The Horrific History of Changelings | Monstrum

[@JustMeJH]

Wow. As you said the reasons why people were accused of being changlings, all I heard was diabetes, autism, teenage hormones, and so many other medical conditions. What a heartbreaking history.

[@PatrickRsGhost]

Before she even got into the medical side of it, all I could think of was autism, down syndrome, and other physical or mental afflictions that people passed off as changelings. Some wouldn't be noticeable until the child had grown a bit more, like at age 1 to 2 years, whereas some, like a clubbed foot or cleft palate, would be noticeable instantly at birth. I wonder how those were handled, the ones whose physical afflictions were noticeable right away. The mother was probably accused of witchcraft, thought to have been cursed, accused of adultery/infidelity, or maybe r***ed by the Devil himself.

[@tytesseract]

​​@@PatrickRsGhost pretty sure that throughout the vast majority of history women would have been accused of "consorting with the devil", blamed and cast out, rather than being seen as victims

[@apex2000]

Good thing less superstitious people was allowed to do science (was very restrictive once)

[@apex2000]

​@@PatrickRsGhostyou killed newborns if obviously urm "defective or deformed" so to avoid becoming a burden to the family

[@ferretyluv]

I’m thinking Capgras delusion: the idea that your loved one has been “replaced” for a phony.

[@ziizification]

A few reminders: Cruelty against the disabled is not a thing of the past, and kindness towards the disabled is not a recent invention either. Many profoundly disabled people have led beautiful productive lives throughout history as long as humans have been human. My personal favorite will always be Shanidar 1, a Neanderthal man who was likely deaf and blind on one side and had mobility limiting injuries and birth defects and still lived to old age in a time where that would only have been possible with community care.

[@musicgirl12357]

Oh, I remember hearing about that from Trey the Explainer

[@himesilva]

Tfw neanderthals were kinder than than some "more advanced" humans

[@kristinthomsen3175]

As a disabled person, I concur. I have zero trust in anyone.

[@skybluskyblueify]

"[L]ed beautiful productive lives.." but we, the disabled, don't need to lead "productive" lives to be respected or valued (or be considered human and not a changeling [!]).

[@athena8794]

Jane Goodall was once asked what she considered the first sign of civilization. She cited a neandertal skeleton with a healed femur fracture. They *would not* have lived long enough to heal without community support.

[@sventer198]

The part where the channeling just “disappears” one day gave me the shivers because what a convenient excuse to use after you killed the child.

[@EALoArt]

Or after a child decides to run away because of their treatment, or worse. Which is still causing the death of a child

[@sunderedpsyche4289]

My grandmother who is in her 100's "we didn't see people with disabilities in my day." Me watching this video... "yeah, I can see why."

[@healinggrounds19]

That's because most disabled people were locked up in Disappointment Rooms inside houses.

[@kellymurphy1098]

@@healinggrounds19 Often they were sent to asylums and sanitariums to live out their lives.

[@fabycho6791]

My grandma saw a guy with down syndrome once and was choked his family let him be seen by people 🤣🤣

[@anniestumpy9918]

​@@healinggrounds19In some cultures it is still an accepted practice today to put notably disabled newborns out in the woods to let nature have its way.

[@עומרשרייבר-ל4ר]

Ngl Changelings always disturbed me. Not from their myths, but how people treated those so called Changelings. Most of those cases feels like a child was born autistic or with any other disorders and sense people back then didnt know about this kind of stuff they just assumed their child was abducted and was replaced with well, a thing. And turns out they did horrifc things to those so called Changelings and this makes the whole thing even more messed up.

[@aureyd2515]

I have to wonder if the myth evolved to make it pychologically easier for people to allow children with issues to die. When families were barely surviving, trying to care for a child with health issues could have meant that other members of that family might not survive.

[@allaniadall9686]

I made a story inspired by this. It's called Changling Brothers which is mostly a reverse version of the changling idea. Instead of the human being built different, it's the faerie. Basically the faerie child was born different, so his parents swapped him with a human child. The human grew up knowing he was not a faerie while the faerie grew up thinking he was a neurodivergent human. Until the human escaped the faerie world and tried to reclaim his life. The pilot ends with the two boys calling each other brothers(because they technically have "same parents") and going on adventures with each other. The human learning to work with other humans and the faerie learning his magic.

