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The otherkin subculture is made up of people who describe themselves as non-human in some way, usually believing themselves to be mythological or legendary creatures.^[1], ^[2] The word is an Internet-derived neologism primarily used by members of that subculture and is somewhat fluid in definition, sometimes being broadened to also describe those who consider themselves to be animals, aliens, extradimensional beings, and other non-human entities.^[3]

Most otherkin believe they have non-human aspects that are either spiritual or philosophical in nature.^[4] Some claim that they are human in a physical sense but non-human ("other") in a mental or spiritual one.^[5] Many otherkin attribute this discrepancy to reincarnation or a "misplaced" soul.

There are also otherkin who believe themselves to be biologically non-human. These otherkin consider themselves to be physically 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. ^[6] Some otherkin who do not necessarily claim that they are genetically non-human do profess to have non-human sides that have somehow influenced their physical bodies.^[7]

Contents 1 History and usage 2 Reactions 3 Beliefs 3.1 Awakening 4 See also 5 References 6 Notes 7 External links

History and usage

The 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^[8]; however, from the context it appears in, the term seems to have been well established in certain communities by this point already.^[9] It 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.^[10]

However, the term has expanded in its meaning over time and is often used nowadays as a term to describe a number of distinct but related communities. Examples include the draconic^[11], vampiric^[12] and therianthropic ^[13] communities, all of which share similar core beliefs but have members who do not consider themselves part of the overall otherkin community.^[14] 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. ^[15]

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. Many otherkin, however, stress the difference they see between pretending to be a non-human and actually believing oneself to be non-human. ^[16]

There are older beliefs concerning non-human ancestory which considerably predate the otherkin subculture. There are families in Orkney that have long claimed to have selkie ancestors, and many clans (especially royal families) throughout the world had a claim to a divine or otherwise non-human ancestor. Similar beliefs are found in some traditional Native American tribes.

Reactions

Outside of their own subculture, otherkin beliefs are often met with controversy; a critical mention of them has even been 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.^[17]

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^[18] or some other mental disorder. Others outside of the subculture see a clear parallel between clinical lycanthropy and otherkin beliefs.^[19] There are currently no known psychological studies of the otherkin subculture evaluating the claims of either side.

Beliefs

Although the otherkin community is a diverse and loosely-defined one and lacks an explicit ideology, some beliefs are especially common. Otherkin tend to have a number of New Age sensibilities and to be very open to supernatural concepts, particularly belief in the soul or spirit. Other common beliefs in the otherkin community include animism, Neo-Paganism, totemism, possession, reincarnation, and other paranormal events. However, just as some otherkin believe that they are physically non-human and some don't, not all otherkin believe in the literal existence of these concepts.

Some hold these beliefs not as a search for the truth, but as a way to help understand and explore themselves. Indeed, as the community has expanded and become more self-analytical in recent years, a number of otherkin have begun explaining their association with non-human imagery as nothing but an exercise to help become in touch with their "true selves".

Some otherkin claim to be combinations of different non-human species, such as elf-werewolf or dragon-cat hybrids. Others believe that they are able to mentally or astrally change between different types of nonhuman beings or even that all otherkin are capable of this.

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.^[20]

Despite the general conviction in the community that otherkin are born, not made, there is no clear definition of what constitutes "otherness." One effect of this is that anyone who asserts mainstream otherkin status is very unlikely to be contradicted by the community itself, though more specific claims, or attempts to ascribe specific qualities to all otherkin, are more likely to meet opposition.

Despite the rather open nature of the subculture, those who profess especially unusual beliefs are still likely to meet with controversy. There is a tendency for people to be accused of role-playing if their claims are considered to be more implausible than others; critics of this reaction have labeled it "subculture intolerance".^[21] One example of a controversial subdivision of the otherkin subculture is the otakukin (or otakin) community, who associate with Japanese media such as anime and video games.^[22] 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 is those claiming to have been royalty in other lives, which is sometimes referred to as "elven princess syndrome".^[23] In some circles, the same term has come to refer to any grandiose claims about one's identity, particularly when they make one appear superior in some sense to the majority of people.

Awakening

The otherkin subculture describes the process of beginning to identify oneself as otherkin as Awakening. The process of Awakening has been compared to that of religious revelation or religious conversion. Depending on the individual concerned, it can be either a very sudden or gradual process, and can be a pleasant, self-validating experience, or sometimes a traumatic one.

Many otherkin maintain that their perceived non-human traits are innate, not acquired. In the Awakening process, they generally believe that something is being revealed about themselves that had previously been hidden. Otherkin frequently attest to lifelong feelings of alienation or loneliness, or of homesickness for places they have never seen or cannot identify. They may claim higher levels of psychic, magical or spiritual awareness; on the other hand, some claim none of these things.

In most cases, although there may have been prior vague feelings of detachment from humanity, self-identification specifically as an otherkin is triggered by encounters with or references to otherkin. However, it is not uncommon for people to state that they awakened independently of the community or before they had ever heard of the concept of otherkin.

See also

• Clinical lycanthropy
• Draconity
• Elenari
• Therianthropy
• Vampire lifestyle
• Were
• Totemism

References

• “The Elven Star”, Circle News Network, Summer 1986.- A 1986 Circle News Network article citing the Silver Elves, and the older group, the Elf Queen's Daughters
• “Elven Like Me”, Village Voice, 14 February 2001.- 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). URL accessed on 8 February 2001. 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. URL accessed on 19 May 2005.
4. ^  Belanger, Michelle: “Dragons & Faeries & Gnomes Oh My!”, PagaNet News, June 21, 2003.
5. ^  What are otherkin?. Otherkin.net : Articles. URL accessed on 6 April 2003.
6. ^  Here and Now. Otherkin.net : Rants and Rambles. URL accessed on 9 February 2002.
7. ^  Physically Human?. Otherkin.net. URL accessed on 19 October 2005.
8. ^  Tolkien. Is. Not. A. Reference.. otherkin.net. URL accessed on 19 October 2005.
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. URL accessed on 10 February 1996.
11. ^  Here and Now. Otherkin.net : Rants and Rambles. URL accessed on 9 February 2002.
12. ^  The Draconity FAQ. tomorrowlands.org. URL accessed on December, 1999.
13. ^  alt.culture.vampires FAQ. alt.culture.vampyres website. URL accessed on 19 May 2005.
14. ^  Therianthropy: an overview. shifters.org. URL accessed on 30 December 2002.
15. ^  What are Otherkin?. Drink Deeply & Dream : Vampiric Forum. URL accessed on 6 October 2003.
16. ^  Cataloge of nonhuman communities. orion.animaltracks.net. URL accessed on 19 October 2005.
17. ^  Nonsense in America: The Lure of the Irrational. Wooster.edu. URL accessed on 19 October 2005.
18. ^  Lycanthropy--psychopathological and psychodynamical aspects.. Acta Psychiatr Scand. URL accessed on Jan, 2004.
19. ^  Howling at the Moon: Modern-day Lycanthropy. kuro5hin.org. URL accessed on 19 October 2005.
20. ^  Trans-speciesism. Draconity Resource Project. URL accessed on 2 February 2004.
21. ^  Otherkin behaviour patterns. Otherkin.net. URL accessed on 5 February 2004.
22. ^  Kinjou Ten's Temple of the Ota-'kin. Otherkin.net. URL accessed on 22 May 2005.
23. ^  In Defense of Royalty. Otherkin.net. URL accessed on 19 October 2005.

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?

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