Folklore - Changelings

Warning - This post will briefly discuss infanticide, discrimination against people with physical and mental disabilities, and the physical abuse of children. Reader discretion is advised.

Please note that this is not the be all and end all account of Changelings. This is a vast and complex feature, one that I'd be naive to think I could fit into a single tumblr post.

What this will be is an introduction to the topic, heavily leaning on Dr Katharine Brigg's 'A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures', a wonderful book you can find here on the Internet Archives:

A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures

The other two main sources of information will be 'A Dictionary of English Folklore' by Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud, and 'Changling' by J. A. MacCulloch.

That all out of the way, let's explore the being known as the Changeling.

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An important concept to come to terms with when dealing with folk belief is this; It is far easier to believe there is a reason behind tragedy than that nature is without reason. Folklore gives an explanation for the unexplainable.

This does not mean our forefathers or contemporaries are or were less intelligent than we are today. We in the 21st century are not the peak of human development, one brief trip around any social media platform will show you we are not above fabrication for the sake of comfort.

For those already familiar with the concept of a Changeling, you may have found it odd that I use the word comfort here. Is it not comforting, though? To have something to blame for what was often seen as a misfortune?

Many of us live today in societies where assistance and support is given for the care and wellbeing of children and adults with disabilities. As a neurodivergent woman in the UK, I am afforded certain aids and accommodations in order to support my place in society. This did not exist in the past.

While not as wholly absent as is often portrayed in popular media, medicine as we understand it was a very different field, even just a little over 100 years ago.

The first x-ray under clinical conditions took place in Birmingham on the 11th of January 1896. The first neuroimaging technique used to look at the ventricular system in the brain was in America in 1918 where filtered air was injected into the lateral ventricles of the brain. The first use of neuroimaging to look at blood vessels within the brain was in Portugal in 1927. The first commercial ultrasound machine was not produced until 1963. The first not invasive CAT scan did not come about until 1973.

Dissection of deceased persons could be used to examine the body, but while the patient was living, medicine was almost entirely blind.

What does all this talk of medicine have to do with Changelings?

"In societies where the belief in fairies was strong, it was held that they could steal human babies and substitute one of their own race; the latter would never thrive, remaining small, wizened, mentally abnormal, and ill-tempered. A baby whose defects were not obvious at birth but appeared in the first year or two could thus be explained as not truly human."

Wilson and Round. A Dictionary of English Folklore. 2016

A Changeling was an individual, more often a child but not always, who was though to be an imposter, a fairy sneaked in and swapped for the human. While often associated with Gaelic regions today due to their strong tradition of fairy folklore, stories of Changelings can be found right across Europe, though their exact supposed parentage shifts from region to region.

A Changeling child (or adult) would be sickly, weak, often paralysed, fuss and cry incessantly, display erratic emotions, either refuse food or never cease from eating, be 'mentally and (or) physically deformed'.

The method for dealing with this 'imposter' individual is often to torment them into fleeing and returning the 'stolen' human. The recorded incidents of this range from the purely cruel to the absolutely horrific.

Warning the extracts below are not pleasant reading, you have been warned.

Briggs. A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins... 1976

Exposing in the above circumstance means to leave the child outside alone, either overnight, or for longer stretches of time until they perished, or in this circumstance the human baby was returned.

MacCulloch. Changling. 1908.

I hope I am stating the obvious here when I say that these children were not in any way shape or form anything but human children.

Some may have been suffering from infantile diseases and conditions such as infantile paralysis, some might have had Down's Syndrome, or been on the non-verbal part of the Autism Spectrum, or Epileptic, or suffered from a hearing impairment. The list of conditions and causes of what might have been seen as 'Changeling' behaviour could fill pages upon pages of text.

I believe at this point it is important to restate my initial point:

It is far easier to believe there is a reason behind tragedy than that nature is without reason. Folklore gives an explanation for the unexplainable.

These children were supposedly born 'normal' before 'changing'. When you remove all ability to examine what is happening within the human body, when you also remove the ability for individuals to communicate and share information quickly and easily over great distances, when you live in a time and place where there is no support at all for children and adults with additional needs, you are confronted with a set of pressures and desperations utterly unfamiliar to a large proportion of the readership of this post.

