Ireland’s Most Sinister Superstition: The Changeling

When you scratch the surface, most human beings share the same common, primal fears. Chief among them is the loss of a loved one, especially a child.

The idea of the changeling- that fairies could steal a child away, possibly forever, and leave a horribly altered substitute in its place- is one of the most sinister traditions in Irish folklore.

The new replacement could be deformed, with strange features. They may be aloof, cry constantly, and generally misbehave. They may be unable to talk.

To any modern reader the symptoms of a changeling child can be conflated with autism, Downs Syndrome, and a host of other developmental and congenital disorders.

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