On Elves
They say that a person who has been to Faerie either comes back mad or a poet. I'd say that they come back changed irrevocably. Touched by what they've seen in an indescribable way. And they bring a freshness to the human world, just by their new perspective. Social standing and cultural values are what gives them the label "mad" or "poet"...
The Otherkin Movement, if it is indeed a movement at all. What is it? How can it be? Is it merely escapism? How widespread is it? Put very simply, otherkin is a term for a person who doesn't feel quite human. Whether they have a label for their "species", such as elf, pixie, were, vampire, etc., or not, those who are part of the movement are quite sincere. I call it a movement, because in my mind it is such... not a political movement or even really a social or cultural one, but a philosophical, spiritual, or mental movement. (Perhaps much the way one would describe the movement from the Piscean age to the Aquarian...) At any rate, elves--and I do choose to believe that they truly are what they say believe to be--and otherkin are all around us.
How can it be? Well, there are many metaphysical theories as to why one may be an elf, from reincarnation to divine intervention to walk-ins and such. And there are many causational theories, such as they are here to bring balance, to aid humanity, as a punishment for bad karma, or perhaps their home realm can no longer support them... Some are in "true form" meaning soul and body reflect their nature, some in a human shell, so to speak, other in every way but the physical... and some are a sort of hybrid, more or less human physically, depending upon the person. Some say that they are genetically other, while some say that they are elven in soul... Some are said to originate from the other-type creatures of Earth, and some from other realms.
And no, they do not all claim to be Tolkien elves, dwarves, halflings, dragons etc. They use the label that is most in line with the way they feel. Which has the most aligning current, to them. "Elf" is easier to say than to list out all their memories (and many do have such memories) feelings, personality characteristics, etc. That is all a label is in any context. I say I'm a witch, even though I'm not like most witches from literature, or even many witches I've met. But if I were to elaborate on my particular personal beliefs and feelings and memories then you'd fall asleep out of boredom...
Is it merely escapism? Well, the otherkin that I've met all seem to ask themselves that question quite often. They question their sanity, and I believe it is healthy to do so. To be assured of one's sanity is to be truly insane. At any rate, I do not believe it is escapism. For many, claiming the label is much harder than simply pleading insanity... Escapism, seems to me, to be running away from how things *really are* (at least what we've all agreed upon) for the purpose of cutting oneself off. The 'Kin I've met do no such thing. Many, while they feel in essence cut off, feel obligated to remain "in the world." For me, perhaps it is escapism to believe that elves and kin exist around me... Though were it truly escapist, I'd convince myself that I was one myself. At any rate, I choose to believe that they are indeed Other.
How widespread is it? Well, there's no real way to estimate it. Margot Adler estimated 40,000 pagans, in general, in the US in '86... So assuming that for every 50 pagans there is 1 otherkin (this is just a made up statistic)... and assuming that the number of pagans has grown since '86 to perhaps 60,000 (conservative...) that would mean that there are 1200... now, I'm on a list that has 500, so this makes a bit of sense... so, taking that 1200 out of the 2001 US pop. estimate of 284,796,887, that gives us .000421 percent. of the population... ^_^ (giving pagans of any sort .0211 of the population...if I haven't made a mistake in my math...but that still doesn't make any sense, because that would give only 100 Jews to every 1 pagan, and that isn't so, at least on this campus...) So, you see, I really have no idea.. but going on baseless estimates, there is very much less than 1 percent of the general US population...
One last point I'd like to make. Not all Otherkin are awake--meaning knowing that they are otherkin. Usually I've heard it classified thus: sleeping humans-meaning humans who are blind to anything but the mundane, don't know or reject otherkin; awake humans-meaning humans who are aware (may be Sensitives or have other esp) of otherkin or other beings, and generally accept them; sleeping 'kin-meaning 'kin who haven't yet realized, for one reason or another, that they are anything other than human (or perhaps they have an idea, but suppress it.); and awake kin-meaning 'kin who know that they are 'kin (if not their particular "species") and do not suppress it. [for the record, I'd classify myself as an awake human, but I am most inSensitive, though I am sensitive to people's feelings and such, and I'd like the 'kin out there to know I'm here for you, should you need me for anything.] So, that's basically where people lie, according to what I've heard. I may be completely daft, but I'd like to think I'm not. ^_^
I'm no expert on Elves or Otherkin, but I thought this would be a decent introduction for those who are new to the phenomenon. I've included some links, as well:
FAE :: FAEborn and Astral Entities
Yahoo! Groups : elven-realities
http://www.angelfire.com/wy/werewolves/index.html
This should help you get started looking for otherkin info.
Otherkin in St. Louis?
Check this out: OtherKin Meetup
Or click on the image below:
Tashi Delek,
Dawa Lhamo
[How was I introduced to the phenomenon? Well to make it short, I had met Elvendrums at a HPF in '98 or '99, and I really enjoyed their talk on Faerie and Elves... so I attended one of their concerts (KC Pagan pride day) and I got their business card. So I was looking through their site for info one day (2001) on the seven-pointed star, or Elven star, and I was lead into Rialian's site: ElvenRealities... I read the essays there, I thought they were a bunch of wackos, well, not that strongly... just a bit touched... Smile and nod, mmmhmm... Anyway, I was looking for the same info again, for the Activities Faire last semester(Jan2002), of all things, and I came to Rialian's site again. I reread the essays that I had found there before, but this time something in them spoke some truth to me. I don't know what in my life change in that one year, but something did. So I joined the yahoogroup Elven-Realities, and came to know what otherkin are, how I'm like, but unlike them, and a great many other things that I consider of great worth. So, I hope my essay above has done them justice and is a bit more than rambling on and on. ^_^ I tend to do that. Take what is useful to you, leave the rest behind, and perhaps revisit places you've been before, for you may just find new meaning in them.]
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