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Otherkin is a subculture of people who identify as partially or entirely nonhuman. Some otherkin believe their identity derives from non-physical spiritual phenomena, such as having a nonhuman soul [1] : 73–76 [ better source needed ] or reincarnation. [1] : 57–58 Some otherkin give non-spiritual explanations for themselves, such as unusual psychology or neurodivergence, [1] : 80–86 or as part of dissociative identity disorder or multiplicity. [1] : 76–79 Many otherkin say they are physically human. [2] [1] : 66–72
The otherkin subculture developed primarily as an online community during the 1990s. [1] : 50 It had partly grown out of some small groups of people who described themselves as elves during the 1970s and 1980s. [1] : 49 During the late 2000s, the word has come to be treated as an umbrella term for some other nonhuman identity subcultures. [1] : 107–108
The word otherkin, in the context of a subculture, was created in July 1990 by participants of the mailing list Elfinkind Digest. It came along with the variant "otherkind," which appeared first in April 1990. It was a more widely inclusive derivative of the mailing list's name. Mailing list participants used both interchangeably for a while. [1] : 50 Over the following decades, the word "otherkin" entered common usage enough to be later added to the principal historical dictionary of the English language. In 2017, the Oxford English Dictionary defined otherkin as "a person who identifies as non-human, typically as being wholly or partially an animal or mythical being." [3] [4]
Coincidentally, the word "otherkin" happens to have also existed in the Middle English language. A dictionary of that language, the Middle English Dictionary (1981), gave a definition of the adjective "otherkin" as "a different or an additional kind of, other kinds of". [5] Middle English died out in the late 15th century. [6]
The term otherkin includes a broad range of identities. Otherkin may identify as creatures of the natural world, mythology, or popular culture. [7] Examples include but are not limited to the following: aliens, angels, demons, dragons, elves, fairies, horses, foxes, wolves, sprites, unicorns, and fictional characters. [8] [9] [10] [11] Rarer are those who identify as plants, machines, concepts, or natural phenomena such as weather systems. [12]
The term "therian" refers to people who spiritually, physically, or psychologically identify as an animal. The species of animal a therian identifies as is called a theriotype. [13] While therians mainly attribute their experiences of therianthropy to either spirituality or psychology, the way in which they consider their therian identity is not a defining characteristic of therianthropy. [14] The identity "transspecies" is used by some. [15]
Otherkin communities online largely function without formal authority structures and mostly focus on support and information gathering, often dividing into more specific groups based on kintype. [11] There are occasional offline gatherings, but the otherkin network is mostly an online phenomenon. [11]
The therian and vampire subcultures are related to the otherkin community, and are considered part of it by most otherkin but are culturally and historically distinct movements of their own, despite some overlap in membership. [1] The word alterhuman exists as an umbrella term which intends to encompass all of these subcultures, as well as others such as plurality. [16]
A common symbol for otherkin is a seven-pointed star, specifically a regular {7/3} heptagram, known as the Elven Star or Fairy Star. Otherkin have used it for decades. For example, one early use of it was by the Silver Elves in an article they published in the summer 1986 issue of Circle Network News. [1] : 52–53
Scholars such as Joseph P. Laycock, assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University, considers otherkin beliefs to have a religious dimension, but asserts that "the argument that Otherkin identity claims conform to a substantive definition of religion is problematic". [17] Many otherkin themselves reject the notion that being otherkin is a religious belief. [17]
Some otherkin claim to be especially empathic and attuned to nature. [9] Some claim to be able to shapeshift or "shift" mentally or astrally, meaning that they experience the sense of being in their particular form while not actually changing physically. [1] [18] Moreover, the claim to be able to physically shift is generally looked down on by the community. They may also describe being able to feel phantom limbs/wings/tails/horns, that coordinates with their kintype. [19] Some otherkin claim to also go through an 'awakening' that alerts them to their kintype. [19]
Many otherkin believe in the existence of a multitude of parallel universes, and their belief in the existence of supernatural or sapient non-human beings is grounded in that idea. [11]
A student at the University of Kentucky created the Elfinkind Digest, a mailing list for "elves and interested observers." [1] : 50 Also in the early 1990s, newsgroups such as alt.horror.werewolves (AHWW) [20] and alt.fan.dragons on Usenet, which were initially created for fans of these creatures in the context of fantasy and horror literature and films, also developed followings of individuals who identified as mythological beings. [1] [21]
On 15 December 2006, the Minneapolis-based newspaper Star Tribune published an article about dragons that included a section about the otherkin blog Draconic. [22] The article took quotes from the mission statement of the blog, written by site founder Chris Dragon.[ citation needed ]
On 7 April 2010, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter published an article titled "Ibland får jag lust att yla som en varg" (“Sometimes I get the urge to howl like a wolf”) in which Lanina, founder of the Swedish language otherkin and therian forum therian.forumer.com, described the basics of what it's like to be a therian. [23] The article is the first known article to offer a description of "therian" identity by a major European newspaper.
