Auf / Oaf / Bort

In European folklore, particularly from the regions of Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, and Germany, the Changeling is a supernatural creature believed to be a fairy child or a creature swapped for a human baby by fairies, elves, or other mystical beings. This swap was said to occur soon after birth or during early infancy, often when the child was left unattended. Changelings are one of the most enduring and eerie elements of European folk belief, reflecting a mix of fears related to child loss, illness, and the mysterious nature of the supernatural.

Key Characteristics of Changelings

1. Supernatural Origin: Changelings are often said to be the offspring of fairies, elves, or other mystical creatures that secretly replace a human baby with their own. These creatures desired human children for various reasons, such as to improve their own offspring’s health, or to have human servants. In return, the changeling—a fairy or other supernatural creature—would be left in the human child’s place.
2. Unusual Behavior and Appearance: The changeling often appeared to be sickly, with unusual or unnatural behavior compared to the child it replaced. Signs that a baby might be a changeling included:
   • Constant crying or irritability.
   • Physical deformities or failure to grow and develop normally.
   • An appearance of premature aging or withered features.
   • A disturbing sense of wisdom or intelligence far beyond the child’s years.
   • Supernatural abilities, such as sudden strength or speed.
   Changelings were sometimes believed to have malicious tendencies, with folklore warning that they could cause harm to their human family, especially if angered or mistreated.
3. Why Fairies Took Human Babies: Different regions of Europe have varied reasons for why fairies or mystical beings would steal a human child:
   • Health and Beauty: Fairies were thought to take human children because they were healthier, stronger, or more beautiful than fairy children. In exchange, they would leave behind their own sickly or weak offspring.
   • Servitude: In some stories, human children were stolen to serve the fairy realm, either as slaves or companions for the fairy king or queen.
   • Rejuvenation: Some folklore claimed that fairies or elves believed that human children had the power to rejuvenate or sustain their own mystical lineage, and thus desired to raise human babies in their realm.
4. Adult Changelings: Changelings weren’t limited to infants. In some cases, adults were also said to be taken by fairies and replaced with lookalikes who acted strangely or had supernatural characteristics. These “adult changelings” were sometimes thought to have been lured away into the fairy world, never to return, while a double lived out their life among humans.

Identifying and Replacing a Changeling

1. Tests and Rituals: Various tests and rituals were said to help determine whether a child was a changeling. In Ireland and Scotland, one common test was to trick or provoke the changeling into revealing its true nature. This could involve placing the child in a dangerous or unusual situation to see how it reacted. For example, leaving the changeling in front of a fireplace or next to a boiling pot of water might cause it to panic and reveal its true form.
2. Iron and Fire: Iron was considered a powerful protection against fairy magic in many European folk traditions. Placing an iron object (such as tongs or a knife) in a child’s cradle or nearby was believed to repel fairies and prevent them from swapping the child. Fire was also believed to be a purifier, and exposing a changeling to fire was said to reveal its true identity.
3. Return of the Real Child: Folklore often suggested that by exposing or threatening the changeling, the fairies would return the stolen human child out of fear or guilt. For example, the changeling might confess its identity and flee, or the fairies themselves might return the child if they sensed their plan had been discovered.

Symbolism of the Changeling in European Folklore

1. Fear of the Unknown: The changeling myth taps into deep-rooted human fears of the unknown, particularly regarding children’s health and behavior. In times before modern medicine, unexplained illnesses, developmental disorders, or sudden changes in behavior were often attributed to supernatural causes. The concept of a changeling allowed people to make sense of the mysterious and often tragic nature of childhood illness and death.
2. Loss and Grief: In a time when infant mortality was high, the changeling myth may have helped people cope with the grief of losing a child. The belief that a sickly or weak baby might be a changeling allowed parents to externalize their fears and anxieties, blaming supernatural forces rather than facing the painful reality of illness or deformity.
3. Protection and Superstition: The changeling myth also reflects a strong belief in the need for protection from malevolent forces. Parents were advised to take precautions, such as leaving iron tools near a baby or not leaving a child unattended, to protect their newborns from being taken by fairies. These customs reinforced the idea that the supernatural was a constant, lurking danger in the lives of everyday people.
4. Folk Explanations for Medical Conditions: Some historians and anthropologists believe that the changeling myth may have been an attempt to explain developmental disabilities, deformities, or mental health issues in children. Conditions such as autism, Down syndrome, or cerebral palsy might have led families to believe that their child had been replaced by a changeling, as the child’s behavior or physical appearance didn’t align with typical expectations.

