A therian is an individual who identifies as or feels like they are a non-human animal in a non-biological sense. This might be because of some aspect of spirituality or psychology, but that’s not a defining characteristic—as long as a person’s sense of self is being that of a non-human animal. The animal the individual identifies with is called their theriotype.
(Otherkin is a related term, typically used by one that identifies as a mythical or imaginary species, like a dragon, fairy, or elf.)
The r/Therian subreddit offers a further definition of the term.
- therians are physically human and understand that they have human bodies
- therian may experience urges or sensations that they feel they can best explain as a feeling of not being fully human.
- often associated with feelings of sadness or anxiety when the therian realizes they are not the species of their theriotype
- it is not related to religious practice
- it is a label for life experiences, not a voluntary practice. (You wouldn’t typically, like, go to “therian church”, or spend an hour each week in therian meditation, etc.)
- identifying as an animal, not identifying with an animal
Some therians use the shorthand ΔΘ (delta theta) to identify themselves to others on social media. Therianthropy is not a cult; most therian communities I’ve seen encourage independent inquiry.
A 2017 survey conducted by Furscience asked participants to check off any terms that they apply to them, without imposing a particular definition. About 11-17% of the furry fandom identify themselves as therian, and therians identify significantly more strongly with their favorite animal species than furries do. Therians are much more likely to say they feel less than 100% human. This suggests a dramatic difference between therians and non-therian furries. Of the people who say they feel less than 100% human, it is more common to describe it as a mental feeling than a physical feeling.
Am I a therian?
The author of this note is not a therian. I am a human with a human body and I value the simplicity of that explanation.
If you think you might be a therian, consider the following:
- Nobody other than you can tell you.
- Similarly, you can’t look at a person on social media and tell whether they are “truly therian” or “just saying they are.” People can write about their experiences but can also write fiction. Maybe some people just want to feel like they’re part of a club. There’s really no scientific distinction.
- There are only two questions you need to answer “yes” to:
- Do you have non-human animal experiences?
- Does it feel more authentic for you to say “I consider myself (species)” rather than “I consider myself just human”?
- If you are therian, nobody other than you can tell you what your theriotype is. You should learn about the animals in the world around you to see what resonates with you.
- You don’t need to do special vocalizations, exercise on all fours, have lots of outdoor hobbies, or dress up with animal accessories (“gear”) to call yourself a therian. You also don’t have to call yourself a therian just because you do those things.
Therian concerns
https://www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/h890rc/some_advice_from_an_adult_therian/ - This post is from a 30 year old therian who is employed, married, not depressed, etc. Cool.
They give some advice that focuses mostly on how to moderate certain therian behaviors. There’s no reason to think therians act the same way or feel the same urges, but it’s an interesting read. Some advice they give:
- Do small “animal” things regularly to avoid a build-up of frustration, like playing with pets, going outdoors, or walking around on all fours at home when no one can see you.
- Keep your human side safe and don’t do anything dangerous or stupid.
- Don’t eat raw meat, wild mushrooms, unknown berries, etc.
- Don’t get in fights.
- Don’t jump off of really high places.
- Don’t test your balance in places where falling would really hurt.
- It’s OK to hide therianthropy behind being a furry fan or into cosplay (things that are more socially acceptable) than to be open about the spiritual/psychological belief. Presumably because you wouldn’t be open about spiritual matters with people who aren’t close friends anyway.
- Don’t isolate yourself from society; participate in life and be a good person.
- Don’t ignore perfectly nice non-therian friends.
- Don’t be afraid to discuss therianthropy with a therapist; it’s not a problem that needs treatment. Depression, anxiety, and social isolation are things that can be treated. You will only get “locked up” if you are risk of harming yourself or others, not for being seen as weird.
- Don’t think about therianthropy too much. It’s only one part of who you are. It’s also totally fine if you think you are a therian for a while and later realize a different word fits your experience better.
Some people on r/asktransgender offer thoughts:
- “I think that as long as they’re identifying as otherkin in a way that isn’t mocking trans folk it’s totally fine.” -crystxlize
- “I don’t understand it, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not real.” -inkwat
- paraphrased: “I feel like it’s similar to furries, which in itself is not a bad thing. But when someone says ‘if you can be a woman then I should be able to be a dragon’, I do think it mocks trans people.” -Wildernessinabox
- “I’m friends with a small number of therians and I must say the crazies you sometimes see on tumblr aren’t a representative sample by any means. …To [the therians I’ve known], it’s simply a preferred interpretation of some rather unique life experiences.” - zeanoth
Therianthropy in VR
Some people use avatars of anthropomorphic furry characters or non-human animals in VRChat. Because avatars are capable of mimicking the player’s head and hand movements (if they have the appropriate motion trackers), as well as lip syncing, blinking, and eye tracking, some therians feel it allows them to better connect with their theriotype. However, I haven’t been able to find a good thread of theirians explaining their thoughts on the platform quite yet.
Further Reading
https://furscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fur-Science-Final-pdf-for-Website_2017_10_18.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therianthropy#Modern_therianthropy
https://www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/h890rc/some_advice_from_an_adult_therian/