An upcoming anniversary in the otherkin community: On July 9, 2012, the word “otherkin” will have been coined 22 years ago. It was coined in the Elfinkind Digest, a mailing list which is active to this day. On that date in 1990, one participant, Torin, used the word “otherkin” as a variation on the earlier word “otherkind.” Both phrases were casually improvised as an abbreviated way of referring to people who identify as other kinds of creatures.
(Source: Elfinkind Digest #71. The archive of this document is still extant, and I have read it. Thanks to the mailing list moderator R’ykandar Korra’ti for making this primary source available to me while I was researching our community’s history book, the Otherkin Timeline. Thanks to Torin for permission to share this information.)
Right now, the word “otherkin” is nearly 22 years old. That means that any otherkin who are currently in their teens weren’t even born until after the word had been coined. There are lots of otherkin who have considered themselves to be otherkin, of a kind, even years before the word had been coined. Detractors sometimes claim that otherkin is merely a passing fad popular among youth, but this is evidently not the case.
Any thoughts on the significance of this passage of time? Where were you at, as an otherkin, 22 years ago? Anybody want to make plans for the 9th, to set it aside as a day for thinking about otherkin things? Maybe a party for reminiscing, maybe even with costumes and artistic “glamour-bombs”?
This year, the word “otherkin” recently turned 32 years old on July 9, 2022.
The top post in this thread from 2012 is where I first proposed observing it as Otherkin Day, unless if anyone can find earlier references to that. The original post is gone, so I was grateful to find this particular post had been archived on someone else’s blog.
And so did the word otherkind, being otherkin’s elder sibling by a a few months.
I’ve now got a page on my website titled A Brief(ish) History of the Word “Otherkind” based on my reading of the contemporary Elfinkind Digest, which talks a bit about the coining, trends in usage, whether it included elves at first, and whether it included animal folk (today’s therians).
The problem with trying to 'solve' therianthropy OR 'How can you be X if Y is true?' a useless discourse
Preface: Although my concentration is on therianthropy, a lot applies to general nonhumanity regardless of label.
It is often commented that it is difficult to define what a 'therian' is whilst being truly accurate. It is a source of frustration that this is so, as it makes it feel vaguer than it really is and yet, it cannot be accurately described at least not in a concise manner, whilst attempting to provide full information.
The most accurate definition to me is;
"A therian is someone who partially or fully identifies as a nonhuman animal in any way."
('identifies as' can be replaced with 'is' based on personal linguistic preferences)
Now wait - you might argue - shouldn't we explain about involuntariness? Origins? How it has to be real earthen animals? Theriomythics? What if someone asks 'how do you know if you're a therian' rather than 'what is a therian'? Shouldn't we talk about shifts and memories and instincts?
And my answer is no. The definition above can answer both questions. Further study is up to the individual, especially if they don't want to be bombarded with all possible information right away.
It can be as simple as 'some common experiences are...but that's not all' and 'there's many reasons why someone might see themselves as a therian such as...' if they want more information from you or you feel like giving it right away.
Because the annoying thing is any other definition with extra information baked in will always be both right and wrong at the same time especially if you only go on your own personal beliefs.
"A therian is someone who involuntarily identifies as a nonhuman animal on all levels except physical."
"A therian is someone who had a past life as an animal."
"A therian is someone who is an earthen animal on any level at least some of the time." etc etc
None of these are not true, but they aren't fully true either, and thus end up imperfect, giving incomplete information that gives rise to arguments and disagreements later on when someone is sure they are right and meets someone with a different interpretation of certain factors of therianthropy.
Today I saw a conversation between two therians which was not unlike many conversations I've seen.
Therian A: "Therians know what they are based on instincts and behaviours they display related to their theriotype."
Therian B: "That's not always true, for me I had no behaviours or instincts due to being raised as human in a human society, but I still know what I am."
Therian A: "If being raised in a human society got rid of nonhuman instincts them how come many therians still have them?"
The issue here is that B's attempt at educating A on different experiences of therianthropy by speaking of their own had A assuming that B was trying to apply it to all therianthropy.
And I suddenly twigged on to the fact that A, at least in part, was one of those therians who wants to 'solve' therianthropy.
They want a definite, uncomplicated, singular explaination of what a therian is, what they experience, how it works and why.
And I thought of all the different conversations and arguments and discourses I've seen that exist for basically that same reason. Butting heads about what therianthropy should be, could be, or would be if only a strict definition could be achieved.
This by and large is hurting therianthropy and actually hindering our understanding of it.
By accepting that therianthropy occurs in individuals for a plethora of reasons, than it can be voluntary and involuntary, that you can have one or a hundred theriotypes, that there are common experiences (e.g. shifts) but they're neither a requirement nor universally experienced, we can thrive a lot better.
Spend time wondering 'why' and 'how', but do so with the knowledge that your conclusions are just your own and might even only apply to you, and that will be infinitely more valuble than trying to cut out the 'fake therians' and pool together a more singular experience which time and time again has been proven to be impossible.
There may never be a conclusive explaination for why we feel as we do, and we don't need one. We know what we are, we know what it feels like to be what we are, we have history and community and a future...but it has to be one which is open to a more fluid definition of therianthropy and nonhumanity in general and a deeper understanding of the sheer diversity of experiences that do in fact 'count'.
i am wicked and rotten to the core and a bad person and evil and undeserving of any forgiveness or tenderness or affection ever because i will bite any hand that tries to pet me. and i’m going to hell.
Hope everycreature that was able to see the lunar eclipse today had the time they wanted to watch! Unfortunately I wasn't anywhere this path of totality, but I'm glad some of those that couldn't see Her eclipse in March had the opportunity this time
I made slightly accurate wolf images based on that one post about loners making quotes with wolves and lions when they're the most famous pack animals ever
Feel free to use, they kinda look crap but it's okay I saw an actual lone wolf quote in COMIC SANS while trying to find pics for this
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