Ethereal Chronicles

Changelings, eerie substitutes left behind by faeries after kidnapping a human, offer a darker side to these mythical beings than portrayed in popular films. Contrary to universal belief, faeries are not always sweet natured. A lot of folklore surrounding faeries actually presents them as malicious creatures that could potentially blind, abduct or even kill humans, particularly if they are displeased. While faeries predominantly feature in the creation of changelings, there are instances where other beings, such as trolls and nereids, are said to be responsible.

Appearance and Attributes

Changelings are designed to mimic the appearance of their human counterparts, and exhibit varying traits across different tales. In Irish folklore, a changeling child may develop at a faster rate than children, possess a terrible temper, or appear sickly. Changeling children may also have unnatural attributes, ranging from a premature beard or an extra toe to heightened intelligence. When Changelings believe themselves to be alone, they may partake in unusual behaviour such as dancing or jumping about, and display impish traits, which is unsettling for their mortal parents.

Stealing Humans

Children were frequently favoured in faerie kidnappings that may have been motivated by malice, love, or the desire to take a human child as a servant. Faeries may have believed it more honourable to have their child raised by humans, and often engaged in swapping human children with their own offspring, leaving items such as a log resembling the appearance of the human child, however this appearance would ultimately fester away over time.

In certain folklores, the significance of human breast milk was essential for the survival of a faery child, so faeries would take new mothers to breastfeed faery babies. Young men and women were not exempt either, and could be led or stolen away to marry and have children with faeries. Human midwives were especially favourable because they were considered essential in the process of bringing faery babies into the world.

Beauty in human complexion was said to attract faeries, along with the vulnerability of unbaptised children. Envious gazes directed at babies were also thought to expose them to the potential threat of faery kidnappings. Faery circles were infamous for trapping humans in the faery world, but that’s a story for another time.

Protection Against Changelings

In an attempt to ward off faeries, tongs or scissors were sometimes laid across cribs, as faeries were vulnerable against iron. Baptism and the sprinkling of holy water were common protective measures and invoked God’s guidance and protection. Crosses were hung over cribs to ward off ill intentions. Parents would leave pipes near their child, and if the baby played music, it was declared a changeling (faeries were well known for being incredibly fond of music).

Another way to keep faeries away would be to confuse them; parents may have dressed their boys as girls, and their girls as boys to confuse the faeries. Babies were splashed with urine as faeries disliked unclean children.

Faeries, protective of their offspring, were believed to swap them back if the child was endangered. Because of this, suspected changeling children often faced torture or even death. In extreme cases, desperate parents resorted to placing their babies in ovens, hoping to prompt the faeries to return the original child.