I am not in any way shape or form condoning what was done to these children. I aim only to give context, and describe circumstances surrounding these practices.

For more information I would like to direct you to the three sources mentioned above, as well as 'A History Of Intelligence And Intellectual Disability The Shaping Of Psychology In Early Modern Europe' by C.F. Goodey which can also be found on the Internet Archive here:

A History Of Intelligence And Intellectual Disability The Shaping Of Psychology In Early Modern Europe

I hope that proved informative, if not overly pleasant.

More Posts from Corvismorelike00corvis and Others

corvismorelike00corvis

1 month ago

Incredibly important, and incredibly informative. This pandemic is not over, it’s just been brushed under the rug.

COVER: In the foreground, a black person busses dishes while giving side-eye to two white adults talking as one of their kids sneezes. We see the air flow out and billow around them, splashing on a listening face and forming a miasma that fills the rest of the background. The busser has a button that says “service with a smile” even as their mouth is covered by a k100 mask. In large hand drawn lettering at the top of the page, the words “WHY WE MASK: IT’S NOT” sit on a black background. And then out in the miasma and in quote marks it says “JUST A COLD”. In the bottom right, it says “Laurel Lynn Leake” above a large “2024”.

Surrounded by drawings of COVID-19 particles of various sizes, it says “THE BASICS: COVID-19 is a viral illness caused by SARS-CoV-2, and primarily spreads through the air.” The first endnote appears, signified here as e1. It continues “A single infection - even a “mild” one - can severely damage nearly every organ system in your body. Each additional infection risks further harm to your immune system, lungs, heart, brain, guts, and reproductive organs, and can result in permanent disability or death. e2
About 75% of all adults e3 (and at least 30% of children e4) are at a high risk of developing severe SARS-COV-2.
If you’ve ever had COVID-19, EVEN ONCE, you are now high risk.” It then says “THE VIRUS:” and shows “SARS- COV- 2” separated into it’s three parts. A bubble connected to SARS says “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome”. A bubble connected to COV says “Corona Virus (crown-shaped, round with spikes)”. And the bubble connected to 2 says “similar to 2002-2003 SARS-CoV outbreak”. A cartoony character with dense curls pulled into a ponytail sniffs and then starts to build up to a sneeze. And then again, it says “THE ILLNESS:” and splits up “COVID 19” the same way. A bubble connected to CO says “corona”, the one connected to the VI says “virus”, and to the D says “disease”. And for 19 it says “discovered in 2019”.

Large hand-drawn text reads “COVID-19 is an AIRBORNE ILLNESS e5” over that same curly haired character from the last page sneezing with a big “KACHOO!” We see a large billow of mist and droplets. A measurement in meters is below, showing larger droplets dropping in the first couple meters and the more misty particles continuing to 6 meters. In a box below, text reads “ It spreads when infected people exhale, cough, or sneeze plumes of tiny RESPIRATORY PARTICLES. You can shed hundreds of viruses in a single minute, just by breathing. e6 And sneezing can send viral gunk flying up to 6m (20ft)! Once they’re in the air, the tiniest RPs can linger in poorly ventilated spaces for HOURS...invisible to the naked eye. e7,e8”

A bubble points at a loose collection of little circular drops of different sizes, aiming at the bigger circles. The bubble reads “DROPLETS...are barely visible globs of fluid that drift to the ground.”. Another bubble points to tiny drops “AEROSOLS...are microscopic blobs, so light they float.”
Large text reads “What’s inside a respiratory particle?” next to a cute little self portrait looking through a magnifying glass, and then an arrow which shows the particle bigger, with a ball labeled “SARS-COV-2” and little squiggles labeled “mucus”. An arrow leads us to an even bigger particle, which has the ropey squiggles and spiked SARS-COV-2, but also little dots labeled “dust” and translucent blobs labeled “lung fluid”.
Text to the side reads “RPs are made up of lung fluids, mucus, & saliva, as well as contaminants like dust, bacteria, & viruses. e9
When a COVID-19 contagious person exhales, they send out lungfuls of SARS-CoV-2, hidden inside aerosols & droplets. e10 Aerodynamic aerosols carry the highest dose of viruses and are the most dangerous to inhale. e11
The particles protect their passengers as they fly through the air, ready to be inhaled by someone new.”

