Otherkin

Otherkin is a subculture made up of people who describe themselves as being non-human in some way, usually believing themselves to be mythological or legendary creatures.^[1][2] The word is a neologism primarily used by members of that subculture, and is somewhat fluid in definition, and in its broadest sense includes those who consider themselves to be animals, aliens, extradimensional beings, and any other non-human entities.^[3]

Most otherkin believe that they have non-human aspects that are either spiritual or religious in nature.^[4] According to otherkin.net, some claim that they are human in a physical sense, but non-human ("other") in a mental or spiritual one.^[5] Some otherkin attribute this discrepancy to reincarnation or having the soul of another species.^[6]

According to otherkin.net, there are also otherkin who believe themselves to be biologically non-human, considering themselves to physically be members of the species they associate themselves with, or at least directly descended from the species through intermarriage with humanity. This belief is rarer within the subculture, and sometimes the subject of criticism from otherkin who do not share it.^[7] Other otherkin, without necessarily claiming to be genetically related to a supernatural being, profess to be physically influenced in some way by their non-human sides.^[8]

History and usage

The otherkin community grew out of the elven online community of the early-to-mid-1990s, with the earliest recorded use of the term otherkin appearing in early 1996;^[9] however, from the context it appears in, the term seems to have already been well-established in certain communities by this point.^[10] According to otherkin.net, the term was originally coined when it became clear that a new subculture of people identifying themselves as a number of different mythological creatures, such as fairies, unicorns, and satyrs, and not just as elves, was emerging.^[11]

However, the term has expanded in its meaning over time, and is often now used as a term to describe a number of distinct but related communities. Examples include the draconic^[12], vampiric^[13] and therianthropic ^[14] communities. According to otherkin.net, all of these communities share similar core beliefs, but have members who do not consider themselves part of the overall otherkin community.^[15] Although some furry lifestylers (a subset of the furry fandom) also hold beliefs similar to those of the otherkin community, there is debate in the two communities over whether or not to consider them "otherkin" as well.^[16]

There is some overlap between many role-playing and otherkin communities, and some otherkin beliefs are similar to elements found in role-playing games and other fictional sources. Others at otherkin.net, however, stress the difference they see between pretending to be a non-human and actually believing oneself to be non-human.^[17]

Reactions

Outside of their own subculture, otherkin beliefs are often met with controversy; a critical mention of them was included in a first-year seminar titled "Nonsense in America: The Lure of the Irrational" offered by the The College of Wooster in the Fall of 2002.^[18]

When mental health professionals have encountered individuals who believe that they can transform into an animal or are otherwise non-human in some way, they have sometimes diagnosed the condition as clinical lycanthropy^[19] or some other mental disorder. Others outside of the subculture see a clear parallel between clinical lycanthropy and otherkin beliefs.^[20] There are currently no known psychological studies of the otherkin subculture evaluating the claims of either side.

Beliefs

Some members of the otherkin subculture have drawn parallels between their beliefs and transsexuality, resulting in the neologism trans-speciesism, the conviction that one is in a body of the wrong species.^[21]

There is a tendency for people in the community to be accused of role-playing if their claims are considered to be more implausible than others; critics of this reaction at otherkin.net have labeled it "subculture intolerance".^[22] One example of a controversial subdivision of the otherkin subculture is the otakukin (or otakin) community, who, according to otherkin.net, associate with Japanese media such as anime and video games.^[23] Some otakukin state that the media they have associated with remind them of past lives, while others claim to have had the memories prior to exposure to the fictional references. Another example of a belief often met with skepticism by the otherkin subculture according to otherkin.net is those claiming to have been royalty in other lives, which is sometimes referred to as "elven princess syndrome".^[24]

See also

• Changeling
• Clinical lycanthropy
• Draconity
• Elenari
• Therianthropy
• Totemism
• Vampire lifestyle
• Were
• Skin-walker

