In folklore, a fairy child secretly substituted for a human child by supernatural beings. More broadly, any person or thing that has been exchanged or transformed, especially in mysterious circumstances.
From Middle English 'chaungeling,' combining 'change' + the suffix '-ling' (indicating something small or associated with). The folklore concept exists across European cultures, reflecting ancient anxieties about child development and unexplained behavioral changes.
Changelings represent one of humanity's oldest attempts to explain the unexplainable - why some children seemed fundamentally different from their families. Before we understood autism, genetic variations, or developmental disorders, the idea of fairy substitution offered a narrative for parents grappling with children who didn't match their expectations.
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