Changeling - The Child Impostor

Image by J.L.Hopgood

CHANGELING

Noun & adjective. Mid-16th century.

[from CHANGE verb + -LING.]

A1 noun. A person given to change; a waverer, a turncoat. archaic. M16

A2 noun. A person or thing (surreptitiously) put in exchange for another;

specifically a child secretly substituted for another in infancy. M16

3 A halfwitted person. archaic. E17

B obsolete. adj. Changeable, variable, inconstant. M17-E18

A particularly disturbing myth from folklore is that of changelings - creatures that were substituted for human children during infancy, variously by fairies, trolls, the Devil, or some other malevolent force. Common to the folklore of Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and Scandinavia, changelings would usually be deceptively human in appearance, but would subsequently manifest some inhuman behaviour as they grew, such as displaying great strength, abnormal features, or never developing the ability to walk or talk. The motives for changelings varied - some believed the abducted human children were raised as slaves to their new families, others that it was for some necessary mixing of human and non-human bloodlines; it was often said that only unbaptised babies were taken, or that their human blood was used in paying some kind of tithe to Hell. Unsurprisingly, various superstitions arose to ward off creatures that might substitute a changeling, such as the use of charms and amulets, or simply keeping a constant watch over a child lest it be taken away.

Two trolls leading away their abducted human child
John Bauer (1882-1918)

While the notion of changelings is clearly steeped in superstition and mythology, it keenly represented the primal fear that parents have of their children being taken away, as well as serving to offer some explanation for developmental abnormalities in children such as autism, cerebral palsy and Down's syndrome. In doing so, however, the mythical realm of fairies and trolls overlapped tragically with the real world, as children suspected of being changelings were often mistreated, ostracised, and subjected to cruel rituals in an effort to expose the true nature of the changeling. If an older child suddenly and inexplicably disappeared, it might even be assumed that that child had been a changeling, and was now returning to its supernatural family.

Are there tales of changelings where you're from?

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