Frequent Questions

A therian is a person who identifies as a non-human animal in a deep, lasting and involuntary way, while knowing that their body is human. The animal is called their theriotype. See the overview of therianthropy.

No. Therians do not physically transform and do not claim to. They describe an inner identity and, for some, temporary shifts in mindset or body sense. Physical transformation belongs to folklore and fiction.

No. Furry is a fandom: a creative interest in animal characters, which a person chooses and can set aside. Therianthropy is an identity that is not chosen. Some people are both, but most furries are not therians and most therians are not furries.

No. It is not classed as a mental disorder. Therians understand that they are physically human, which is what distinguishes an identity from a delusion. The rare psychiatric syndrome involving a belief in bodily transformation is called clinical lycanthropy, and is a separate matter.

There is no test, and no one else can tell you. People who turn out to be therians usually find that the feeling goes back to childhood, is about what they are and not what they like, shows up in involuntary ways, and survives honest doubt. The page on awakening and questioning suggests how to think it through without hurrying.

A theriotype is the animal a therian identifies as. It is recognized slowly, by keeping notes on your own experience and comparing them with the real behavior of real animals. Quizzes cannot find it for you. See theriotypes.

A shift is a temporary change in how strongly a therian feels their animal side. A mental shift changes mindset; a phantom shift brings the felt presence of a tail, ears or other features. No shift changes the body. See the guide to shifting.

No. Gear and quadrobics are things some therians enjoy. They are not the identity itself, and many therians do neither.

Therians generally describe the identity as lifelong. What often changes is how it feels: early intensity tends to settle into a quieter, steadier sense. Some people who questioned for a time conclude that the word did not fit them after all, and that is an honest result and not a failure.

Otherkin are people who identify as beings other than human, most often beings known from myth, such as dragons, elves and fae. The word dates from 1990. See the otherkin overview.

Therians identify as animals of this earth; otherkin usually identify as mythic or legendary beings. The two communities have separate histories. Some people treat therians as one kind of otherkin, others keep the terms apart, and both usages are common.

Alterhuman is an umbrella word, coined in 2014, for identities that stand apart from the usual idea of being human. It includes therians, otherkin, fictionkin and the otherhearted. See the alterhuman umbrella.

No. Many otherkin understand their identity in spiritual terms, but there is no shared doctrine, scripture or organization, and otherkin hold many different beliefs or none.

Werewolves are figures of legend. No human being can turn into a wolf. The stories, though, are real and very old, and they are well worth reading. See werewolf mythology.

No. Shapeshifting is found in the folklore of every part of the world, but it is not physically possible, and no ritual, substance or exercise can bring it about. Anyone who claims otherwise is mistaken or is misleading you.

In most old folklore they did not. The full moon became the fixed trigger in twentieth-century fiction and film. See the werewolf and the full moon.

In folklore, lycanthropy is transformation into a wolf, and therianthropy is the general term for transformation into any animal. As an identity, therianthropy means identifying as an animal without any physical change. See the entry on lycanthropy.

In itself, no. It is not an illness and does not mean your child is confused about reality. The most helpful response is calm interest. Ask what it means to them and listen to the answer. Worry is warranted by the same things that would worry you in any child: persistent unhappiness, withdrawal, bullying, or unsafe contact online. The essay For Parents and Friends goes through this gently.

It may be, and it may not be. Some young people try the word for a while and move on. Others have felt this way all their lives and always will. You cannot tell which from outside, and you do not need to. Treating it respectfully does no harm in either case.

As you would about anything personal. Let them explain in their own words, do not ask for proof, do not make jokes at their expense, and keep what they tell you in confidence.

A small circle of volunteer keepers who write under pen names. See about the library and the editorial principles.

No. The library is for reading. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to submit.

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