Bubble text at the top says “SYMPTOMS” and text below it says “COVID-19’s ACUTE PHASE symptoms start about 3-6 days after infection, & last about 12-14 days. e12 Symptoms & periods of contagiousness can differ by variant, but include… e13”
Below a bunch of words in bubbles are illustrated by cartoony figures. “EXHAUSTION, DIZZINESS, HEADACHE” is illustrated by a miserable head with little confusing and pain indications around it. A head hacking into their hand illustrates “COUGHING, SNEEZING, RUNNY NOSE”. A leaning figure has little stars and shapes shooting out of joints their joints as they say “ow”, illustrating “SORENESS, FEVER, CHILLS”. A figure that seems sick to their stomach and barely holding in vomit as their digestive system is illustrated inside represents “NAUSEA, VOMITING, ABDOMINAL PAIN”. “DIARRHEA” is off on it’s own, unillustrated, but might as well be that last figure too. And a confused head disgusted at the taste of an apple represents “LOSS OF SMELL AND/OR TASTE”.
Below, text says “Then again, you could be one of the 32-50% of people with COVID-19 who are… e14, e15” And then next to a silly drawing of a person frolicking and singing: “CONTAGIOUS WITH NO SYMPTOMS”’

“SEVERE SYMPTOMS” it says in big text surrounded by little alert symbols. A drawing of a figure in distress is shown, looking to be gasping for breath as they hold a hand to their neck. A bubble points towards their lungs that says “STRAINED AND/OR RAPID BREATHING, WHEEZING”, another bubble points at the heart that reads “CHEST PAIN AND/OR PRESSURE”, and a third bubble points at the bottom of the lungs that says “PNEUMONIA (fluid in the lungs)”.
Below, an arrow points at the darkened lungs and leads back to a large bubble with the text “HYPOXEMIA: COVID-19 can impair O2 flow to your blood, even without obvious breathing issues. LOW BLOOD OXYGEN symptoms can cause organ failure and even death w/o treatment. Measure BLOOD OXYGEN LEVELS at home with a PULSE OXIMETER:” It then shows a little drawing of a finger going into a pulse oximeter, and continues “91-94% = concerning, 90% and under = emergency!!”
Underneath it says “WARNING: Oximeters may give FALSELY HIGH READINGS to people with dark skin &/or painted nails. E16” It then says “Hypoxemia symptoms include:” A troubled and confused head illustrates “CONFUSION AND/OR DISORIENTATION”. A beating heart represents “RACING HEART”. Nothing seems to illustrate “INABILITY TO WAKE UP OR STAY AWAKE”. And then “CYANOSIS” is explained by smaller text “PALE, GREY, or BLUE-TINTED TONGUE, LIPS, &/or NAILBEDS, depending on skintone. E17” and illustrated by a shaded mouth, fingertips, and a toenail. At the bottom it concludes “ALL THESE REQUIRE EMERGENCY HOSPITALIZATION!”

“HOW COVID SPREADS: There are 3 main ways that viruses hiding in respiratory particles enter our bodies: 1) INHALATION, 2) DIRECT CONTACT and 3) INDIRECT CONTACT”
The page underneath this text is filled with a splash image of a chubby, shadowy figure breathing in mist and particles as we see the particles descend down the trachea and into their lungs. Couples sit across from each other at tables in the background, letting off gusts of air.
A bubble pointing to the inhaling mouth says “#1 INHALATION: The vast majority of COVID-19 infections start by breathing in aerosols. e18 In crowded, poorly ventilated spaces, you can inhale an infectious dose in minutes! People working or living in places like this are in constant danger of severe infection. e19, e20”

A Black femme with close-cut hair puts their arm over the shoulder of an Arab friend with short, loose curls, as they blow out air that flows all around them. A bubble pointing towards their visualized sinuses reads “#2 DIRECT CONTACT: Viral aerosols/droplets can also collide directly with your MUCOUS MEMBRANES. e21 Those are the layers of soft, wet cells lining your nose, mouth, eyes, respiratory tract, etc.”
Another balloon points at a beer bottle being handed from one of the friends to the other, it reads “#3 INDIRECT CONTACT: Much less likely to infect, but still possible: You get respiratory particles on your hands, & then transfer them to your mouth/nose/eyes. e22”