Changelings Across Europe

1. Ireland and Scotland: In Irish and Scottish folklore, changelings were often linked with the Sidhe (fairy folk). In these traditions, fairies lived in parallel worlds to humans, and their motives for stealing human children were often connected to their own needs for health, beauty, or companionship. In some Scottish stories, changelings could grow up and become malevolent or mischievous beings if not discovered early.
2. Scandinavia: In Scandinavian folklore, changelings were often called “byt-barn” (swap-child). These changelings were said to be the children of trolls or elves, who would swap their offspring for a human child. In Norwegian and Swedish traditions, changelings were thought to be selfish, with endless appetites, demanding food, and showing no signs of growth. Iron was commonly used to protect children in Scandinavia, and rituals were performed to force the trolls or elves to return the stolen baby.
3. Germany: In Germanic folklore, changelings were sometimes called “Wechselbalg” or “Kielkropf”. These changelings were believed to be left behind by elves or demons. German changelings were often described as being extremely ugly and having voracious appetites. As in other regions, the changeling myth was closely tied to fears about infant mortality and childhood illness.

Modern Interpretations

The changeling myth has persisted in popular culture, literature, and art, often being reinterpreted in modern contexts. Some common themes in modern changeling stories include:

1. Metaphor for Otherness: In literature and film, changelings are sometimes used as a metaphor for feeling different or alienated from one’s surroundings. The changeling’s identity as someone who doesn’t belong can resonate with stories of individuals feeling out of place or disconnected from their families or communities.
2. Psychological Horror: The changeling concept has been used in horror stories to tap into parental fears and anxieties. Modern horror films and novels often use the changeling myth to explore themes of mistrust, as parents begin to fear that their child is not who they appear to be.
3. Folklore Studies: In anthropology and folklore studies, changelings are studied as a reflection of societal beliefs about children, illness, and the supernatural. The myth offers insights into how people in medieval and early modern Europe understood the relationship between health, life, and the unseen forces of the world.

Conclusion

The changeling myth, with its deep roots in European folklore, reflects timeless fears about child loss, illness, and the supernatural. Whether viewed as an explanation for unexplained medical conditions or a symbol of the tension between the human and fairy worlds, changelings remain a powerful and enduring figure in mythology. The idea of a child being swapped for something otherworldly resonates with the universal fear of losing control over loved ones, especially in vulnerable stages of life.

Description

The changeling is a creature that is found in folklore throughout Europe. It is said to be a human-like fairy that is left in place of a human baby that is stolen by fairies.

In northern myth, the story is nearly the same with the difference being that instead of fairies they are trolls [1,2].

In Irish and Scottish legends the changeling can be identified by a variety of different traits. These could be a disability to grow in size like humans, growing of beard, longer teeth, and a high level of intelligence or insight. Another way that is often said to identify a changeling is unusual behavior when the child is alone such as jumping around, dancing, or playing an instrument [3].

There are a few reasons why fairies would take human children. usually, it could be to have a servant or because they thought of human children as beautiful. Sometimes it is simply through malice [4,5].

In some cases, the reason for the exchange could be that fairy children need human milk to survive [4].

The way you would ward off fairies is to leave iron objects near or in the crib of your child as iron burn fairies. This was usually something like a nail or a scissor [6-8].

In some cases, adult humans could be kidnapped to nurse fairy children. In these cases, objects such as logs would be left as a replacement instead of a changeling. These logs would usually be enchanted by magic to look like the person taken and they would slowly seem to sicken and die to make the family bury the person like nothing strange had happened [9].

Various other Changeling Myths

Scandinavian
In Scandinavian mythology, trolls exchanged children instead of fairies. It was usually believed that trolls found it more respectable to be brought up by humans than other trolls. Trolls lived underground and would come out at night to steal children. In some myths, it was said that the trolls ate the human children and when leaving a changeling it raised less concern for the humans. Sometimes it was believed that they could only take unbaptized children since when a child was baptized it was accepted into the Catholic faith [7,8,10].

In Scandinavian myth, many of the creatures were afraid of iron so you would place iron knives and scissors near the bed of newborns to prevent trolls from stealing the child before baptism. This is very similar to the belief that fairies burn when touching iron [7].

