Therian

In depth

Therian is the short form of therianthrope, and it is the word most people now use for themselves. A therian is someone whose sense of who they are includes, or simply is, a particular kind of animal: a wolf, a house cat, a red deer, a raven. This is not a belief about the body. Therians know they are physically human. It is a statement about identity, of the same order as other deep statements a person makes about who they are.

Three things mark the experience out. It is involuntary: people speak of noticing it, not deciding it. It is lasting: most trace it back to childhood or early adolescence, and it does not pass with a change of interests. And it is integral: it colors instinct, attention, movement and feeling, not only imagination. How a person explains it, whether through the soul, through psychology, or with a shrug, is left to them, and the community has never required agreement on the cause.

In practice

• A person has felt since early childhood that they are a wolf. They work in an office, pay their bills, and feel a tail behind them when they are at ease.
• A person spends two years of patient thought before concluding that the animal they have always felt themselves to be is a small wild cat, and is content to leave the exact species open.
• A person has no shifts at all and no interest in gear or gatherings, and is a therian nonetheless, because the identity is there.

Common questions

Is a therian the same as a furry?

No. Furry is a fandom, an interest in animal characters and the art, costume and community around them. Therianthropy is an identity. Some people are both, most of each are not, and neither should be mistaken for the other.

Do therians think they can turn into animals?

No. Physical transformation is folklore. Therians describe an inner identity and, for some, shifts in perception and feeling. The body remains human, and they know it.

Related terms