[@jackielinde7568]

Got to love the switch in tone from "You're too smart to be our child. You must be a changeling." to "You're too dumb to be our child. You must be a changeling." Like a lot of hateful things, the story is never consistent.

[@RedJester68]

When you mentioned examples that later included older adults, I immediately thought of people diagnosed with dementia who start acting differently.

[@beth8775]

Or Traumatic Brain Injury

[@melanimatejak6821]

It wasn't dementia. People affected were relatively young, and the change happened abruptly. More likely bipolar disorder, or even schizophrenia.

[@RedJester68]

@@melanimatejak6821Did she not mention older adults too, though? Not ruling out the possibility of it being a mental health disorder like the ones you mentioned. Early onset could explain some instances.

[@t.vinters3128]

"The Moorchild" is my favourite changeling-themed book, written from the perspective of a fey child. I read it as a kid, and, being a neurodivergent child who didn't belong anywhere, it stuck a nerve. It's also surprisingly good at depicting fairies as slightly unnerving creatures you really don't want to meet, and not pretty humans with wings.

[@denisejeffries2675]

Thank you for sharing this. I immediately went to my library website and found the ebook. I look forward to reading it!

[@pyrovix]

This has been one of my favorite books since I was eight! It’s also my comfort book, and I love that it subverted most fae tropes way back when it was written. Would love to see a faithful adaption.

[@MDuarte-vp7bm]

Lol nobody wants to meet fae. My assumption is that they eat kids.

[@christabelle__]

Thanks for the recommendation, I was JUST wondering about if there were any stories written from the perspective of the changeling themselves!

[@rami_ungar_writer]

As someone on the autism spectrum, as well as someone with other disabilities, I've read and heard quite a bit about how changelings have been used to explain disability. And honestly, I believe it. We come up with crazy ideas to explain why we don't have the "perfect" child we've always dreamed of, and then sometimes do horrible things in the hope of getting that fantasy to come back. Also, I have really got to read Victor LaValle's The Changeling one of these days. It's been on my Audible wishlist for a while now.

[@Jay-ql4gp]

This one was gruesome. Justifying cruelty to abuse the autistic, diabetics, and so much more. And doing something truly bizzare to 'expose' the changeling because somehow normal people wouldn't question it.

[@vanessamacneil5978]

Changeling lore breaks my heart - especially as the parent of a child who would probably have been considered as one. It's heartbreaking to think of how many children suffered through changeling trials, and the wild mix of emotions their parents must have experienced as their child appeared to change with no other ready explanation.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Me too. My son is on the Asperger's spectrum and my youngest daughter has ADD. I was particularly precocious as a youngster - I learned to read & write by the time I was 3, and that wasn't the most "intelligent" thing I did. (Unfortunately I didn't remain so smart!) I can't imagine what I would have gone through, let alone my kids 😢.

[@jessicajayes8326]

As someone on the spectrum, this hits hard. Imagine your kid developing normally then all of sudden stopping? I imagine that's how my mom felt. It took looking at my family tree to realize she did nothing wrong. This story could have been used to explain SIDS or Capgras delusion as well.

[@pbsstoried]

Absolutely. It’s a really heartbreaking and scary “monster.”-*Dr.Z*

[@mythicalcreaturesdoctorsor3589]

Changeling : 🇮🇪 Ireland traditional night forest house

[@lysan1445]

The message was obvious: Don't be different. It's harrowing how those assumed 'changelings' were treated. Unfortunately, the message is still around, and people are still being beaten or even killed for being 'different'.

[@CMansfield]

Humans - and some other species - have always had a problem with "the different." In many cases, we will invent differences where there are none, or where the difference is slight. It's no surprise that infants and children (our most vulnerable) have historically been treated so poorly.

[@maugos]

It's truly amazing the lengths people will go to to force their reality on others hurting innocents in such horrible ways. Even sadder that it continues to this day. That said, this was an interesting video and I appreciate all the research you put into your series.

