Archive for Thursday 26th June 2003 - Baby changelings and alien abductions

In a book of old Cornish tales I read about a woman whose baby was abducted by fairies. In its place they left a ‘changeling’, a miserable little wretch. She consulted local experts about how to get her own baby back, and she did all the rituals they prescribed. But the changeling remained with her. She neglected and mistreated it. A wealthy lady living nearby, a Quaker, went to see her. “That is your real baby,” she told her. “Pick it up and nurse it”.

But the mother and her neighbours were not convinced. They said, “That lady does not know what she is talking about. She is not from these parts. She has no idea what goes on in the real world.”

As a person of modern education, I feel sure the Quaker lady was right. But the moment I have said that, I start thinking the opposite. Women all over the world have stories of changelings. Russian women give their infants nursery names, like rat or toad, so that spirits will not want to take them. Why should I, a single man, know better then they do?

My confusion is increased by modern reports of alien abductions. I have met people who believe it has happened to them. They have been frightened and pained by the experience, and I am sure they are sincere - just like the Cornish woman was. Whether you like it or not, the whole world is a mystery, and that is why I enjoy it.

John Michell

Unexplained Phenomena, A Rough Guide Special
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Who Wrote Shakespeare?
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