In large, stylized handwriting it says “When you breathe in…” above a drawing of the respiratory system. Smaller text continues next to the drawing “......air enters your RESPIRATORY TRACT, rushing down your TRACHEA (aka windpipe) before splitting off into the twin BRONCHI of the lungs.” On the drawing itself you can see this happening, with an arrow pointing to the tube that leads to the lungs labeled “trachea” and another arrow pointing at little dots traveling through it labeled “respiratory particles”. Below, it shows the lungs as hollow and filled with branch-like shapes, with the label “bronchi” pointing at the base of the branching shape.The text continues next to the drawing “Most of the tract is lined with undulating “hairs” called CILIA, which are coated with a slimy layer of protective MUCUS.
They work together to capture pathogens (bacteria, viruses, mold) and irritating particles (pollen, dust) in clumps of gunk you then eject by coughing &/or sneezing.”
A detailed panel shows a mess of long pointy shapes moving around each other like a coral reef. A label calls those long shapes “cilia” and thin squiggling lines that coalesce around them it labels “mucus”. Tiny dots of white that float around and collect around the mucus are labeled “SARS-COV-2”. Text beside the panel continues “But even if these defenses manage to snag the particles, they haven’t neutralized the real threat hidden inside.” And then, beside a drawing of an orb breaking apart and little particles flying out it says “The droplets and aerosols start to dissolve in the warm, wet environment of the respiractory tract...and the SARS-CoV-2 viruses break free! They kick off the initial COVID-19 infection by attacking any nearby cells.23”. A little SARS-COV-2 particle in the drawing says “wee!”

Text reads “SARS-CoV-2 uses SPIKE PROTEINS like lockpicks to trick cells into “unlocking” their outer membranes.” A drawing beside it illustrates it with a ball covered with irregular knobby outcroppings it labels “spike proteins”. The ball seems to be rolling over an indistinct surface and connecting with little Y shaped outcroppings that are labeled “cell receptor”.
The text continues “Once inside, the viruses re-program the cells to pump out more viruses. They swell until they burst, spreading viruses everywhere. e24” A drawing shows a cartoony cell with a face getting a tiny ball stuck to it, which confuses it. Then we see the cell looking sick, and then barfing up more little SARS-COV-2 balls.
“VACCINES” it says in a black bar with a drawing of a syringe spurting out drops. Text explains “Most COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems to create defensive ANTIBODIES that lock onto the spikes, rendering them useless.” And next to the text there’s a drawing of this happening. Little Y shapes labeled “antibody” fly at the SARS-COV-2 virus and connect with the spikes on the ball. Cell receptors at the bottom seem to be being kept at bay by this extra bit of mass.
The text continues “Antibodies don’t stop every single virus, but they make a difference! Vaccinated people have much better chances of surviving initial infections. e25
But now we’re dealing with 5 years worth of dangerously mutated VIRAL VARIANTS like Delta, Omicron, Pirola, & FLiRT! Our outdated antibodies can’t lock onto all the newfangled spike proteins anymore...e26
...So infections keep spreading, and scientists race to keep up with booster vaccines that can handle the latest variants.”

A drawing of overlapping branch shapes takes over the top of the page, each branch getting narrower and narrower until it gets to something like “leaves”. A circle around that “leafy” area points to a zoomed in version at the bottom of the page. We see there that the “leaves” were actually more akin to bunches of grapes at the ends of the branches.
Stylized handwritten text announces them as “Bronchioles”. Text underneath says “Once air reaches the lungs, it disperses through the BRONCHIAL TREE, where airways split into smaller and smaller BRONCHIOLES. Each bronchiole is tipped with ALVEOLI, clusters of flexible, interconnected ALVEOLAR SACS. Delicate capillaries wind between them, bringing blood to and fro.”
On the zoomed in drawing we see those details labeled. Veins and arteries wind around the branch-like bronchiole, and split into smaller capillaries. The whole “bunch” of grapes is labeled “alveoli” and the “grapes” are the “alveolar sacs”. We also see “aerosols” flow in through the brionchiole to the alveoli.

