Why Did Changelings Terrorize the Victorian Age? | Monstrum

Let’s talk about the unsettling legend of changelings, creatures said to replace humans with eerie, imperfect copies. What are the historical, cultural, and psychological roots of this folklore? From medieval theology to real-world court cases and modern stories, we wonder why the fear of imposters continues to captivate us.

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Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Executive Producer: Dr. Emily Zarka
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor/Animator: P.W. Shelton
Illustrator: Samuel Allan
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
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Descriptive Audio & Captions provided by The Described and Captioned Media Program

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[JustMeJH]

Wow. As you said the reasons why people were accused of being changlings, all I heard was diabetes, autism, teenage hormones, and so many other medical conditions. What a heartbreaking history.

[ziizification]

A few reminders: Cruelty against the disabled is not a thing of the past, and kindness towards the disabled is not a recent invention either. Many profoundly disabled people have led beautiful productive lives throughout history as long as humans have been human.

My personal favorite will always be Shanidar 1, a Neanderthal man who was likely deaf and blind on one side and had mobility limiting injuries and birth defects and still lived to old age in a time where that would only have been possible with community care.

[sventer]

The part where the channeling just “disappears” one day gave me the shivers because what a convenient excuse to use after you killed the child.

[RedJester]

When you mentioned examples that later included older adults, I immediately thought of people diagnosed with dementia who start acting differently.

[jackielinde]

Got to love the switch in tone from "You're too smart to be our child. You must be a changeling." to "You're too dumb to be our child. You must be a changeling." Like a lot of hateful things, the story is never consistent.

[grimtheghastly]

There was a very interesting short story i read once on tumblr that used changelings as a metaphor for neurodivergent children. It was about a medieval irish woman struggling with infertility who really wanted to have a baby, so she made a deal with her local fae, which stated that after a certain period of time the fae would swap out the woman's baby with a changling and test the woman to see if she could correctly identify which of the two was her actual child. If she guessed correctly, she would get her baby back. If she guessed incorrectly, she would lose her child forever. The deal is sealed, and the woman is blessed with a daughter, and for about a year, the mother and child live happily in their secluded little hut in the woods. When the time came, the fae snuck into the woman's home when she was sleeping did as it said it would and swapped the little girl out for a girl who was identical in every way, save for the fact that she exhibited behaviors that we would now undersrand as very early signs of autism spectrum disorder. And for a little while, the mother and the changeling lived as if nothing changed. The fae returned as it said it would and took the changeling away too and so began its test. The woman met the fae at the same place where the deal was struck, and with it, she found the two little girls completely identical in every visible way. When instructed to identify which of the girls was really hers, she looked closely, thought carefully, and after a moment of consideration she said they both were hers, because she loved them both the same and would do anything for them. The fae, a creature of its word, was surprised and impressed at the woman's answer, as not many would have answered the same, and even fewer would have been telling the truth. And so the fae returned both girls back to their mother and left them in peace, and they lived happily ever after. I wish I could remember who had originally posted that story because I think about it a lot, and it gets me teary-eyed every single time.

[LilytheFrilly]

A little random thought, but when she mentioned how changelings are an inherent fear of imposter's, im suddenly reminded of postpartum cases of women having psychosis and hurting or ignoring their newborn, saying it's not theirs. It makes me wonder how many cases of changelings are also related to this disorder.

[CakeofRage]

3:20 "if the changeling was beaten, the original human might reappear."
i had to pause the video for a minute just to process the horror of that statement. good lord.

[Coleo]

I have to say this is one of the most disturbing episodes of Monstum I've watched, and it's not disturbing because of the monsters, it's disturbing because of the humans.

[עומרשרייבר-לר]

Ngl Changelings always disturbed me. Not from their myths, but how people treated those so called Changelings. Most of those cases feels like a child was born autistic or with any other disorders and sense people back then didnt know about this kind of stuff they just assumed their child was abducted and was replaced with well, a thing. And turns out they did horrifc things to those so called Changelings and this makes the whole thing even more messed up.

[rami_ungar_writer]

As someone on the autism spectrum, as well as someone with other disabilities, I've read and heard quite a bit about how changelings have been used to explain disability. And honestly, I believe it. We come up with crazy ideas to explain why we don't have the "perfect" child we've always dreamed of, and then sometimes do horrible things in the hope of getting that fantasy to come back.
Also, I have really got to read Victor LaValle's The Changeling one of these days. It's been on my Audible wishlist for a while now.

[t.vinters]

"The Moorchild" is my favourite changeling-themed book, written from the perspective of a fey child. I read it as a kid, and, being a neurodivergent child who didn't belong anywhere, it stuck a nerve. It's also surprisingly good at depicting fairies as slightly unnerving creatures you really don't want to meet, and not pretty humans with wings.

[merrillsunderland]

1:34 this just sounds like a child on the Autism spectrum who self-soothed with food and was easily emotionally disregulated (laughing when others are upset due to anxiety, crying during happy events where people are too loud). It’s distressing to think that until fifty years ago parents wouldn’t know why their children were “different”.

[TheChroniclesOfYarnia]

I grew up deep in the hollows of Appalachia. My mom did not have a good education and was easily influenced. She legitimately thought I was a changeling and when that didn’t quite fit her narrative I was then possessed by demons 😐. I have autism… that is all, just autism. But in the late 70’s early 80’s it was not really known. Education is EVERYTHING 👏🏻

[LKMNOP]

I just adore that if you were slow in your reasoning you were considered to be a changeling. But if you were very fast and intelligent in your reasoning then you were a changeling....

[Jay-qlgp]

This one was gruesome. Justifying cruelty to abuse the autistic, diabetics, and so much more. And doing something truly bizzare to 'expose' the changeling because somehow normal people wouldn't question it.

[jannetteberends]

Children with Prader-Willi syndrome could be one explanation for the child keep on eating. And because the baby starts with problems with eating, and suddenly changes its eating pattern when it’s a toddler. This children can’t stop eating.

[clockworkgnome]

As a physically disabled person who also has ASD, this video is honestly heartbreaking…

[vanessamacneil]

Changeling lore breaks my heart - especially as the parent of a child who would probably have been considered as one. It's heartbreaking to think of how many children suffered through changeling trials, and the wild mix of emotions their parents must have experienced as their child appeared to change with no other ready explanation.

[lysan]

The message was obvious: Don't be different. It's harrowing how those assumed 'changelings' were treated. Unfortunately, the message is still around, and people are still being beaten or even killed for being 'different'.