Changelings

Changelings are a particularly dark and interesting part of Gaelic folklore. Legends about them have been told throughout medieval Europe; folklore about them is even included in the Brothers Grimm collection. People have continued to exchange tales of these mischievous creatures for years, and they still have influence today. Changelings are one of many different types of fairies. Some fairies are considered benevolent, but changelings are not. Adult fairies would steal human babies and replace them with their own. It was thought that the fairies would do this out of envy; their pregnancies were very difficult, and their babies were often born sickly or unwell somehow. Parents had various ways to ward off these fairies to stop their children from being taken, and methods to deal with the fairies who were successful in stealing their children. Unsurprisingly, as modern ideas have become more trusted, the instances of people believing in changelings has dwindled-- but legends of these creatures remain to be told and influential in many fashions.