“Healthy Alveoli” it says in big text, next to a cross-section of an alveolar sac. We see a translucent feeling arrow flow in and split into multiple directions labeled “air flow in”. It comes over a honeycomb-like shape of different cells with shadows of nuclei inside of them. And at the cut edge, two arrows explain a narrow couple of layers between the cells and the air. These are labeled “thin fluid layer” and “semi-porous membrane”. Then below we see this membrane in action, as wiggly arrows bring CO2 out and O2 into a capillary. It’s labeled “gas exchange, CO2 out, o2 in” and we see a label along the same capillary that says “blood cells full of waste CO2” above the gas exchange, and then at the other end “oxygenated blood cells”. We see the cells themself burst forth from the cut capillary surrounded by fluid labeled “blood plasma”.
Text explains “Inside the alveolar sacs, fresh oxygen molecules travel through the separating membranes to swap places with waste carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. That’s another reason why the tinest aerosols are the most dangerous: they’re small enough to reach the alveoli and to use the gas exchange process to slip inside your blood. e27”

This large body of text starts off the page: “Our body launches into defensive action, but variants excel at turning our IMMUNE CELLS against themselves in an escalating CYTOKINE STORM. e28 Infected, dying cells release CYTOKINES (chemical signals) that summon immune cells...which get attacked by viruses, so they summon even MORE immune cells...! e29 The inflamed alveoli try to flush the invaders out with fluids, but that results in a suffocating state called PNEUMONIA. The swollen, pus-filled alveolar sacs struggle to continue exchanging O-CO through their damaged walls. Without treatment, this can end in death.”
Below, a diagram shows all of this happening. We see the inside of an alveolar sac that is being filled with “too much fluid!” as one bubble declares. And inside of the fluid, many little balls are coming up to one of the larger shapes at the wall of the sac, labeled “SARS-COV-2 infecting cells”. A few big blobby orbs are labeled “Immune cells”, and the little speckles that are flying away from one are labeled “Cytokines”. The one sending the cytokines looks unusual, suggesting infection, and another receiving the cytokines is attacking one of the cells on the cell wall. On the periphery of the wall where the semi-porous membrane was on the previous page, it’s much thicker, and text says “membrane’s getting too porous”. Little SARS-COV-2 circles are spilling through the wall and into a capillary. Where the virus is coming in, the walls of the capillary are thicker and an arrow points to it from a bubble, explaining “Cell lining swelling, blood cells coagulating e31 “. The big oblong blood cells flow by a lighter orb that’s extending little tentacle things at the wall of the capillary, causing it to swell. Text explains “Immune cell attacking healthy cell lining e30”. Another bubble points at the blood cells and says “02 starved blood cells”.

Stylized handwriting at the top says “Meanwhile…” and text continues “...SARS-CoV-2 spreads into the CIRCULATORY SYSTEM, triggering dangerous MICRO CLOTS & attacking the ENDOTHELIAL LINING. e32 That’s the thin layer of cells lining every artery, vein, and capillary
that normally keeps all your blood and tissues functioning.” To the left, we see blood splashing out of vein and little SARS-COV-2 particles within it. The vein connects to a diagram of a brain below, and that down through thicker and thicker blood vessels until it reaches the heart. The text gets a little larger for emphasis here, and says “Vascular damage like this damages EVERY part of you.” In regular text below it continues “Even “mild” initial COVID-19 infections travel through the bloodstream to injure your BRAIN, HEART, & other critical organs - whether you notice that damage or not. e33” And arrow pointing at the brain leads to a zoomed in shot of spindly neurons covered with tiny circles, while another arrow shows a zoomed in shot of heart cells shows fibrous stretched forms covered with more little tiny circles. Arrows point at the tiny circles in both, and labels them “SARS-COV-2”.

