Hello everyone! Welcome to a very unique installment of my annotated bibliography series!
You may or may not have heard of otherkin, therianthropy, and related concepts. Defined loosely, these terms tend to refer to people who have a sense of identifying as something other than human on a spiritual level.
Iāve mentioned a few times on this blog that I, myself, am an otter therian. I discuss this in detail here, so have a look at that post if youāve no clue what Iām talking about.Ā
It can be hard to find useful, sensible writings on the otherkin or therianthropy phenomenon, both today and historically. While non-human identities have had a place in many cultures worldwide throughout time, this can be hard to learn about if youāre not in academia.Ā
Beyond that, there just arenāt a lot of published works about the modern otherkin community, either!
In this article, Iāve compiled a sort of reading list for therians, the therian-adjacent, and anyone else who may be interested in nonhuman spiritual identities.
This is not a ārecommended readingā list. Instead, it includes all the books Iāve personally read that either mention otherkin and therianthropy, or are otherwise pertinent to the topic.
For the sake of completeness, Iāve included some books which, while relevant and perhaps influential, I wouldnāt personally recommend. Conversely, some of these books are excellent.
While I wonāt be assigning star ratings to these books, most are followed by short descriptions as well as my general thoughts on them.
Iāve divided this list into three parts. The first focuses on otherkin phenomena in general. The second lists more distant, outside perspectives that mention otherkin the otherkin community.
The third section is focused on general animal and shifting-related magic. I include those books because, while not all otherkin practice any sort of magic, most of my readership on this blog likely does. It is a witchblr, after all.
General Otherkin Information
A Field Guide to Otherkin, by Lupa. The author of this book, Lupa Greenwolf, originally identified as a wolf therian herself. Later on, she concluded that her experiences fit better with totemism than therianthropy. This book collected a lot of first-hand experiences from the otherkin community, though, and is still worth checking out.
The Book of Satyr Magick: Otherkin Shamanic Sorcery, by Lotuswolf Satyrhorn.Ā This one, though it has āotherkinā in the title, seems to have been written by someone who doesnāt quite grasp the concept. Considering several parts are devoted to picking (yes, as in choosing) a ākintype,ā I would say this book is mostly geared towards witches interested in astral shapeshifting rather than actual otherkin sorts. The author just seems to use the word āotherkinā as a catch-all for non-human interaction out-of-body.
Earth Angels, and Earth Angel Realms, by Doreen Virtue.Ā These two books were written back prior to Doreen Virtueās conversion to evangelical Christianity. While neither use the term āotherkin,ā they describe the same phenomenon using the term āearth angel.ā Very New Age, with an emphasis on eschatology, positing that āearth angelsā are here to save the world or something.
The Psychic Vampire Codex, by Michelle Belanger. Covers the concept of the psychic vampire as understood in the modern alterhuman community. As a witch, I will often recommend this, and other Belanger books, to those interested in picking up energy work. This book in particular gives a good foundation for manipulating and sensing energy, regardless of whether you consider yourself a psychic vampire.
The Magic of Shapeshifting, by Rosalyn Greene. This is really an awful book, and I cannot recommend it one bit! Some in the therian community claim that the author plagiarized existing therian sites when writing. To me, thatās not even the main issue and it honestly reads like the author fabricated a lot of what she wrote just to sound interesting and mystical. She also seems to believe in physical shapeshifting, for reasons never well-explained.
The Veilās Edge, by Willow Polson. A sort of dark, yet New Age volume, this contains a small section on otherkin near the end. It situates us as āguardians of the veilā and, like Doreen Virtueās work, argues that otherkin are on a mission of sorts here on earth.
Not in Kansas Anymore, by Christine Wicker. This Ā book is essentially a journalistās account of skipping around the country, gawking at āweirdosā like witches, otherkin, and therians. Very, very sensationalist, but contains a bit of a snapshot of the alterhuman community in the mid-2000s.
Your Next Door Neighbor is a Dragon, by Zack Parsons. Purports to be the experiences of the author as he goes on a journey to investigate internet subcultures. Most of it seems to be fictitious, though, and plenty of things mentioned in the book definitely never happened. Notable because Parsons creates a couple of otherkin characters (likely not based on real people) to project his own view of our community onto, and two chapters focus on them.
Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone, and Engaging the Spirit World, and alsoĀ DIY Totemism, all by Lupa.Ā Lupa, as mentioned above, isnāt a therian, but she is one of the best authors out there when it comes to animal-related magic and mystic practices. Of note: DIY Totemism actually includes advice and a ritual for finding/connecting with your theriotype. The rest will probably only interest those who are pagans or animists, but they give interesting contexts for animal-human spiritual connections either way.
The Art of Shapeshifting, by Ted Andrews. This is supposed to be a book about learning to connect with animal spirits. It does a tolerable job of explaining some of the basics of meditation, invocation and other practices. Mostly, though, the author focuses overly-much on dancing, and argues that only those who dance can truly be shifters (rather than just ādabblersā). A lot of it is appropriative or tries to pass off the authorsā unverifiable personal gnosis as indigenous lore.
Witches, Werewolves, and Faeries, by Claude Lecouteux. This is a dense academic tome packed with medieval (and earlierā¦ and laterā¦) accounts of shapeshifting, astral projection, animal identities, and more. Itās not an easy read and probably youāll have an easier time if youāre accustomed to reading academic works. Some of the historical anecdotes are interesting in an otherkin context.
I hope you found something new to read amidst this list!
Iām not including any books about past lives outside of the usual otherkin-related repertoire. Such books are certainly applicable to many of us (therians, etc), but I plan to make a separate bibliography specifically for past lives, so stay tuned for that.
If youāre interested in seeing previous installments with books on other occult and witchy topics, check out the #annobib tag on my blog!Ā Also, if you click the links above to purchase any of the books on Amazon, I get a bit of pocket money from their affiliate program, which is cool.Ā
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