Folklore Of The Changeling Children

For centuries, the legend of the changeling has lingered in the shadows of folklore-a tale whispered by firesides, carried in old parish records, and passed from one fearful generation to the next. Folklore of the Changeling Children by Gavin Blackwood delves deep into these enduring mysteries, tracing the stories of infants stolen by unseen hands and replaced by strange, otherworldly doubles. Drawing from historical accounts, letters, and eyewitness testimonies from Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and Scandinavia, this book explores how ordinary families confronted the extraordinary.
Within these pages lie the voices of those who claimed to have seen their children change before their eyes-children who laughed at shadows, spoke with uncanny intelligence, or grew cold and distant overnight. Through detailed accounts and sensitive analysis, Blackwood examines the rituals, beliefs, and fears that shaped these stories, revealing the deep emotional and cultural roots of the changeling tradition.
From the iron talismans placed beneath cradles to the midnight vigils of desperate parents, these tales illuminate a world where the boundaries between the human and the supernatural were perilously thin. Blending folklore, history, and lived experience, Folklore of the Changeling Children is both a haunting study of human fear and devotion and a compassionate look at how people have long sought to explain what they could not understand.
Rich in atmosphere, research, and storytelling, Gavin Blackwood's latest work stands as a definitive exploration of one of the darkest and most fascinating legends in European folklore-a reminder that sometimes the most unsettling mysteries lie not in the forests or the hills, but within the home itself.