NEWSWEEK: The Green Children of Woolpit and Flying Monks: This is Science Fiction in Medieval Times

Press/Media: Expert comment

Description

Science fiction may seem resolutely modern, but the genre could actually be considered hundreds of years old. There are the alien green “children of Woolpit”, who appeared in 12th-century Suffolk and were reported to have spoken a language no one could understand. There’s also the story of Eilmer the 11th-century monk, who constructed a pair of wings and flew from the top of Malmesbury Abbey. And there’s the Voynich Manuscript, a 15th-century book written in an unknowable script, full of illustrations of otherworldly plants and surreal landscapes.

Period13 Sept 2018

Media coverage

1

Media coverage

  • TitleThe 'Children of Woolpit' and Flying Monks: This is Science Fiction in Medieval Times
    Media name/outletNewsweek
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    Date13/09/18
    DescriptionScience fiction may seem resolutely modern, but the genre could actually be considered hundreds of years old. There are the alien green “children of Woolpit”, who appeared in 12th-century Suffolk and were reported to have spoken a language no one could understand. There’s also the story of Eilmer the 11th-century monk, who constructed a pair of wings and flew from the top of Malmesbury Abbey. And there’s the Voynich Manuscript, a 15th-century book written in an unknowable script, full of illustrations of otherworldly plants and surreal landscapes.
    URLhttps://www.newsweek.com/children-woolpit-and-flying-monks-science-fiction-medieval-times-1119362?utm_source=Public&utm_medium=Feed&utm_campaign=Distribution
    PersonsJames Paz

Keywords

  • science fiction
  • medieval history
  • medieval literature