[@pendragon2012]

Damn. Hits different when you work around neurodivergents.

[@jannetteberends8730]

Children with Prader-Willi syndrome could be one explanation for the child keep on eating. And because the baby starts with problems with eating, and suddenly changes its eating pattern when it’s a toddler. This children can’t stop eating.

[@melanimatejak6821]

Still, insatiable appetite is associated with changelings only in British Isles and Ireland. In other parts of Europe no.

[@LKMNOP]

I just adore that if you were slow in your reasoning you were considered to be a changeling. But if you were very fast and intelligent in your reasoning then you were a changeling....

[@clockworkgnome]

As a physically disabled person who also has ASD, this video is honestly heartbreaking…

[@skybluskyblueify]

The true horror was us* all along. [Not disabled ppl but humanity (as too much as a rule)]

[@grimtheghastly8878]

There was a very interesting short story i read once on tumblr that used changelings as a metaphor for neurodivergent children. It was about a medieval irish woman struggling with infertility who really wanted to have a baby, so she made a deal with her local fae, which stated that after a certain period of time the fae would swap out the woman's baby with a changling and test the woman to see if she could correctly identify which of the two was her actual child. If she guessed correctly, she would get her baby back. If she guessed incorrectly, she would lose her child forever. The deal is sealed, and the woman is blessed with a daughter, and for about a year, the mother and child live happily in their secluded little hut in the woods. When the time came, the fae snuck into the woman's home when she was sleeping did as it said it would and swapped the little girl out for a girl who was identical in every way, save for the fact that she exhibited behaviors that we would now undersrand as very early signs of autism spectrum disorder. And for a little while, the mother and the changeling lived as if nothing changed. The fae returned as it said it would and took the changeling away too and so began its test. The woman met the fae at the same place where the deal was struck, and with it, she found the two little girls completely identical in every visible way. When insteucted to identify which of the girls was really hers, she looked closely, thought carefully, and after a moment of consideration she said they both were hers, because she loved them both the same and would do anything for them. The fae, a creature of its word, was surprised and impressed at the woman's answer, as not many would have answered the same, and even fewer would have been telling the truth. And so the fae returned both girls back to their mother and left them in peace, and they lived happily ever after. I wish I could remember who had originally posted that story because I think about it a lot, and it gets me teary-eyed eyed every single time.

[@AnnikaCoyucoCutecats]

That’s a beautiful fairytale.

[@rileylittleraven]

I mentally clung to this (edit: that tale, I mean) while the horrific neglect, abuse, and murders were being described - besides being awful by definition, I absolutely would've been labeled as such (ASD and a boatload of other things) and am also a twin. Scary and truly heartbreaking - it takes harboring deep cruelty to do any of those things, regardless of what you think your kid is or isn't.

[@RaverHates]

I highly recommend Fin Dwyer's Irish History Podcast if you want to learn more on the tragic case of Brigit Cleary. He has an episode on the events and it is heartbreaking. Some of her last words were something like "daddy do you not know me, I'm your little girl, why are you hurting me?"

[@PokhrajRoy.]

1:36 Martin Luther had no chill. He woke up and chose to recommend demon slaying. Also, parents would rather scare their child than try to understand them.

[@twell1984]

I'm unable to find any sources for this story about Martin Luther and the changeling except this video and the English wikipedia (German version does not have it). If you want to cancel Martin Luther, just use his anti-semitism, do not make stuff up.

[@jackielinde7568]

