3 - Fantasy and re-enchantment: sources of content

Summary

While groups such as the Otherkin are fascinating in and of themselves, the fact that they are still in a formative phase suggests an inclination away from further analysis of the group themselves. Rather, it is the broader cultural circumstances within which they have appeared that warrants attention at this point. The clear relationship with fantasy narrative and the continuation of occultural themes are both firm anchors that situate the Otherkin, and other like groups, within a broader cultural confluence. Such a confluence not only deserves attention, but also potentially may go some way to illuminating the context within which individuals are situating themselves outside of the rubric of humanity. This chapter approaches some of the subjectivities and the “otherness” of the Otherkin through an investigation of the fictional representations of the relevant fantastic creatures. By viewing the fictional element of the ontology as well as the supporting occultural paradigms, it is hoped that the underlying substance and affiliations of the Otherkin metaphysic will become more apparent.

This chapter is a study of both the creatures of fantasy literature and the broader cultural context of occulture: here I explore the connections made by participants (i.e. with fantastic creatures) and locate such approaches alongside other similar ideologies (such as the continuity between a Neo-Pagan worldview and an Otherkin one).