Sun 2 Jan 2011
Today’s mystery*: The Green Children
Posted by PJ under mysteries, today's mystery
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I first heard the story of the Green Children of Woolpit many eons ago when a history professor read William of Newburgh’s account (one of two contemporary accounts) aloud. It sparkled with great wonder in my imagination and I’ve been fond of the legend ever since. The story has been featured in many an occult collection, which has made it easy to dismiss in skeptical circles, but something still remains of the prodigious and marvelous: maybe convoluted and misconstrued real events, perhaps the workings of imagination and tale-telling, or even a solid yank upon the long leg of history—but a marvel nonetheless. I hope you enjoy this tale as much as I have over the years.
Read More About It.
Wikipedia has a good article which succinctly covers the facts and the various attempts at rational explanation. There’s also an exhaustive amount of information at the Anomalies website.
*I love mysteries of all sorts. I love collecting them and puzzling over them. I propose to post an irregular series of mysteries this year. I propose it, but we’ll see if I can accomplish anything like that. Life has proven to be unpredictable in past months, so any promise I make will have to be rather half-baked. Some of these mysteries will be historical, some will be fantastical, others will be more mundane; some may have happened to me or people I know, and some may exist in that land between fact and fiction. I will leave it to you to decide which is which.
William of Newburgh’s version, circa 1150 AD and Ralph of Coggshall’s version, circa 1187 AD:
