Fantastique Changelings: liminality and narrative technique in Irish Changeling Tales

Presentation By Moore Visiting Fellow Dr Audrey Robitaillié

This talk analyses changeling narratives in Irish folklore, both in English and in Irish, and focuses particularly on the theme of liminality in the Irish changeling tradition. To do so, it centres on folk narratives about humans taken away to the Otherworld by fairies, who leave behind a substitute to replace the stolen person. The liminality of these accounts, expressed through characters and settings, is also studied through its relationship with the narrative technique of the fantastique, used to engage the audience with the story and play with the listeners’ fears.