German
In German myths, there were several other ways to identify changelings and retrieve the replaced child. Some of the rougher ways to identify the changeling was to hit it [11], whip it [12], or put it in the oven forcing it to endure the heat [11]. Otherwise, you could boil or brew in eggshells as this would force the changeling to speak and claim its real age [13].

In German myth, there are also several different mothers for the changeling. These were either the devil [13], a female dwarf [11], a water spirit [14were], or Roggenmutter [15].

Poland
The Mamuna or Boginki [16] is a Slavic spirit that exchanges babies in the cradle. The changelings would look vastly different having an abnormally large abdomen, an unusually small head, a hump, small limbs, a hairy body, and long claws [17].

To prevent this the mothers could tie a red ribbon around the baby’s wrist, put a red hat on the baby and keep it out of the moonlight [17].

Spain
In northern Spain, there was a myth about a water spirit named Xana which sometimes swapped babies with humans. There is a similar way to tell the difference between the changeling and a human child like that of the German myth as you would place pots and eggshells near the fireplace. This forced the changeling to say “I was born one hundred years ago, and since then I have not seen so many eggshells near the fire!” [18].

Africa
In eastern Nigeria, the Igbo people believed that a woman who lost a lot of children was tormented by a spirit called the ogbanje which reincarnated itself over and over again [19].

The Changelings Connection to Autism

Recently it has been brought up that the changeling myth may be linked to autism and similar disorders. This has become somewhat of a discussion as it would provide a way for older societies to cope with these disabilities [20-23].

Sources:

[1]: Alvarez, Sandra (6 January 2015). “Trolls in the Middle Ages”. Medievalists.net. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2021.

[2]: Ingemark, Camilla Benita Asplund (28 January 2005). “The Genre of Trolls: The Case of a Finland-Swedish Folk Belief Tradition”. Åbo Akademi University Press. 2. ISBN951-765-222-4 – via Research Gate.

[3]: Mac Philib, Séamas (1991). “The Changeling (ML 5058) Irish Versions of a Migratory Legend in Their International Context”. Béaloideas. 59: 121–131. doi:10.2307/20522381. JSTOR20522381

[4]: Briggs (1979)

[5]: Katharine Briggs, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Boogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures “Changelings” (Pantheon Books, 1976) p. 71. ISBN0-394-73467-X

[6]: Dean, Remy. “Ferrous Friend or Foe? How Iron Became The Enemy of Fairy Folk” Folklorethursday. 2017-06-22. https://folklorethursday.com/folklore-of-archaeology/ferrous-friend-foe-iron-became-enemy-fairy-folk/ 2022-11-04

[7]: Klintberg, Bengt af; Svenska Folksägner (1939) ISBN91-7297-581-4

[8]: “Scandinavian Changeling Legends”. www.pitt.edu. Retrieved 6 December 2018.

[9]: Katherine Briggs, A Dictionary of Fairies “Changelings”

[10]: “Index of /Kurtglim/Del1i”. Archived from the original on 23 November 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2005.

[11]: Ludwig Bechstein: Deutsches Sagenbuch. Meersburg, Leipzig 1930, pp. 142 f.

[12]: Jacob Grimm: Deutsche Mythologie. Wiesbaden 2007, p. 1039.

[13]: Jacob Grimm: Deutsche Mythologie. Wiesbaden 2007, p. 364.

[14]: Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm: Deutsche Sagen. Hamburg 2014, pp. 126 f

[15]: Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm: Deutsche Sagen. Hamburg 2014, pp. 134 f.

[16]: “Wielka Księga Demonów Polskich. Leksykon i antologia demonologii ludowej”. Lubimyczytać.pl. Retrieved 8 February 2016.

[17]: “Mamuna / Dziwożona”. Slawoslaw.pl (in Polish). 15 July 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2018

[18]: Sánchez Vicente, Xuan Xosé; Cañedo Valle, Xesús (2003). El gran libro de la mitología asturiana [The great book of Asturian mythology]. Ediciones Trabe.

[19]: W. B. Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, in A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore (1986), p. 47, New York : Gramercy Books, ISBN0-517-48904-X

[20]: Silver (1999) p. 75

[21]: “The Enduring Legend of the Changeling – CSI”. www.csicop.org. March 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2019

[22]: Vyse, Stuart (2018). “The Enduring Legend of the Changeling”. Skeptical Inquirer. Committee for Skeptical Inquirer. 42 (4): 23–26.

[23]: Haffter, Carl. “The changeling: History and psychodynamics of attitudes to handicapped children in European folklore.” Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences (1968).