“‘Otherkin’ are people who believe themselves to be not entirely human in some way. Most believe they are non-human in a spiritual sense [...] Most otherkin claim to have a non-human soul. Usually, they believe they have lived as something non-human during their past lives, although not all otherkin even believe in reincarnation. Most otherkin claim to have been creatures most people believe to be mythical, like elves, fae [fairies] or even dragons. However, there are many who believe that they were earth-dwelling animals, like wolves, cats or even birds. [...] The otherkin have a large online community, which began in the mid-1990s, but there are those who claim that otherkin have been always been around, just without the names for what they were before, and without the community that only became possible with the development of the Internet. [...] One important thing to remember is that the concept of otherkin is not a religion. Otherkin can be Hindu, Muslim, Neopagan, Christian or even atheist. [...] Otherkin [...] do not claim to live any differently from normal people. They watch TV, complain about their jobs and live practically no differently to anyone else. Most do not believe themselves to be any better than the common man, as the general otherkin belief is that everything has its place in nature - nothing is better or worse, just different.”
- Excerpts from “Otherkin,” an article written by Wolf in the Shadows on October 7, 2003. You can read the full article here, on the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition, which is a collaborative online encyclopedia..