In 2011, the International Anthropomorphic Research Project (IARP), a Canadian-American multidisciplinary research group, expanded the scope of its annual International Furry Survey to include otherkin and therians for the first time. [24]
Daniell Kirby wrote the first academic paper on otherkin in 2008, which served to introduce the community to other academics. [11] Kirby described otherkin as sharing ideas with the neopagan movement, however she called this an "interim classification", and warned that "to construe this group as specifically neo-pagan or techno-pagan obscures the focus of the participants". [11] Subsequent research has treated the otherkin community as having an essentially religious character. [17] [13] [25] [26]
From 2016 onwards, otherkin research has taken more of a narrative identity approach, investigating how otherkin come to understand their experiences. [27] [28] [29] Reviewing prior research, Stephanie C. Shea criticizes the prevailing conception of the otherkin subculture as being, or being alike to, either a religion or a spirituality. [30]
In four surveys of furries (n = 4338/1761/951/1065), depending on the sample, between 25% and 44% responded that they consider themselves to be "less than 100% human", compared to 7% of a sample (n = 802) of non-furries surveyed at furry conventions. [31]
Outside viewers may have varying opinions about people who identify as otherkin, such as considering them psychologically dysfunctional. [8] Reactions often range from disbelief to aggressive antagonism, especially online. [32]
Otherkin have been called one of the world's most bizarre subcultures, [33] and a religious movement (or a "quasi-religion" [34] [ page needed ]) that "in some of its forms, largely only exists on the Internet". [35] Although otherkin beliefs deviate from the definition of "religion", they share the primary interest in the paranormal. [34] [ page needed ] Joseph P. Laycock argues that the otherkin community serves existential and social functions commonly associated with religion, and regards it as an alternative nomos that sustains alternate ontologies. He feels that the negative public reaction to the subculture may be because of how these beliefs challenge the predominant social worldview. [17] Professor Jay Johnston similarly feels that nonhuman identity "is perhaps not so much pathological as political". [36]
According to Nick Mamatas, they represent a dissatisfaction with the modern world, and they have taken fairy lore out of its original context. [9] [ needs update? ]
The Druze, who call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn, are an Arab esoteric religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and syncretic religion whose main tenets assert the unity of God, reincarnation, and the eternity of the soul.
An elf is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods which they inhabited while they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early 19th century.
Morality is the categorization of intentions, decisions and actions into those that are proper, or right, and those that are improper, or wrong. Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct from a particular philosophy, religion or culture, or it can derive from a standard that is understood to be universal. Morality may also be specifically synonymous with "goodness", "appropriateness" or "rightness".
Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the right not to profess any religion or belief or "not to practise a religion".
The furry fandom is a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters. Some examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, speaking, walking on two legs, and wearing clothes. The term "furry fandom" is also used to refer to the community of people who gather on the Internet and at furry conventions.
A subculture is a group of people within a cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, political, and sexual matters. Subcultures are part of society while keeping their specific characteristics intact. Examples of subcultures include BDSM, hippies, hipsters, goths, steampunks, bikers, punks, skinheads, gopnik, hip-hoppers, metalheads, cosplayers, otaku, otherkin, furries, hackers and more. The concept of subcultures was developed in sociology and cultural studies. Subcultures differ from countercultures.
Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, rationalism, secularism, and non-religious spirituality. These perspectives can vary, with individuals who identify as irreligious holding diverse beliefs about religion and its role in their lives.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines religiosity as: "Religiousness; religious feeling or belief. [...] Affected or excessive religiousness". Different scholars have seen this concept as broadly about religious orientations and degrees of involvement or commitment. The contrast between "religious" and "religiose" and the concept of "strengthening" faith suggest differences in the intensity of religiosity.
