- Disagreement is allowed. This is a discussion and not everyone has the same beliefs about otherkin. Those who do not believe otherkin exist have just as much right to post their opinions as those who do. Respect everyone's opinions.
- If there is a problem, report the post and DO NOT REPLY TO IT. The mods will handle any rule breaking or flaming if it occurs.
- Just because someone has the opposite viewpoint from you does not mean they are causing a problem. Everyone is expected to listen and to understand that everyone will not agree on this topic.
- You are not here to convince someone to change their mind.
- Please review the HoS rules before responding. We like to see at least three good sentences or a paragraph stating your opinions and views. Remember, this is a serious discussion and no place for one line responses or smart remarks.
TxCat, moderator HoS
Some useful references and definitions:
Otherkin
Otherkin.netOtherkin are a community of people who see themselves as partially or entirely non-human. They contend that they are, in spirit if not in body,[2] not human. This is explained by members of the otherkin community as possible through reincarnation, having a nonhuman soul, ancestry, or symbolic metaphor.[1] Scholarship has framed this identity claim as religious because it is frequently supported by a framework of metaphysical beliefs.[3]
Otherkin AllianceOtherkin is a collective noun for an assortment of people who have come to the somewhat unorthodox, and possibly quite bizarre, conclusion that they identify themselves as being something other than human. It is also the label used by a number of communities both on and off line. (The distinction between the two is not always drawn and can lead to some confusion).
There are a number of ways people reach this conclusion, and a number of possible explanations for it. On the face of it, it is a remarkably difficult conclusion to reach, not only is the evidence scant at best, but to define yourself as not human requires defining what human means - an exercise which philosophers for millennia have failed to complete.
List of Specific OtherkinOtherkin are a group and/or subculture of people, primarily based online, who feel that some part of them in some way is not human. There are many explanations within the community as to how this is possible, some of them being spiritual, mental, social, or even genetic. There are many different types of kin- some identify with creatures or beings of mythology and legend, such as Elves, Faeries, Unicorns, ect… while others associate themselves more with animals, plants or other forces/elements/concepts of nature/existence. The term ‘Otherkin’ can also be interchangeable with the term “other soul-ed” and perhaps the second term is the most appropriate, although it is used less often. Within the Otherkin community itself is many sub-groups, such as the vampiric and therianthropic communities, although the communities themselves don’t always agree on this. Otherkin are not to be confused with Furries and Furry fandom.
Suggestions for Discussion
If you identify as otherkin, how did you arrive at that conclusion? Does it tie in with your religious or metaphysical beliefs? If so, how? If not, why?
If you identify as otherkin, what kind of otherkin are you? Do you display any of those traits in the course of normal interactions with the rest of the world? If so, how do people react? If not, do you wish you could/would?
If you are not otherkin, do you believe the possibility exists? Why or why not?
For both:
How do YOU define otherkin?
Have you ever encountered someone who identified as otherkin? What were your impressions?