Holothere

In depth

Most therians describe themselves as part human and part animal, in some proportion. A holothere describes something else: that in every sense they find meaningful they are their animal, and the human part is the body they live in and the life they have learned to lead. The word joins a Greek root meaning whole to the ending of therian.

It is important to be clear about what the word does not mean. A holothere does not believe that their body is an animal body, and does not expect it to become one. The claim concerns identity, held with the same clear grasp of physical reality as any other therian identity. Relatively few people use the word, and those who do have usually thought about it for a long time.

In practice

• A person says that when they examine themselves honestly they find no human self beneath the lynx, only a lynx who has learned to speak, work and keep appointments. They describe themselves as a holothere.
• A person who once used the word finds, over years, that the human part of their life has become part of who they are, and now simply says therian. Both descriptions were honest at the time.

Common questions

Does a holothere think they are physically an animal?

No. The word describes identity, not anatomy. A holothere knows their body is human.

Is a holothere more of a therian than other therians?

No. It describes a different shape of experience, not a greater amount of it. No word in this vocabulary ranks one person above another.

Related terms