My current D&D character is an Oath of Vengeance Paladin who's a Changeling that believes she's a highborn Elf cursed to be a changeling. Her whole reason for becoming an adventurer is so "she can find the person or persons who cursed her, have them break the curse and restore her to her natural form, and then deal retribution so they cannot curse anyone else." Other than basic backstory questions (Her "family" are nobility and have roles tied to their group's church. The family knows because the spell holding her shape broke at a family function, but the family has been successful in keeping this secret from the rest of their people. And anyone who does know believes she to be a changeling and not an elf.), I left the details decided blank for the DM to fill in. She also has a very little patience for anyone who dabbles in curses and will take up the cause or offer protection to someone who's cursed. To be honest, this was supposed to be a throw away character for a one-shot adventure. That day, most of our table bailed, but my brother still wanted to play D&D. While he was creating a character for his son, I rolled randomly for what character I was playing, landed on "Changeling" and "Paladin - Oath of Vengeance". Then I asked myself, "Why is she so angry?" and decided to use the swapped baby/changeling story, but with a twist. She doesn't know she's a changeling. Now I had her critical wounds, I needed a Want and a Need. Her want is for the curse to be broken and the form she thinks she should have be restored. The need is to realize she wasn't an elf and come to terms with it. Only then can she find a way to become an elf. I think we're about two and a half years playing this story, and I have an idea of the who did what and why, but my character is no closer to any of the answers.

[@youremakingprogress144]

This all sounds like a convenient explanation for people's children becoming anything other than a sweet, well-behaved, healthy ideal child. It's hard for most parents to accept that their child isn't just a perfected clone of the parents themselves, and I can imagine a lot of parents using their denial and superstition to do away with, or just take their frustrations out on, their unlucky child.

[@Coleo20]

I have to say this is one of the most disturbing episodes of Monstum I've watched, and it's not disturbing because of the monsters, it's disturbing because of the humans.

[@falcoskywolf]

As an Autistic person, I want to include the fact that sometimes, how much of an outsider we can feel like can lead US to think we're changelings, or at the very least, swapped from other mortal parents. When you find very few people you have enough in common with, and when they treat you like a freak, you start to wonder.

[@kuriosastoryteller]

Children, and adults, who have disabilities can still to this day be accused of being a changeling, or whatever creature the people in their surroundings believe in, and suffer horrible abuse because of it.

[@vginsprdsobepr9698]

I always believed that the fairies kidnapped Peter Pan as a baby and replaced him with a changing which was the “baby” his mother was cradling when he returned in the ending of “The Little White Bird”.

[@CrystalRaye]

Proving once again that humans are the world's true monsters

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

The Irish also believed in doppelgangers (which are sort of a changeling) that would replace degenerate people and be a much better person. One of my ancestors was accused of being replaced with a doppelganger.

[@gabeskinner9027]

Warning for anyone who has trouble with audio of screaming/crying: sounds of a kid screaming around 4:45 until 5:00 ish while she’s speaking about a child’s death by abuse

[@saranshgautam6551]

Very well researched video again!! Mad respect to Dr. Zarka and Team ❤

[@twell1984]

Is there a list of sources, please? I cannot find anything about the anecdote about Martin Luther except on Wikipedia.

[@historybuff7491]

I grew-up with a few stories that showed new born babies were the most vulnerable to being switched for a changeling. I made my husband follow the baby to the nursery after the birth of each child. I knew they were just stories, but I just didn't want to risk it. I don't know why I thought my baby was safe in the nursery, but I did.

[@lilbasenji1]

Wow I never realized how much disabilities and mental disabilities were associated with changelings in Europe. That is so interesting!!! It just shows how scary differences can be to the uneducated and how important it is to accept everyone’s differences. Now I am curious to find out if there are any other creatures that has a connection with people with disabilities. Also I didn’t expect autism to be relevant to changeling lore.

[@Horrorbabe4]

Difference isn't scary. Humanity's inability to accept difference is scary. Bruh

[@lilbasenji1]

@@Horrorbabe4Very true. I meant difference is scary to people who don’t know better.

[@Horrorbabe4]

Complex topic that i cant come to the same conclusion about. I wonder if confusion or misunderstanding is the actual reason. Or whether a lack of empathy and compassion was not the actual reason. I think there had to be people who were alive back then who knew that they were doing the wrong thing by killing a baby. ​@lilbasenji1

[@melanimatejak6821]

Autism is actually not particularly linked to changeling lore. Stories typically describe physical change of a child, and it is often severe. Cases of normal looking children who just display strange behaviour are rare.

[@Myself-yf5do]

Tony Robinson's Gods and Monsters series talked about changelings, among other things.

[@empryme]

A book I read not too long ago hat involved changelings was Eloise McGraw's The Moorchild. I enjoyed it and recommend it.

[@chrisjarvis2287]

Japan and parts of Asia have a history with changelings going as far back as Europe if not longer.

[@LindaC616]

I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that certain nomadic Amazonian tribes do, as well

[@mechouilli]

I love your videos, Dr Zarka

[@tremorsfan]

Another possible explanation for Changelings is a phenomenon known as Capgras Syndrome, in which a person believes that a loved one has been replaced by an imposter.

[@KWENTakutanPH]

Interestingly, there’s a belief in the Philippines that during a loved one’s wake, there should always be one family member present because there’s a fear that an aswang (a Filipino shape-shifting ghoul that eats corpses) would replace the corpse in the coffin with a look-alike. As soon as a witch doctor throws salt at the corpse in the coffin, it was believed that the true form of the imposter in the coffin would be revealed - a banana tree trunk.

[@melanimatejak6821]

Ugly stuff 😬 But is the soul of the deceased affected if the ghoul eats the corpse, or just physical body is destroyed?

[@nikkiewhite476]

The number of children abused to death because of nerodivergent changes, nutritionally caused cognitive disorders and other illnesses is chilling.

[@HeraclesN-fp1bw]

One of my favorite things done with the Changeling myth is from the manga “Delicious in Dungeon” where they are mushrooms that once a person or creature that steps in a ring are changed by the spores, & this was clever by combining it with the myth of Fairy Ring which are fungi grown in a circle which are believed to where fairies dwell or the site of Witches dancing on Walpurgis Night

[@mariocarreiro7339]

Star Trek also has a whole species called Changelings. Odo from DS9 is one of them.

[@littlecr3atur3]

it breaks my heart to think of how many disabled children were killed because their families believed they were changelings

[@MDuarte-vp7bm]

They weren't killed because they thought they were changelings. They were killed for being malformed. The changeling story was incidental.

[@markuslanggeng]

This to me is the scariest episode so far :(

[@windlessoriginals1150]

Thank you, Dr. Z.

[@LilliBlackmore]

This has got to be the most horrific episode you've ever made.

[@RendallRen]

The cheerful narration contrasts with the topic.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

0:16 In a few Indian media pieces, there are shapeshifting snakes. Maybe that’s our changeling.

[@Wiking-Inwestuje]

I was hoping to hear something about Mamuna from Slavic folklore. Mamuna could replace the child with her changling. To protect the child, parents can put something red to the craddle - red color can keep away the Mamuna.

[@melanimatejak6821]

Interesting. In the Balkans, there used to be a custom among Slavic rural population to tie the umbilical cord of the newborn baby with red thread. Perhaps some connection?

[@Wiking-Inwestuje]

@@melanimatejak6821 I believe, there is, these are only a different face of the same believe among Slavic people :)

[@melanimatejak6821]

@Wiking-Inwestuje By the way, I never heard of this 'Mamuna', but in Slavic folklore various fairies could exchange the human baby with a changeling. On one story, it was a water spirit who lived in the nearby river or pond. At the end, the father took the changeling and threw him in the water. Just as the changeling sinked, little further down the bank he could see his own son getting thrown out of water to the land.

[@tomsenior7405]

Not that long ago there was a case of two children being mistakenly swapped at birth in a small county hospital in Eire. Both sets of families reported any uneasy feeling that their infants did not belong. It took years for the hospital to notice their mistake. Finally, once reunited with their now teenage child, Mr & Mrs O'Reilly said that it was as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Mr & Mrs Khan were unavailable for comment.

[@onbearfeet]

As a neurodivergent adult who was once a neurodivergent little girl bullied for being "too smart", this hits hard. I always identified with strange or alien characters in fiction, and more than a few adults suggested there was something profoundly wrong or inhuman about me just because I read Hamlet when I was nine. And now we're experiencing a huge wave of conservative social backlash against anyone perceived as "different". This should go well...

[@healinggrounds19]

Me too! I also discovered Shakespeare around age 9! I now have a theatre troupe of likewise people called "The Changelings Company ".

[@melanimatejak6821]

Conservative? It is usually far left being extremely hostile against anybody they perceive 'different'.

[@IAmTheAce5]

So it's like witch-hunting but for children

[@MDuarte-vp7bm]

No, because witch-hunting is justification of rejection of a too-independent person. This is the opposite. Rejection of a low-functioning person.

[@alexwilliams5799]

No because children weren't exclusively accused of being changelings.

[@kittling5427]

I wish you'd put a warning at the begining of this - when the vast majority of the content amounts to these are excuses/reasons used to torture / murder a group of people who are still around - its basic consideration to warn them before they get to hear that information.

[@spoopatroopa8005]

rockin the purple XD

[@eaglewolffox6275]

Changelings are also seen in MLP. First appearing in Season Two finale: A Canterlot Wedding part 2

[@Dcfan38-q6v]

and troll hunters

[@eaglewolffox6275]

Yes that too ​@Dcfan38-q6v

[@philgood8089]

just chiming in to say i love the outro outtakes lol.

[@davidpumpkinsjr.5108]

I'd be concerned if the people in my family started acting normal.

[@pandoraeeris7860]

Surprised there wasn't a single mention of the World of Darkness game Changeling.

[@GLSnifit]

Not gonna lie, the purple hair is actually a pretty good look on Dr. Z

[@wimvanderstraeten6521]

There's also a 1980 movie with George C. Scott called The Changeling.

[@arirenzi-surprenant]

I wrote a paper for a class about why changelings were just a convenient explanation for different disabilities and mental disorders. It’s really fascinating and heartbreaking. Thank you again Dr. Z for another fantastic episode!

[@Jiddy12345]

Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak as well

[@TiggerIsMyCat]

I like Holly Black's "Tithe", the changeling is the main character. It's basically a metaphor for being an adoptee

[@RInger2875]

Aww Dr. Z has a baby! I bet that kid is going to get some awesome bedtime stories.

[@eliscanfield3913]

We had a litter of kittens* once. They were tabbies & greys, and one single white kitten who developed points like a himalayan cat after several weeks. I called him a changeling, because if we hadn't watched it happen, we wouldn't have believed it! He was so different from his mother & littermates. *Mom was still saving up money to get our girl kitten spayed when she went into heat & escaped for just long enough. Poor thing had a massive litter, too. She did get spayed later

[@mgold7503]

As an autistic person, I find changeling lore as an explanation of our existence.

[@musicgirl12357]

And further proof that it's not caused by vaccines. After all many of the tales go back when vaccines were either a not readily available or b before they were even invented. Seriously people stop using a D-list celebrity with no knowledge in medicine as your reference.

[@kingrahzar9351]

I sometimes believe I'm a changeling (only more reptilian) but my mother thinks otherwise

[@mindykanitz6255]

Changelings do make an appearance in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but they take the form of equine-like creatures that possess insect-like characteristics that can change their appearance to that of whoever or whatever they wish.

[@jamesclark7448]

Merry Christmas Dr. Monster.

[@willemvandebeek]

Happy holidays and healthy new year, Emily & entourage! o_O

[@rickybryan1759]

Something has changelinged within me

[@Myself-yf5do]

When are you going to do Fate and Fabled again?

[@talideon]

6:28 - I might be mistaken, but I think that's actually a victim of the Irish Great Famine, so not really an appropriate use of the image.

[@lukedurett7313]

Please don't use AI imagery in this show! I very much enjoy it and it was a bummer to see (such as at 3:05)

[@Sarah-hm2pe]

I found this image elsewhere, titled "Livre du roi Modus et de la reine Ratio, 14th century." Not sure if that's AI or not.

[@catbake]

The fantasy novel UNSEELIE by Iveliise Housman explores the "changelings were a way to explain Autism" angle from the perspective of an Autistic author!!! Highly recommend :)

[@AMVMaker26]

Changlings are common today as well In my little pony friendship is magic

[@R.Merkhet]

Very 😎 and informative. I've never heard of changelings in this context. On the aspect of mental disability, could some of these cases have been attributed to PKU?

[@sparkcrushervcm]

Ha! I started the video, turned away for a second, turned back, and was totally confused.

