The Changeling Myth
Changelings are creatures that appear in folklore, fantasy, and fairy tales all over Valine. They are portrayed as entities put into other households by denizens of The Feywild or demons with the intent of stealing the family's original child.
In stories about changelings, it is not uncommon for the characters to exhibit weird behavior or have extraordinary physical qualities (such as having extra toes). The characters in other stories have a ravenous appetite, remarkable intelligence, and imp-like traits that cause them to be wicked or unpleasant to their "parents," who are mortals, according to the accounts.
It has been speculated that the changelings were fey children swapped out for a child of another species because they wished to be the parents of lovely babies of species that fascinated them to cherish as their own. Other folklore holds that fairy offspring require the milk of other species in order to thrive. Either the mother would milk a fairy baby, or the infant would be traded out for a fey baby born in The Feywild.
The fact that changelings are not aware of or have forgotten their actual nature can cause them to behave as if they are of the species they are impersonating in particular situations. Changelings who have not forgotten their fey background, on the other hand, might sometimes be found returning to it in some tales. The majority of the time, when a child is was abducted by fey, they would remain with them for the rest of their lives.
People bury small trinkets near their infants in order to ward off changelings, and it is regarded prudent to have one's children blessed by a cleric because it is believed that monsters such as trolls will only prey on unblessed children.
As a result, many children (often disabled and/or ill health) who are suspected of being "changelings" are subjected to harsh treatment by superstitious communities seeking to rid themselves of what they believe is a malevolent or unwanted intruder, and as a result, some individuals have been murdered as a result of the stories of changelings.
Another theory proposed by certain people is that changelings are recounted stories of exiles who had been forced into hiding by invading armies.
Historical Basis
Changelings, though extremely rare, are in fact real. However, they are not the result of demon, but rather the result of hags reproducing. The disinformation of the changeling myths were likely propagated by hag covens, as the murky nature of an actual changeling and the superstitious belief in changelings suits their purpose in obscuring the truth about actual changeling children, however the seed of truth remains, as hags are of a fey background, and so there is a kernel of truth in the notion that a genuine changeling is the result of fey activity, even if the details are usually muddled.
Related Species
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