In European folklore, a changeling is a child—often sickly, deformed, or intellectually disabled—left in place of a human infant stolen by supernatural beings like fairies, elves, or trolls. These creatures, it was believed, replaced the stolen child with one of their own, which would grow into a normal human child. The original human child was either left to the supernatural beings, used as a servant, or in some gruesome tales, given to the Devil. People used various methods to expose a changeling, like trying to make it laugh, threatening it with fire, or placing cold iron near it. If its true nature was revealed, the changeling would often disappear, sometimes replaced by the original child. The myth of the changeling is often seen as a way to explain real-life conditions like genetic disorders, with the potential for the child to be abandoned, abused, or subjected to cruel rituals to drive the "fairy" out.

The Changeling's Characteristics
Appearance:
A changeling might look similar to the original child but can also be described as old, wrinkled, or having the appearance of a "stock" (a log magically made to look like a baby).

Behavior: They could be noisy or cry unceasingly, possess an insatiable appetite, and sometimes have disturbing intelligence.

Misfortune: Changelings were thought to bring ill luck, such as making milk sour or farm animals sick, and could also cause nightmares or despair.

The Myth's Origins and Meanings

Protection: Some theories suggest the myth was a way to protect the mother and child during the vulnerable period after birth by providing reasons for the child's ill health.

Explanation for Disability: The changeling myth offered a way to explain physical or intellectual disabilities that, in pre-medical times, were not understood and could lead to the child being seen as otherworldly or a "fairy" child.

Revenge: In some tales, changelings were seen as a cruel prank by the fairies or trolls to spread chaos and misfortune among humans.

Methods to Identify a Changeling
Cruel Treatment: A changeling could be exposed to torture or other cruel rituals, with the belief that such mistreatment would force it to reveal its true nature or the true child to return.

Cold Iron: Placing cold iron near a changeling was a common protection in Scandinavian folklore, as many supernatural beings were believed to fear iron.

Fire: Using fire, often a red-hot poker, was another ritualistic method for revealing the fairy nature of the changeling.

Tricks: Some stories involved tricking the changeling into revealing its true nature, such as a tale from Ireland where the changeling is made to laugh after the woman brews beer in an eggshell.

The Dark History of the Changeling Myth
The belief in changelings had devastating consequences for children who were born with physical or intellectual disabilities.

Parents, influenced by the folklore, sometimes subjected these children to abuse and neglect, as they believed the child was not their own and was a supernatural impostor.

The story of Bridget Cleary, a woman who was murdered in her own home in 1895 when her husband tried to "cast out" the "fairy" he believed had replaced his wife, is a tragic example of how this myth led to actual child abuse and violence.