Hey anon. A kintype (what your friend meant when they said kinned) is a very personal thing that only you can tell for yourself. Nobody else can tell you or you’re an otherkin, or if you’re a therian.
Here are some pretty decent definitions of the terms for you.
otherkin
n., sing. or pl. A person who holds the belief that they are not entirely (or not at all) human. Usually a spiritual belief pertaining to one’s soul and the reincarnation thereof, but may also be a belief that one’s genetics are descended from, for example, the Irish fae. The word Otherkin was coined to describe people who felt a connection to mythological humanoids such as elves and faeries, but has expanded in recent years to include dragons, gryphons/griffins and other supposedly mythical beasts as well as animals, angelic/demonic beings (angelkin/demonkin) and in some cases extraterrestrials.
Therian
A therian is someone who identifies as a non human earthen animal either spiritually or psychologically.
Therian is short for therianthropy or therianthrope. Theri= animal, anthro=man. Therians can have “shifts” but not all do. All therians understand that they cannot physically shift and are not physically an animal, they know they are physically human.
Therians are a category that fall under otherkin. Otherkin is anyone who identifies as non human. This includes therians, mythkin, fictionkin, plankin, etc. Not all therians are spiritual, some are psychological and not all therians have a connection with their theriotype.
- Her theriotype is a rabbit.
- He psychologically identifies as a hawk.
- She spiritually identifies as a fish.
