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Changelings


 * Mac Philib, Séamas. “The Changeling (ML 5058) Irish Versions of a Migratory Legend in Their International Context.” Béaloideas, vol. 59, 1991, pp. 121–131. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20522381.
 * Irish legend describes various ways to foil a would-be fairy kidnapper. One was to shout "Gairum augus coisricim thú " (I bless you) or "God bless you," which would cause the fairy to abandon the child it was trying to steal. Another possible tactic was to insert oneself into an argument over who would keep the child; shouting out "Give it to me" would trick the fairy into releasing the child back to a human.
 * A changeling is typically identifiable via a number of traits; in Irish legend, a fairy child may appear sickly and won't grow in size like a normal child, and may have notable physical characteristics such as a beard or long teeth. They may also display intelligence far beyond their apparent years, as well as posses uncanny insight. A common way that a changeling could identify itself is through displaying unusual when it thinks it's alone; jumping about, dancing, or playing an instrument– though this last example is found only within Irish and Scottish legend.
 * "The most common method of ridding oneself of the changeling, both in Ireland and elsewhere, is to burn it. Other methods of banishment include beating, exposure, use of charms, herbs and casting into rivers."
 * Irish legends regarding changelings typically follow the same formula: a tailor is the one who first notices a changeling, the inclusion of a fairy playing bagpipes or some other instrument, and the kidnapping of a human child through a window.
 * Lawrence, Adam. "From Fairy Host to Mutant Community: The “Singular” Changeling in Folklore, Medical Discourse, and Theories of Evolutionary Change." Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural, vol. 7 no. 1, 2018, pp. 88-118. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/688405.
 * Changelings may be an explanation for various deformities/disabilities
 * While typically perceived as a child, changelings could sometimes be an elderly fairy– possible explanation for physical deformities in babies ("sickly looking")
 * http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/scanchange.html
 * Spence, Lewis; Cannell, W Otway. (2010-01-06). Legends & Romances of Brittany.
 * "Mamuna/Dziwożona." Slawoslaw.pl (in Polish). 2015-07-15.
 * The changelings left by the Mamuna were said to have a noticeably different appearance; a abnormally large abdomen, unusually small or large head, a hump, thin arms and legs, a hairy body, and long claws. Mamuna changelings would also get their first set of teeth prematurely compared to a human baby.
 * In order to protect a child from being kidnapped by the Mamuna, the mother would tie a red ribbon around the baby's wrist, put a red hat on it's head, and keep it out of the moonlight. Other preventative methods included not washing diapers after sunset and never turning their head away from the baby as it slept.
 * Even if a child was taken by the Mamuna, there was a way to have her return the baby. The mother would take the changeling child to a midden, whip it with a birch stick, and pour water from an eggshell over it, all while shouting "Take yours; give mine back." Typically, the Mamuna would feel sorry for its own child and would return the human baby to its mother.
 * Spe