Original Myth- Changelings

Craigie, William Alexander. Scandinavian Folk-lore. London: Alexander Gardner, 1896.

The Line, the Lash and the Curl. "Changelings and Fairy Babies." Myndandmist.wordpress.com. June 24, 2012. Web.

 November 9, 2014

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Many cultures have believed in the long-standing legend of changelings.  It was believed that fairies swapped their children in the place of human children. Human children were believed to be stronger and healthier than fairy children as well as more beautiful. The life span of a fairy child is much shorter than that of a human. Changelings were always hungry and had horrible dispositions and were quite sickly according to the legend. When a family suspected its child had been stolen by fairies it was supposed to either trick the changeling into revealing itself or beat the "child" until the fairy came to retrieve it. Midwives and women who had recently given birth were also targeted by the fairies as childbirth was not easy for fairies. This was believed to be why fairy children were thought to be frail as they were injured during childbirth. They also had voracious appetites which is why lactating women were of particular interest to the fairies. Handsome men were also sought after as they were needed to mate with to produce additional children. 

Fairies were believed by many to be real. Fairytales portrayed them as beautiful and helpful while myths and legends leaned more towards ugly and sinister.

Frances Griffiths and the Dancing Fairies, one of the photographs she and her cousin, Elsie Wright, took of "real" fairies. Many people, including author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, believed the photos were genuine.
Credit: Cottingley.net