ZaraKitty Posted July 15, 2013 #1 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I've recently found out about this 'therian' thing, can anyone help me figure out what it is? I've always felt a strong connection to a certain animal but whats the difference between a strong connection, or a strong love for an animal, and what a therian is? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhen Posted July 15, 2013 #2 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I never heard of this term before; Therianthropy Thanks for making me look it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarakore Posted July 15, 2013 #3 Share Posted July 15, 2013 It is simply shapeshifting. Did you not ask abut shamanism before? This is based on shamanism. Some have different views of how it is achieved. Native American shaman call it skinwalking. My view is that one method is via bilocation where the consciousness of the practitioner is placed into an animal. Bless Me Ultima explains how Ultima has an owl that is hers. So it is not about just any animal but one that is bonded to you. Our culture here believes one can shapeshift into owls, turkeys, and other animals. Others will have different views and claims of how this is achieved. Baroja's The World of the Witches presents various theories including putting a powder in a bathtub and jumping in, rubbing ointments, some of those as merely mental experiences and not physically turning into an animal or ever leaving the body, and also the general modern view of clinical lycanthropy. Of course in contemporary times you will find plenty of information regarding therianthropy as it pertains to gamers which is just pure fantasy on that end and far from the shamanic explorations and explanations. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bendy Demon Posted July 15, 2013 #4 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I was under the impression a therian was someone who felt a connection to an animal on a spiritual level. Whereas a otherkin feels they WERE a different creature in a previous life (if one believes in that thing); and the said animal doesn't even have to be from this "plane" of existence either. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarakore Posted July 15, 2013 #5 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I was under the impression a therian was someone who felt a connection to an animal on a spiritual level. Whereas a otherkin feels they WERE a different creature in a previous life (if one believes in that thing); and the said animal doesn't even have to be from this "plane" of existence either. Otherkin and those types of therians grew out of the online communities of gamers and fantasy roleplayers. "Therians" are also people who believe themselves to be partly composed of some element of other living creatures' "personalities". This is similar to "otherkin" subculture.Both of these terms (therian in the second usage, and otherkin) are very recent, and have been popularized by the internet. In 1996 the term "therianthropy" was just coming into use because some felt lycanthropy was wolf-centric and wanted something to include other species. "Therian" is a shortened version of "therianthropy", a term originally meaning the study of mythological human/animal "hybrids", but appropriated by the therian movement. The term "therian" became popular during the early 21st century. http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Therian "Otherkin" as an adjective had been defined in the Middle English Dictionary (1981) as "a different or an additional kind of, other kinds of".The earliest recorded use of the term otherkin, in the context of a subculture, appeared in July 1990 and the variant otherkind was reported as early as April 1990. The word "otherkind" was initially coined from the word "elfinkind", to refer to non-elf others who joined the communities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otherkin Some of the internet types even take it to real life by dressing up in full costume and makeup. So naturally there are intersections with the furry subculture and similarities to LARP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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