“The Green Children.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 37-38.
Tale Summary
Once, a wonderful thing happened at St. Mary’s of the Wolf-pits, and that thing was the discovery of two strange children by the townspeople. The children, a brother and sister, were from the lower world and their skin was a green tint. No one could understand their speech, and they refused food such as bread, milk, and honey, even though they were very hungry. At last, fresh-cut green beans were brought to them, and with excitement they opened the stalks instead of the bean-pods, and wept when they were empty. They were shown where to properly extract the beans from, and they happily ate them and would not have any other food. They said that everything in the lower world was green, and that instead of sunshine they enjoyed a softer kind of light, such as the light after sunset. When asked how they came to the upper world, they answered that they had followed their green flock to a cavern, and heard sweet-sounding bells which entranced them to keep going further. They came into this world and were blinded by the sunshine, and so were caught. No one knows what happened to the Green Children.
Fairy Tale Title
The Green Children
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Ernest Rhys
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Common Tale Type
Tale Classification
Page Range of Tale
pp. 37-38
Full Citation of Tale
“The Green Children.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 37-38.
Original Source of the Tale
Based on a legend from North East England, which became a popular ballad in the 19th century.
Tale Notes
This tale is unusual as it does not follow a substantial plot. The narrator does not know what happens to the characters.
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener, 2023
Book Title
Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys
Book Author/Editor(s)
Ernest Rhys
Illustrator(s)
None listed
Publisher
J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.
Date Published
1907
Decade Published
1900-1909
Publisher City
London, New York
Publisher Country
United Kingdom, United States
Language
English
Rights
Public Domain
Digital Copy
Available at the Internet Archive
Book Notes
A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"