The VERY Messed Up Origins of Changelings

► Messed Up Origins™ Socials!

▼ Podcast Links! ▼

► SOLOFAM MERCH:
► Support the series on Patreon!

▼ Timestamps ▼
» 0:00 - Changelings: A Real Threat?
» 1:42 - Ireland Trip Update
» 2:44 - What is a Changeling?
» 5:10 - Changeling Tests (PROVE IT!)
» 10:11 - Why?
» 13:54 - Changelings in Real Life

► Want more?

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

► Social Media:

► Join the Official Channel Discord:

► Send Fan Mail to:

► Business:

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

▼ Credits ▼
» Edited by: Jon Solo & Lauren Solo
» Written & Directed by: Jon Solo

▼ Resources ▼
Resources:

▼ Art Sources ▼
» If I used your art in the thumbnail or any portion of this video please send a message to my business email with proof that you're the original artist so I can give you credit!

#messeduporigins #celticfolklore #changeling

[smultronpojke]

One changeling story I like a lot is The Changeling by Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf. The mother in the story is very aware that she is caring for a changeling, but refuses to torture it even as everyone else around her, including her husband, pressure and intimidate her. Eventually the husband leaves, which undoes the swap - as the mother had sacrificed the love of her life, it meant the trolls no longer had power over her son, and so the changeling leaves, the son returns and he explains that each time the mother treated the changeling with kindness, so too had the trolls treated him, so it was her unwavering maternal love that had saved her child all along.

[RainCheck]

The way most of history tried to make sense of mental health issues, nuerodivergence, and invisible illness is just heart breaking.

[gregnoeldavis]

Infants with Down Syndrome were especially likely to be seen as changelings: they often have 'wizened' faces, slanted almond shaped eyes, small hands and feet, and obvious developmental issues.

[savvivixen]

Every time this comes up, I'm reminded of the single story where a mother experiences a changeling swap, seeks her own child while caring for the changeling, then finally approaches the offending fae. When the fae expects to have the changeling returned to them, the mother replies: "No; they are BOTH *my* children." I want to believe that somewhere in history, a mother decided to take this stance rather than outright abandoning the suspected child in obvious need.

[ericacook]

Thank you for bringing this to reality. Yes, many did it because they feared their child had been taken over or traded out. Some knew full well it was their child and didn't want a child they called defective. There are some theories that many of the stories of forest dwelling fay are actually abandoned deformed children. They act strange because they have developmental disabilities or because they missed out on proper social development.

[patricksmith]

My vote is yes for Changeling related crimes. I had definitely heard the Cleary story before. Such a sad tale.

[yuli-hetv]

I think it's crazy that you're speaking about this topic. About a month ago I had a mental break. After about 5 days of being treated it started to dawn on me, had I been born a few hundred years back I probably would have been thrown into a fire. So sad to think about all the people that were probably tortured to death because they had mental health issues.

[micaelasparrow]

Fascinating but so sobering that this happened to so many real people.
Changelings also could have been an explanation of post partum depression as an explanation for why a good mother would want to harm her child. Without knowledge of hormonal imbalances, it would be a way to explain it away as her instinctually knowing that "wasn't her baby".

[debbralehrman]

This is so sad. I say sad because even in more recent years people with developmental, mental, or physical disabilities still face Ignorant
discrimination today. Thanks Jon for bring
us things that are not so far in the past.

[AntoinettexKitten]

Early signs of autism or illness were considered as a child being replaced by a changeling

[TNHawke]

As a diagnosed autistic, I am fascinated and horrified by changeling. I would love to see another episode about them!

[Jenny-vmyu]

This is really sad because most “changelings” were probably children with physical or mental disabilities, illnesses or were neurodivergent. Same goes for the adults, they could have developed early onset dementia or sustained a head injury which changed their personality.

[breadcrumbhoarder]

I also wonder if postpartum depression or psychosis could lead to some mothers accusing their children of being changelings, not just the mothers themselves being accused. I doubt that mothers going through postpartum would’ve gotten the help they needed, and it makes sense that they could tie their symptoms to a fairy infesting their house and child in a society where fairies love to cause misfortune.

[rafaelfigueoa]

Changeling related crimes would be sick hope Jon makes one

[j.a.shawkins]

I knew about the changeling children thing, but it genuinely didn't occur to me that they could use that on adults going through mental and chemical changes, like postpartum, menopause, ptsd, and things like that. Like...wow. And that poor woman: at some point, she KNEW her husband would never be satisfied no matter what she said, and then he doused her kerosene. Like...holy crap.

[xHOTxCHOCOxFUDGEx]

Imagine being accused of being a changeling, when you’re really not a changeling, though…that’d be horrible. Having your loved ones accusing you of not being you…

[alainavanatta]

I read a book about Bridget. She was hard working, opinionated, stubborn, and the primary breadwinner for her family. she often got on her husband who kept losing work. She was vibrant and independent. And she often questioned the man who was supposed to provide for her but couldn't hold a job for more than a month and he didn't like that. I believe he simply waited until Bridget was ill and vulnerable to abuse her in all sorts of ways because he felt small in his place in society.

[faerlydisfunctional]

Nowadays people spend our lives comparing us to aliens but I still relate strongly to changeling folklore as a neurodivergent person myself

[runswithmooses]

Sounds like some of these people could have had crabgrass syndrome. It's a deases usually brought on by head injury that cause people to be one multiple or all of their family members have been swamped out with doubles.

[MissBlueEyeliner]

My great grandmother went in for routine surgery in Ireland back in the 70s and ended up with brain damage due to “complications”.
She spent most of the rest of her life in an institution believing her family were changelings.
You can’t tell me that’s not the most terrifying thing you can imagine?
Coming out of surgery believing that and being locked away believing that you were being kept from your real family and that your little children needed you.