References

• "The Elven Star". Summer 1986. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)- A 1986 Circle News Network article citing the Silver Elves, and the older group, the Elf Queen's Daughters
• "Elven Like Me". 14 February 2001. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)- Village Voice article
• Adler, Margot (1979). Drawing Down The Moon: Druids, Goddess-worshippers and other pagans in America today. Viking Press. ISBN 0670283428.- Margot Adler's "Drawing Down the Moon" apparently has a reference to the Silver Elves
• Belanger, Michelle (2004). The Psychic Vampire Codex: a Manual of Magick and Energy Work. Weiser Books. ISBN 1578633214.
• Cabot, Laurie (1989). Power of the Witch. Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385297866.- More on the Silver Elves
• Polson, Willow (2003). The Veil's Edge: Exploring the Boundaries of Magic. Citadel Press. ISBN 0806523522.- One of Willow Polson's books has a chapter on otherkin
• Ramsland, Katherine (1998). Piercing the Darkness: Undercover with Vampires in America Today. HarperCollins. ISBN 0061050628.
• Silver Elves, The (2001). The Book of Elven Runes. Silver Elves Publications. no ISBN.
• Silver Elves, The (2001). The Magical Elven Love Letters, vol. 1. Silver Elves Publications. no ISBN.

Notes

1. ^ "Defining otherkin". Kinhost.org : Otherkin FAQ v 4.0.1 (2/8/01). Retrieved 8 February. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) See also, "Elven Like Me," Nick Mamatas. The Village Voice, New York: February 20, 2001. Vol. 46, Issue 7, page 35.
2. ^ Polson, Willow (2003). The Veil's Edge: Exploring the Boundaries of Magic. Citadel Press. ISBN 0806523522.
3. ^ "Defining otherkin". Otherkin.net : Wiki : Manual. Retrieved 19 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
4. ^ Belanger, Michelle (June 21, 2003). "Dragons & Faeries & Gnomes Oh My!". {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
5. ^ "What are otherkin?". Otherkin.net : Articles. Retrieved 6 April. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
6. ^ "Causes". Otherkin.net : Manual. Retrieved 17 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
7. ^ "Here and Now". Otherkin.net : Rants and Rambles. Retrieved 9 February. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
8. ^ "Physically Human?". Otherkin.net. Retrieved 19 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
9. ^ Polson, Willow (2003). The Veil's Edge: Exploring the Boundaries of Magic. Citadel Press. ISBN 0806523522.
10. ^ "Vampyr and elves". Google Groups : alt.vampyres. Retrieved 10 February. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
11. ^ "Here and Now". Otherkin.net : Rants and Rambles. Retrieved 9 February. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
12. ^ "The Draconity FAQ". tomorrowlands.org. Retrieved December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
13. ^ "alt.culture.vampires FAQ". alt.culture.vampyres website. Retrieved 19 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
14. ^ "Therianthropy: an overview". shifters.org. Retrieved 30 December. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
15. ^ "What are Otherkin?". Drink Deeply & Dream : Vampiric Forum. Retrieved 6 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
16. ^ "Cataloge of nonhuman communities". orion.animaltracks.net. Retrieved 19 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
17. ^ "Tolkien. Is. Not. A. Reference". otherkin.net. Retrieved 19 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
18. ^ "Nonsense in America: The Lure of the Irrational". Wooster.edu. Retrieved 19 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
19. ^ "Lycanthropy--psychopathological and psychodynamical aspects". Acta Psychiatr Scand. Retrieved Jan. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
20. ^ "Howling at the Moon: Modern-day Lycanthropy". kuro5hin.org. Retrieved 19 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
21. ^ "Trans-speciesism". Draconity Resource Project. Retrieved 2 February. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
22. ^ "Otherkin behaviour patterns". Otherkin.net. Retrieved 5 February. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
23. ^ "Kinjou Ten's Temple of the Ota-'kin". Otherkin.net. Retrieved 22 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
24. ^ "In Defense of Royalty". Otherkin.net. Retrieved 19 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

• Otherkin.net
• What Are Otherkin?
• Otherkin, Labels, and Spirituality
• The Otherkin FAQ
• What does it mean to be a were — and is were is the word to use?