[@calladricosplays]

Tale Foundry narrated an original short story about a changeling, in which his horns were cut off by his well-meaning adoptive parents in the hopes that he would fit in better. When he meets another fae, the fae says that he never saw anything so cruel in all his years of existence

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

I've never seen someone talk about child abuse and murder so cheerfully.

[@MDuarte-vp7bm]

I've never found value in melodrama.

[@georgeofhamilton]

“There are imposters among us …”

[@TylerRakstis]

It's funny how you now look at an expansion of your previous episodes on the Tuatha De Danann, where fairies originated. But it's also a cautionary tale on when people take what's meant to be a made-up story too literally to the point where they potentially committed abelist murder and infantcide. Though I wished you mentioned the My Little Pony versions of those creatures, since that's how some of us got introduced to them.

[@sierrajohnson717]

I love when the supernatural ends up in court.

[@AngrySugar]

Sounds like the real monsters weren't the changelings after all...

[@MarkCMG]

Thanks for the video!

[@ursatzotschew7541]

8:00 those are literally illustrations from a book of brothers Grimm fairytales! I have the same book at my house!

[@jimmycrackkorn1596]

What, No mention (not even in this comment section) of one the best creepy-est haunted house movies "The Changeling" Staring George C Scott...!???

[@NewMessage]

Kinda always felt like one myself... would explain a LOT.

[@Batkoku]

My younger sister is a changeling. Can't be human.

[@TheHornedKing]

Fear and ignorance is a dangerous combo.

[@-RONNIE]

Thank you all for the videos this year. I hope everyone all their families and friends had a good holiday 🥃 Sláinte

[@josephyoung2593]

Ever thought of a series/miniseries about pseudohistorical wizards - Hermes Trismegistus, Alice Nutter, Shennong, Johann Faust, Fulcanelli et al? Could be great fun.

[@AnimeShinigami13]

You mentioned star trek, but you forgot star trek deep space nine! The villains were literally called changelings and operated in a very similar manner to their mythical counterparts. But besides that, who could forget the grumpy, surly Odo, the changeling chief of security on Deep Space Nine and his desperate struggle to come to terms with who he is versus who his people are. Odo's gruff exterior hid a sensitive nature, anguished and angered by his people's cruelty to the "solids" as they called everyone else. Many times his heart broke because his people desperately wanted him back, but he couldn't condone the horrific things they'd done.

[@KillTeamHungary]

Changeling you say...*racks bolter*.

[@AdamYJ]

Well, lots of commenters have commented on the more tragic side of the whole changeling concept. So, how about an odd pop culture note? The word “Changeling” often outpaces the actual legend. At least two shapeshifting comic book superheroes have had the name “Changeling”. One was an X-Men character who was later renamed Morph. The other was Garfield Logan aka Beast Boy from the Doom Patrol and Teen Titans. He was given the name in the 80s to appear more “grown-up”. Even though Beast Boy’s ability to take animal form is actually more like that of a different fairy creature. That’s right, during New Teen Titans, Beast Boy’s new name should have really been “The Pooka”. 😂

[@BryanLeeDavidson]

Final! My neurodivergence explained!

[@kimberlyterasaki4843]

I'm so used to hearing Martin Luther be the cool guy who called out Catholic Church's corruption, never knew this side to him!

[@twell1984]

I studied Lutheran theology, Luther wrote outright evil things about Jews and was completely out of his depths when the farmers revolted and asked for more social justice because of his teachings. This story about him and the changeling sounds very made up, however, and I cannot find any reliable sources for it.

[@TheBlindDyslexic]

I know it's not about the Changling, but I did come up with an interesting theory about those whose bodies were Sensitive to sunlight. What if that element was thought of as one way of discovering whether someone was a Vampire or a Witch. Look at Mathusala, what if back in the era of the Bible, Methuselah Suffered from Progeria?

[@phthalojohan]

The fact that a purely theoretical construct becomes taken as fact is both tragic in hilarious. Imagine if somebody said his wife died because Schrödinger’s cat jumped out of the box and killed her.

[@rocketRobScott]

I bet there will be an alarming rise in the number of divorce reasons being listed as “became a changeling” as a result of this episode. Also, Stephen King’s The Outsider is a type of changeling.