolpit. Dressed in strange Flemish clothes and speaking another language, the children would have presented a very strange spectacle to the Woolpit villagers.
While that is all well and good, and a possible logical explanation.
This tale also reminds me of similar reports in Fairy cases. Children whisked away to a foreign land, either underground, or hidden away in the forest. these lands can be inhabited by small people or magical beings. sometimes these children return, sometimes they do not. Most people would assume these legends had died away long ago.
However, there was a story a year or so ago. A toddler had gone missing in North Carolina. walked right outside and into the forest. He had been gone for two or three nights I believe it was. search parties were organised, but people feared the worst. Until out of nowhere, the boy was found in a briar patch, in an area that had been searched already. They boy was relatively unscathed considering spending nights alone in the forest.
Thankfully he was returned home healthy and happy, and eager to tell his story, as best a toddler could. he was adamant that it had not been that bad in the forest. A large bear kept him company and watched over him the entire time. Now, this to me is a classic case of some type of modern day fairy interaction. whether it be bigfoot or another creature, there is no way a bear took care of a child. I could not see that happening.
The tales of these children are one of the most mysterious encounters with what i would consider Fairy folklore. Their legend lives on today. Whether they are orphans, aliens, or fairy children, the tale of the Green Children of woolpit will keep researchers guessing for many years to come. We may never know who they were, unless other children find their way through the twilight and into our realm.