The new child—the changeling—is characterised by unresponsiveness, resistance to physical affection, obstreperousness, inability to express emotion, and unexplained crying and physical changes such as rigidity and deformity. Some are unable to speak.
A common way that a changeling could identify itself is through displaying unusual behaviour when it thinks it is alone, such as jumping about, dancing or playing an instrument – though this last example is found only within Irish and Scottish legend.
However strange appearances aside it was their behaviour that marked them out - changelings were said to be either extremely badly behaved - constantly crying and prone to violence, or at the other end of the spectrum strangely docile, often mute and seemingly unable to comprehend anything about the human world they ...
Most changelings don't know they're changelings.
Though they may always feel somewhat different or removed from human life, most changelings are too young to understand who they truly are.
changeling, in European folklore, a deformed or imbecilic offspring of fairies or elves substituted by them surreptitiously for a human infant. According to legend, the abducted human children are given to the devil or used to strengthen fairy stock.
Changelings born from two changeling parents are born in their natural form: pale, slender, with colorless eyes and white hair.
Obviously, a changeling's appearance can change at any moment, but they do have a true form. Their true skin is usually grey or pale white, and their facial features are blank slates to an unnerving degree. They're typically thin and gaunt, and their hair is usually silvery with an occasional green or pink tint.
Appearance. In their true form, changelings are generally extremely pale, showing features devoid of distinctive details, with colorless eyes and silver-white hair.
The true form of a changeling is a bit paler than a typical human with slightly elongated limbs. Their eyes are colorless and ringed by black as pictured in the artwork above by Julia Zhuravleva. They have no body hair, but the hair on their head can be platinum, white, or silver.
Shapeshifting – Changelings can appear human, and are capable of shifting between forms in order to feed. Sharp teeth – Changelings have a lamprey-like mouth covered in sharp teeth that allow them to feed on humans. Super strength – Changelings have superior strength compared to humans.
But what exactly is the purpose of a fairy changeling? It basically helped explain weak or sickly children. The stolen babies were returned to the families, especially when a person can expose the true nature of the changeling. One way to recognise them is to place them on a fire and chant a formula.
The new child—the changeling—is characterised by unresponsiveness, resistance to physical affection, obstreperousness, inability to express emotion, and unexplained crying and physical changes such as rigidity and deformity. Some are unable to speak.
They have no sense of smell. Scans of a morphed Changeling merely read as the object being modeled would normally. The best test of a Changeling is through a simple blood sample; once separated from the body, a small amount will quickly turn back to its natural state.
Changelings have the unique ability to transform their body to look however they want, provided they keep the same arrangement of limbs they already possess. It is very rare to actually see a changeling in it's 'true' appearance. Even when disguised, changelings can instinctively recognize each other.
Bear in mind that people actually believed in changelings well into the 20th century. Other remedies for a changeling were things like putting it on a hot shovel, leaving it out in the elements overnight, or threatening the suspected elf with torture.
In some cases, the changeling grows up often being very loyal and caring to friends and family despite what they are. They often care more for their friends and family than they do themselves. Most changelings enjoy helping as they get older, but they often feel different, out of place.
Changelings are typically born with female anatomy, but some prefer to maintain male primary and secondary sex characteristics once in control of this ability.
Changeling Traits
Age: Changelings reach adulthood at the age of 16. Their fey heritage allows them to live much longer than humans, up to 200 years.
A changeling can be detected by its huge appetite and the large quantity of water it drink (a bathtub before morning, if left beside it), its large teeth, its fondness for music and its powers of dancing, its unnatural precocity, or from some unguarded remark as to its own age.
It's not widely known, but one of the few ways one may determine that a person is, in fact, a changeling has to do with their hands. Changelings generally do not have the skill to replicate "life lines," and sometimes even fingerprints.
They have large colorless eyes circled by thick black rings. Their hair color is most commonly a light shade of silver followed by platinum and blonde. In rarer cases, their hair can be pale shades of green, pink, and blue. Similar to elves, changelings lack body and facial hair.
Changelings have red blood like a majority of the other races. Bleeding around others may alert many that the Changeling is not of the same race (should the blood color vary). For this reason, a Changeling will usually choose to take the form of a race with red blood.
Sometimes changelings are old, nasty fairies who revel in the sorrow they cause; or fairies with prodigious appetites for human food or mortal breast milk. Sometimes the changelings are fairies so old and worn out that their kinfolk have left them behind, happy to be rid of them in exchange for a plump human child.