Otherkin

The word "otherkin", in the context of a subculture, was created in July 1990 by participants of a mailing list made for elves and other mythological creatures. It came along with the variant "otherkind," which appeared first in April 1990. 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." Coincidentally, the word "otherkin" also existed in the Middle English language. The Middle English Dictionary (1981) defines the adjective "otherkin" as "a different or an additional kind of, other kinds of". Additionally, "otherkin" has appeared in multiple works of fiction as a term unrelated to the subculture. == Terms and identities ==

The term "otherkin" includes a broad range of identities. Otherkin may identify as creatures of the natural world, mythology, or popular culture. Examples include but are not limited to aliens, angels, demons, dragons, mermaids, elves, fairies, horses, rabbits, foxes, wolves, cats, dogs, and fictional characters. The identity "transspecies" is used by some. Therianthropy The term "therianthrope", commonly called "therian", refers to individuals who identify as an animal on any level, whether it be spiritual, psychological, or even physical. This identity is typically considered involuntary and integral to the self. 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. Terminology Something specific an otherkin identifies as is called a "kintype". A common grammatical construct within the otherkin community is to add the suffix -kin to the end of what they identify as, making it a personal identifier. For example, someone who identifies as a dragon may be called "dragonkin". Someone who strongly identifies with but not as an animal or other entity is called "otherhearted". For example, someone who identifies with dogs may be called "doghearted". ==Community==

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. There are occasional offline gatherings, but the otherkin network is mostly an online phenomenon. The word "alterhuman" exists as an umbrella term which intends to encompass all of these subcultures, as well as others such as plurality. Symbols , known as the "Elven Star" or "Fairy Star" A common symbol for otherkin is a seven-pointed star, specifically a regular {7/3} heptagram, known as the "Elven Star" or "Fairy Star". 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. 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 coordinate with their kintype. Some otherkin claim to also go through an 'awakening' that alerts them to their kintype. 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. ==History==

1970s The earliest recorded instance of a group that would be considered otherkin were the Elf Queen's Daughters, a group who considered themselves elves. Arwen and Elenor, also known as "The Tookes" founded the group sometime in the late 60s or early 70s and began publishing letters from their home in Oregon throughout the 70s. Some of these letters would appear in Green Egg magazine, a contemporary neo-pagan publication. By 1977, the Elf Queen's Daughters would stop publishing letters. In 1979, a later group known as The Silver Elves would visit the Elf Queen's Daughters home and live with them for a month. 1990s A student at the University of Kentucky created the Elfinkind Digest, a mailing list for "elves and interested observers." 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. 2000s On 15 December 2006, the Minneapolis-based newspaper Star Tribune published an article about dragons that included a section about the otherkin blog Draconic. The article took quotes from the mission statement of the blog, written by site founder Chris Dragon. 2010s On 7 April 2010, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter published an article titled "" ("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 is like to be a therian. 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. ==Research==

Danielle Kirby published one of the first pieces of academic research on otherkin in 2006, which served to introduce the community to other academics. Starting in 2016, scholars have utilized a narrative identity approach, investigating how otherkin come to understand their experiences. 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. In four surveys of furries (with a sample size of 4338, 1761, 951 and 1065 respectively), 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 of 802 non-furries surveyed at furry conventions. ==Public perception and media coverage==

Perception of individuals who identify as otherkin varies and is subject to individual interpretation. Otherkin have been called a religious movement (or a "quasi-religion") that "in some of its forms, largely only exists on the Internet". Although otherkin beliefs deviate from the definition of "religion", many individuals share a primary interest in the paranormal, but many do not. Professor Jay Johnston feels that nonhuman identity "is perhaps not so much pathological as political". According to Nick Mamatas, they represent a dissatisfaction with the modern world, and they have taken fairy lore out of its original context. ==See also==