The vampire lifestyle, vampire subculture, or vampire community is an alternative lifestyle and subculture based around the mythology of and popular culture based on vampires. Those within the subculture commonly identify with or as vampires, with participants typically taking heavy inspiration from media and pop culture based on vampiric folklore and legend, such as the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, the tabletop role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, and the book series The Vampire Chronicles by author Anne Rice. Practices within the vampire community range from blood-drinking from willing donors to organising groups known as 'houses' and 'courts' of self-identified vampires.
A werecat is an analog to "werewolf" for a feline therianthropic creature.
Werehyena is a neologism coined in analogy to werewolf for therianthropy involving hyenas. It is common in the folklore of the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Near East as well as some adjacent territories. Unlike werewolves and other therianthropes, which are usually portrayed as being originally human, some werehyena lore tells of how they can also be hyenas disguised as humans.
Landvættir are spirits of the land in Old Nordic religion, later folk belief and modern Heathenry. They are closely associated with specific locations and their wellbeing is presented as being required for the land they inhabit to be fruitful. In Old Norse sources, they are depicted as being potentially harmful and capable of driving away unwanted individuals and capable of being frightened through human actions such as usage of carved figureheads on ships or níðstangs. Good relationships between humans and landvættir were believed to be fostered through acts like leaving out food for them however upon the establishment of the church, the practice was labelled heretical and explicitly forbidden in the Norwegian Gulating law codes.
Cultural Muslims, also known as nominal Muslims, non-practicing Muslims or non-observing Muslims, are people who identify as Muslims but are not religious and do not practice the faith. They may be a non-observing, secular or irreligious individuals who still identify with Islam due to family backgrounds, personal experiences, ethnic and national heritage, or the social and cultural environment in which they grew up.
A UFO religion is any religion in which the existence of extraterrestrial (ET) entities operating unidentified flying objects (UFOs) is an element of belief. Typically, adherents of such religions believe the ETs to be interested in the welfare of humanity which either already is, or eventually will become, part of a pre-existing ET civilization. Other religions predate the UFO era of the mid 20th century, but incorporate ETs into a more supernatural worldview in which the UFO occupants are more akin to angels than physical aliens, but this distinction may be blurred within the overall subculture. These religions have their roots in the tropes of early science fiction and weird fiction writings, in ufology, and in the subculture of UFO sightings and alien abduction stories. Historians have considered the Aetherius Society, founded by George King, to be the first UFO religion.
Religious disaffiliation is the act of leaving a faith, or a religious group or community. It is in many respects the reverse of religious conversion. Several other terms are used for this process, though each of these terms may have slightly different meanings and connotations.
In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, traditional religion, or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. The precise definition of folk religion varies among scholars. Sometimes also termed popular belief, it consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of a religion; but outside official doctrine and practices.
The San religion is the traditional religion and mythology of the San people. It is poorly attested due to their interactions with Christianity.
A fursona is a personally claimed persona resembling an anthropomorphic animal adopted by a member of the furry fandom. Fursonas can provide numerous roles for the creator. According to The New Science of Narcissism, 95% of those in the furry fandom have at least one fursona; with the Anthropomorphic Research Project estimating that the average furry has between two and three fursonas over the course of their life.
A Field Guide to Otherkin is a 2007 book by the neopagan writer and psychologist Lupa. It discusses the otherkin community, a group of people who believe they are, in some sense, not entirely human. Lupa, who considered herself otherkin at the time of the book's publication, conducted a qualitative study of online otherkin communities between 2005 and 2006; she wrote A Field Guide to Otherkin based around its findings, synthesizing its conclusions about otherkin belief and its origins, common otherkin identities, and the religious and spiritual beliefs of otherkin.
/--/Some feel that their difference is purely spiritual, while others believe there is a genetic difference between themselves and humanity. /--/
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: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)There is a not a finite list of Otherkin "types," but some of the most common include faeries and elves, vampires, therianthropes (individuals who identify with animals and shapeshifters), angels and demons, and "mythologicals" (legendary creatures such as dragons and phoenixes).