Changelings

Changelings are the offspring of fairies or trolls exchanged for human children. When a human child is kidnapped, the immature fairie left in its place will assume the human's appearance down to the smallest detail. Shapeshifting abilities or fairie glamour spells initially allow the supernatiral being to look identitcal. But as time goes by, the changeling will begin to exhibit features - both physical and behavioral - that betray it as inhuman.

The changeling child will gradually grow uglier in appearance and potentially malformed. It will also become ill-tempered and given to screaming and biting.

Beautiful babies are in greater danger of being traded for changelings. Beauty, particularly blonde hair, attracts fairies and trolls.

In modern times, the stories of changelings have been attributed to various developmental disorders in children. In earlier ages, a child mistaken for a changeling might have simply been mentally retarded.

The detection of changelings is simple but hazardous. The most reliable method is to throw the changeling in a fire, whereupon the changeling shifts forms and flies up the chimney. However, if a parent is wrong as could quite possibly be the case with autism or Downs syndrome, this method often results in the death of the innocent child.

Less violent approaches can be taken to trick the changeling into betraying itself as a fairie or troll. Changelings may initially appear dull and unintelligent, but they possess a certain wily cunning and wisdom.

One of the most popular methods is to brew beer in an eggshell, upon which the changeling will express shock, as in one popular story: I have lived a hundred years and seen many things, but I have never seen beer brewed in an eggshell.

The changeling's betrayal of itself is one of the main ways humans can view fairies out of their normal element in fairieland. There are other methods, such as a bewitched ointment that allows the viewer to see fairies, which are normally invisible to the human eye. Otherwise, fairies may choose to reveal themselves to humans, but unless they do so, cannot be seen unless the viewer chooses to enter the fairie realm.

Volume 3: The Changeling
When Beth Normal steps into a fairie ring, she is exchanged for a changeling that initially fools Peter and Dill until its truly inhuman behavior betrays its true nature.