Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 07 Apr 16 - 07:33 AM

Thanks Jack!

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: Jack Campin
Date: 07 Apr 16 - 07:26 AM

(Please...no songs...)

I got the greens real bad

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 07 Apr 16 - 07:22 AM

There are many theories about the Green Children, and numerous versions of the story including the ones mentioned here. The most believable is that they were children of Flemish weavers who came over for the wool trade. This would explain their language difficulties and JohnH has mentioned their complexion....

All fascinating stuff. Apparently there is some genealogical information somewhere....

Ah sweet stuff of mystery!

(Please...no songs...)

Peter

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: JohnH
Date: 06 Apr 16 - 08:52 AM

The term "green" could be an exaggeration. They might just have been sallow skinned. Living in a windowless hovel would work wonders for the complexion.
BTW I live in Woolpit and none have been seen recently.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: Thompson
Date: 06 Apr 16 - 07:41 AM

You can listen to BBC programmes on TuneIn Radio and various others.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 05 Apr 16 - 07:29 PM

It is strange that BBC restricts listening times...to little windows.

PBR - has universal podcast of all their programs...anytime...anywhere the local govt permits.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Brittania est insula. Second lesson after Picum Nicum.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: Llanfair
Date: 05 Apr 16 - 02:19 PM

I heard that story on 4extra, my favourite radio station, it was most interesting, but inconclusive. I hadn't heard this story before, or anything similar.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Apr 16 - 09:01 AM

The "green sickness" aka chlorosis explanation has to be urban myth. Anaemia doesn't make you green, it only makes you less pink - it was given the name "green sickness" by wild exaggeration in the 19th century. Nobody in the Middle Ages would have made that connection.

There are peoples in Amazonia whose traditional way of life discoloured their skin with green mould, the same sort of biology that makes sloths green. There might be a remote chance that was involved.

Subject: RE: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: GUEST,#
Date: 04 Apr 16 - 06:09 PM

For those interested, it might be worth finding out about hypochromic anemia.

Subject: Folklore: The Green Children of Woolpit
From: Rain Dog
Date: 04 Apr 16 - 05:43 AM

BBC Radio 4Extra repeated a programme last Wednesday about The Green Children of Woolpit. It was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 2010

Sometime in the Twelfth Century two children appeared from a pit on the edge of a field in the Suffolk village of Woolpit. They were coloured green and spoke a unknown language. They sickened until they were allowed to eat green beans. The boy died but the girl revived and grew up learning English, marrying a man from Kings Lynn, and speaking of the place she and her brother had come from. Susannah Clapp and Richard Mabey investigate the story and its remarkable enduring appeal to villagers, visitors and a succession of folklorists and writers

It is available on the BBC iplayer for a further 25 days

The Green Children of Woolpit