Bubble letters say “LASTING EFFECTS” over a graph showing symptom severity over time. A label at the start says “infection” at the base of a steep curve with a little whistling and skipping person. Then at the peak, labeled “severe symptoms start” a person wrapped in a blanket coughs. About halfway back down the other side, a little triumphant person declares “all better!” This whole section is labeled “initial acute infection zone, aka COVID-19”. Then, from the period where the symptoms start to 3 months, it’s labeled “ambiguous ongoing symptoms zone” with a little drawing of a fallen over person going “ooogh…” A line curving up and down past the 1 month mark, the 3 month, the 3 year mark is labeled “Persistent, recurring symptoms zone, aka Long COVID”. Illustrating this period is an alarmed person in bed saying “not again…” and a person with a cane and a headache saying “how am I STILL SICK”. A block of text begins below “At least 10-30% of people who survive COVID-19 report symptoms reappearing months or even YEARS later, regardless of their age or health. e36, e37, e38 Many have had their lives changed for the worse...maybe permanently. Long COVID (aka POST-COVID SYNDROME or POST-ACUTE SEQUELAE OF SARS-COV-2) varies wildly from person to person, but lung damage, strokes, heart attacks, immune dysfunction, and debilitating exhaustion are common. We’re only just beginning to understand it as a POST-VIRAL ILLNESS like Shingles (caused by the Chickenpox virus) & AIDS (caused by HIV). Vaccines lower the likelihood of long-term damage, but don’t eliminate it. e39 Long COVID hits marginalized people the hardest, and we often go undiagnosed & untreated due to systemic bigotry in healthcare. e40, e41, e42” A drawing underneath shows a young child sweating in bed with a sleep mask over her eyes, and she says “can’t sit up… can’t talk… light & sound hurt…” and then in larger text “this sucks”

In large bold letters this page says “LONG COVID”. This page shows a chubby person with an undercut and facial hair using a cane and closing their hand in front of them. Inside of them we see various organs, muscles, and veins. An array of bubbles float near the affected body part, some pointing at them. Starting from the top, near the brain, the bubbles say “strokes and memory loss”, “migraines”, “new or worsening mental illness”, “extreme exhaustion, aka myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome”, “brain fog”, “loss of taste/smell”, “immune disorders”, “hearing loss”, “new or worsening cancers”, “joint pain”, “lung damage”, “rashes”, “heart attacks”, “MAST cell activation”, “new or worsening diabetes”, “kidney and liver failure”, “nerve pain”, and “bowel damage”. Endnotes for this list are e43, e44, and e45.
Below, text says “As of 2024, we keep discovering new ways Long COVID damages the body, but we still don’t have a “cure”. There are many ways to treat the symptoms (primarily serious, extended REST e46, e47, e48), but no silver bullet to reverse damage.”

“THE DAMAGE GETS WORSE WITH EVERY NEW INFECTION” large text declares at the start of this page. Below, it explains “Most people don’t know that SARS-CoV-2 damage is CUMULATIVE. So every new infection raises the odds you’ll be hit by horrible new health complications that may become permanent. e49, e50 Even infections that feel like “just a cold” or “allergies” can cause trouble down the line. e51”
To the side, a graph shows the risk level of various effects measured by the number of infections. At 0 infections it shows a 1 risk level, and then various lines ascend at different rates as they go to 1, 2, and 3 infections, with the lowest ending at 2 risk level and the highest shooting up past 8. That highest line is labeled “hospitalization”, and the rest of the issues are arranged in order of most risk to least. They are labeled “ISSUES WITH YOUR...” “Kidneys”, “Heart”, “Blood”, “Lungs”, “Stomach / Intestines”, “Exhaustion”, “Diabetes”, “Mental”, “Neurological”, “Muscles / Skeleton”. e52
Text continues underneath “An easy or entirely asymptomatic initial infection may mean your immune system barely even activated to fight off the virus. Long after you recover from the “mild” symptoms, inactive viral debris can remain throughout your body. e53”
A sideways PET-scanned figure with shadows throughout the body, especially coalescing in the torso around the organs. It’s labeled “FDG-PET scan showing spike proteins in joints & blood vessels e54”
Text explains further below “These are VIRAL RESERVOIRS: Leftover viruses & spike proteins that collect in your muscles, bones, & organs, ready to reinfect you whenever your immune system gets stressed.”

“IMMUNE DYSREGULATION: COVID-19 infections can leave your immune system depleted and unable to fight off much of anything. e55 Exhausted T-cells can miss invading pathogens like bacteria or other viruses. They might even “reset” and forget how to handle infections they’ve fought off before. E56” A cartoony illustration of two sleepy t-cells, the left moaning and saying “don’t wanna…” while the right is fully snoring. Behind them lurk VIRUSES AND BACTERIA chuckling evilly.
COVID-19 infections can also leave you with a fired up immune system in constant high alert (aka AUTOIMMUNITY). Your T-cells and neutrophils may attack healthy cells causing systemic inflammation, especially when triggered by old virus debris. e57
Meanwhile, overactive platelets needlessly gather blood cells in micro-clots. These trigger heart attacks, strokes, as well as many other Long COVID symptoms throughout the body. e58”
Another cartoony illustration of cells: An angry t-cell sending out chemical signals and saying, “I KNOW there’s a virus around here somewhere!” Goofy smiling platelets bundle up blood cells with strings of goop, while a neutrophil declares “I’m helping!” and extends its spindly NETs to the clot and nearby cells, which wither in distress.

