Sometimes fairies want mortal children, they carry them away leaving a fairy child, or a log of wood so bewitched that it seems to be a mortal pining away, and dying, and being buried. Most commonly they steal children. If you “over look a child”, that is look on it with envy, the fairies have it in their power. Many things can be done to find out if a child’s a changeling, but there is one infallible thing–lay it on the fire with this formula, “Burn, burn, burn–if of the devil, bum; but if of God and the saints, be safe from harm” {DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME. I’m sad I even need to add that}.
The taken children are supposed to lead happy lives filled with music and laughter. Others say, however, that they are continually longing for their earthly friends. In Ireland, the Faerie folk are always treated with respect, but many accusations are hurled at them as well, from making crops wither to milk tuning sour.
The humans most at risk to have their children taken are said to be midwives and new mothers who are taken so that they may become the servants of the Faerie queens and tend to the Faerie children. Faerie women find childbirth difficult and the Faerie children that survive are often deformed and stunted.
Handsome young men are also at risk because they are taken to be lovers of the female Faeries. One theory is that the Faeries see humans as a sturdier and healthier race and are trying to strengthen their own bloodline by breeding with humans.
The Faeries covert human babies as they tend to be happy, healthy, sturdy beings and have no hesitation in swapping them with their own sickly babes. On occasion they have been known to take a child because they believe it is not loved enough by its human parents or sometimes they take the child out of malice or spite, one can never be sure what a Faeries motive is.
How to recognize a Changeling?
It is said that you can tell a changeling baby by its appearance and manner as it will be ill-tempered and wizened and will have very dark eyes that if you look into them you can see wisdom well beyond their age. Within a few weeks the changeling will have a full set of teeth and their legs and arms will be really bony and thin.
Very occasionally, some people leave the mortal world to live in the Faerie realm by choice. They don’t usually stay in the Faerie realm for life and will return to their home after several years. None of them return the same person and will be different they will have ‘changed’ in some way. Traditionally, the person who returns will possess a ‘gift’ of some type and may be a master of herbal or magical knowledge.