this is just a few things about being otherkin, and the history of the otherkin community for anyone who hasn’t seen this before. for otherkin and non-kin alike! if i put anything in here that’s incorrect (totally possible, since i’m not an expert) please let me know and i’ll change it/reblog with new information!
the otherkin community has been around since at least the early 1970s, however the term otherkin wasn’t coined until 1990
otherkin can mean different things to different people, but most simply, otherkin means identifying in some way as nonhuman (more specifically, it has usually meant identifying as a nonhuman race/species that doesn’t exist on this earth, eg. elves, dragons, griffins, unicorns, etc.)
therians identify as animals that exist on this earth, however some people who identify as animals that exist on earth identify as otherkin rather than as a therian
contrary to what you might assume, the therian and otherkin communities were not initially related to each other
different people will have different explanations for why they identify as otherkin/therian/fictionkin. some may see it as a result of their neurotype, some see it as stemming from a past life, and there are many other explanations as well, it’s up to the individual to figure out why they are otherkin, and some may choose not to explain it at all!
discovering that you are otherkin is called “awakening” and can be a slow, or quick process!
trans otherkin have been in the community since its beginnings:
“After the Elf Queen’s Daughters stopped writing letters, they formed a musical group called “Aeron: The trans-rock elven band.” Aeron published a long- playing (LP) record album titled Paltareon: The Far Memory of the Elves. Loriel, one of the Elf Queen’s Daughters, together with the Silver Elves, explained to me what “trans-rock” means:“ As to trans-rock, she [Loriel] said first that it was a subtle reference to the fact that some of the elves were trans-sexual, but also that elves in general are often bi- or androgynous even when they aren’t bi. But she further said that exoterically that it was a reference to the fact that while they were a rock band that they might delve into blues, or jazz or some other musical form and didn’t wish to be strictly limited to rock.”“
(obvious disclaimer that being otherkin is not the same as being trans, though some trans otherkin find that their gender can be influenced by their kintype)
i highly recommend at least skimming the abridged timeline!
also if you are reblogging this and adding commentary, corrections are of course welcome, as well as more fun facts because there are lots of really cool things about our community, but please don’t add info that is gatekeep-y (eg. policing the number of kintypes someone can have, decrying “tumblr kin”, etc.). thank you!
tumblr archive 