Asperger's Syndrome and the Occult Mindset

I have Asperger's Syndrome as does my draconian fiance. My two best friends, a British warrior cat shapeshifter and a white dog/black cat multiple-phenotype "80s" therian, also have it. How many Aspies are on PaganSpace.net? The Asperger's brain I think is in many ways better suited to an occult lifestyle than a neurotypical brain. AS is known as the "nerd's" or "creative thinker's" syndrome. How many others on this site have AS? It's OK, go ahead and say it if you do. AS is not a disorder but a variation to the norm. I don't think I'd be a huldra/djur if I wasn't an Aspie!:)

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Pavlor on July 27, 2009 at 6:00am: In Pagan Europe there were supposed to be groups of Witches who had small tails and celebrated them as a link to the animals and mark of wisdom. A Witch could also have a club foot, a harelip, a caul, or an extra breast and it was known as a "Witch mark". Some of those people may have been the original hulderfolk, or they may have been Christians who didn't want a tail or whatever and were still occused of Witchcraft. Have any of you ever read about how a hereditary Witch may have a small tail or another such "mark of wisdom"? The reason I feel incomplete without a tail and not any other of those special features is because I see myself as looking human but with a tail on my inside.

How much of this do you actually believe, Astrid?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Astrid Johanna Ulv on July 27, 2009 at 9:32am: Have none of you on this site ever heard about Witches with tails?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by WhiteSage on July 27, 2009 at 9:50am: Hi Astrid,
I believe that according to Ukrainian folklore, hereditary witches were known to be born with tails. I'm not near any of my books at the moment so the best reference that I can come up with is from the web: farshores.org/p04elv.htm Under witches and Baba Yaha.
There are two kinds of witches--those who inherit their witch powers from their mothers (who, in turn, inherited it from their mothers, and so on, down the line), and those who are taught to be witches. The latter have no particular marks or features on them to tell them from non-witches, but the hereditary ones have little tails at the base of the backs.

I also have a vague memory of having heard something similar from my GA, which would have been a piece of Lithuanian folklore. Personally, I thought this particular idea of the tail came from the association of witches with the devil, so it would be more of a symbol than a reality. However, I have no basis for this. I haven't researched it in any way. It's just my own interpretation of the witch's tail.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pavlor on July 27, 2009 at 11:45am: Have none of you on this site ever heard about Witches with tails?

That wasn't my question, Astrid. I was just curious as to whether you believe this to be true.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Xoc on July 27, 2009 at 5:30pm: I've heard that witches are supposed to have unusual identifying marks. Like huge birth marks, green eyes, or birth defects.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Astrid Johanna Ulv on July 30, 2009 at 9:25am: It may be true. I'm no scholar, but I suspect that it was a VERY rare occurence for any of the Pagan people of Old Europe to have tails or other marks. It has always been rare even today. Some of those people may have also been Christians who didn't want to have those marks and were burned as witches for having them. I do suspect that maybe, however, there were A FEW groups of witches who had tails and other marks and celebrated them as marks of wisdom. Look at me, I'm the only hulder for miles around. I do think that we, the Tailed Ones, have existed in the past and still do, but we were and are and always have been EXTREMELY rare. Sally told me that most people today who have tails DON'T want them.; ▶ Reply to This