The Mystery of the Green Children of Woolpit

In the 12th century. a strange pair of children appeared in the village of Woolpit, England. They were unaccompanied, spoke a language no one in the village knew, and strangest of all, they were green.

The green children’s story began when they emerged from one of the wolf-trapping pits for which the town is named. The pits—designed to lure and ensnare dangerous wolves—were likely at least twice as tall as the children and a couple hundred square feet in area. A reaper discovered the pair and took them into town, where Sir Richard de Calne gave them a home. In time, they lost their iridescent pallor and diversified their diets, though the boy became increasingly depressed and sickly before succumbing to illness and dying.

The girl eventually learned English and told her caretakers that the boy was her brother. She related the tale of how they wandered into the pit, but could not explain where they came from. The story survives thanks to two different accounts, although neither writer actually met the children. We don’t know where the children originated, or what made them appear to be green, but mental_floss offers several possible explanations. None involve aliens from another planet.