Woolpit Village Sign in Woolpit, England

The village of Woolpit in Suffolk still bears an unusual memorial on its sign: a wolf, a church, and two distinctly green-colored children. As Atlas Obscura details, the imagery alludes to one of England's strangest Medieval tales. Around the twelfth century, a shepherd discovered two green-skinned children trapped in a wolf pit—the very pitfall traps that gave the village its name. The children spoke an incomprehensible language, refused to eat anything but fava beans, and gradually lost their green color as they were raised by a local aristocratic family. The boy died young; the girl, eventually called Agnes, married a wealthy diplomat and became known as a spirited and commanding presence in her community. For centuries, their origins sparked wild speculation—some theorizing they were lost extraterrestrials or beings from parallel universes. But a more plausible explanation emerged: they were likely Flemish children from a neighboring settlement who suffered from chlorosis, a medical condition caused by severe malnutrition that can sometimes produce a greenish or yellowish tinge to the skin.

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