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| − | A '''Wechselbalg''' (Germ. "changeling") is a [[Wesen]] that appeared in [[The Killing Time]]. |
+ | A '''Wechselbalg''' (''VECH-sel-bahlk''; Germ. "changeling") is a [[Wesen]] that appeared in [[The Killing Time]]. |
==Folklore== |
==Folklore== |
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Revision as of 22:41, 2 October 2014
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A Wechselbalg (VECH-sel-bahlk; Germ. "changeling") is a Wesen that appeared in The Killing Time.
Folklore
Wechselbälge were the supposed explanation in the middle ages for birth defects and mental developmental disorders. Early Germans believed a demon had exchanged their real child for a Wechselbalg, which was the child of the Devil and any of the female spirits in the wilderness. Even in the late 1800s, many Europeans still assumed any disfigured child with a severe mental disorder was a Wechselbalg. It was said that Wechselbälge had fat heads, fat bodies, and skinny legs, and did nothing except eat and sleep. They were considered ill-mannered and aggressive. Adults unable to communicate adequately were thought to be Wechselbälge that had been kidnapped and raised by dwarves in the mountains. Exorcists were said to have been able to make the original child reappear in a Wechselbalg's place by either making it laugh or by being especially cruel to it.
Appearances
Wechselbälge can transform into the bodies of their victims, so their true form is unknown. However, one thing that stays consistent is their long black finger claws that they use when transforming.