“STOPPING THE SPREAD” it says at the top of the page, followed in smaller letters by “So obviously we want to stop getting sick, but how? We can’t end pandemics through individual action alone.” And then bigger for emphasis it says “So we work together! And we combine many strategies, both individual and systemic.” And continues back at regular size “The SWISS CHEESE MODEL OF INFECTION PREVENTION is an easy, cheesy way to visualize this tactic. e59”
Billows of air carrying countless tiny particles flank those words, and coalesce at the front of a bunch of thing slices of Swiss cheese, each with holes in different places. Each slice is labeled a different thing, one is “limiting exposure”, another “well-fitting respirator masks”, “good air, filtration”, “fast, accurate testing”, “quarantining after exposure”, and “vaccines & boosters”. Each slice blocks more and more of the particles, until the end of the slices where a baby sits in clear air and says “I love not having COVID!”
Text below explains: “Just like how each Swiss cheese slice has holes, no single protection method against SARS-CoV-2 works 100% perfectly. So we stack together methods until we’ve covered up all the holes, and maximized protection!”

A group of protesters march at the top of the page, including a Native American in a wheelchair with a “Land Back” top, a teen holding up their fist, a middle aged Jewish person wearing a kippah and a Palestine watermelon shirt, and drag queen holding the progress pride flag. There’s a large “WE KEEP US SAFE” banner in front, and signs that say “end all genocide”, “clean air is a right”, and “free them all”, as well as a butterfly puppet symbolizing migrant rights. Below the drawing it says “COMMUNITY CARE”.
In mid-sized text it says “To survive this pandemic, we must follow the lead of Disability Justice and survive TOGETHER.” And then in smaller text it continues “That means all of us - the infants and toddlers too young to mask, the disabled and the neurodiverse, Black and Indigenous people, all people of color, queer and trans people, sex workers, pregnant people, immunocompromised people, the undocumented, the unhoused, the incarcerated and institutionalized...
People forced into constant exposure at home, work, and school until they’ve lost count of infections, people forced into indefinite isolation because one infection could kill them or permanently change their life for the worse, people who get fired when they run out of sick days and evicted when they run out of money…”
And then in bigger text it concludes “Everyone abused by our medical industry and abandoned by our governments. All of us.”

In mid-sized text it says “So why do we mask? Because we refuse to accept a world where any one of us is disposable. We fight for a future where we all survive - together.”
Below, a large drawing of those two from the bar on earlier pages, the Black femme and their curly-haired friend, walking arm-in-arm and looking at each other bashfully. There’s a river behind them, and a breeze blows the tassels of the femme’s hoodie, and the keffiyeh the other is wearing. They are both wearing masks, and hearts appear between their faces.

WHY WE MASK: It's Not "Just A Cold": A Handy Scientific Guide to Surviving COVID-19 Together

Here, have a free science zine with a ridiculously long title! Endless thanks to my partner and fellow disabled artist, Kimball Anderson aka @earnestattempts, who helped through the entire year-long process with art edits and image descriptions (located in the alt text). Additional thanks to my friends Dupe and Caitlin, who gave me thorough copy-edits, and every friend who read drafts or listened to me rant about COVID-19.

Feel free to spread it far and wide! And hit me up if you're interested in printing &/or distributing free copies :D

Read WHY WE MASK with Endnotes - includes working URLS so you can read the scientific papers I cited for yourself. Plus links for all the other resources, and a full transcript.

Download WHY WE MASK - Free PDFs to read, print, and share! Any donations go towards print copies &/or local mask blocs.

Can't get enough free printable COVID zines? Check out @newlevant's excellent What's Up With COVID & How To Protect Yourself: 2024 Ed! It was a huge inspiration in the final stretch.

Extra pages under the cut: