Changeling? - Census

[Viktoria]

I wonder if the use of changeling was defensive,given the superstition which in days gone by attached to anyone different in any way from the perceived norm.The parents said their real normal baby had been substituted so it was not their fault that the so called substitute had a condition which would bring down scorn and ridicule on itself and the family.
That was the parents’ story.
( I read the original  post and modified it as it did not read well.)


People thought things like ,hare lip and cleft palate came about because
an expectant mother was startled by a hare or rabbit .
Life  was  cruel   and any one different would be ridiculed and persecuted.
Remember The Elephant Man,his mother claimed she was frightened by an elephant hence his severe condition.
It was  a strongly held belief even into the sixties that an expectant mother
ought not to visit zoos  or look at people with physical difficulties .
Honestly!
Viktoria.

[Finley 1]

my aunt was born with only one hand....  her Mother (my Nan)   was convinced it was due to her (my Nan)  being shut in the cellar when she was pregnant. 

xin

[Maiden Stone]

Superstition about changelings was another reason for babies being baptised as soon after birth as possible. Unbaptised babies were believed to be most at risk of substitution.

[Viktoria]

Yes,they were considered an unclaimed soul,so as well as going into limbo,
seemingly they could also be claimed by old Nick!
I am not wishing to offend anyone who does ,but just to say I personally cannot believe ithings like that.
How hard it must have been when so little  was understood about various conditions and superstition was so prevalent as a result.
We are in rather more enlightened times but still a long way to go.
Viktoria.

[Treetotal]

I remember there was a film called "The Changeling" in the 80s I think, it was a psychological thriller.
Carol