What is "changeling"

Changeling \Change"ling\, a.

1. Taken or left in place of another; changed. ``A little changeling boy.''
   --Shak.

2. Given to change; inconstant. [Obs.]

   Some are so studiously changeling.
   --Boyle.

Changeling \Change"ling\, n. [Change + -ling.]

1. One who, or that which, is left or taken in the place of another, as a child exchanged by fairies.

   Such, men do changelings call, so changed by fairies' theft.
   --Spenser.

   The changeling [a substituted writing] never known.
   --Shak.

2. A simpleton; an idiot.
   --Macaulay.

   Changelings and fools of heaven, and thence shut out.

   Wildly we roam in discontent about.
   --Dryden.

3. One apt to change; a waverer. ``Fickle changelings.''
   --Shak.

1550s, "one given to change," from change (n.) + diminutive suffix -ling. Meaning "person or thing left in place of one secretly taken" is from 1560s; specific reference to an infant or young child (usually stupid or ugly) supposedly left by the faeries in place of one they took is from 1580s. An earlier word for it was oaf or auf.

n. 1 (context mythology English) In British, Irish and Scandinavian mythology, an infant of a fairy, sprite or troll that the creature has secretly exchanged for a human infant. 2 (context informal rare English) An infant secretly exchanged with another infant; swapling. 3 (context science fiction and fantasy English) An organism which can change shape to mimic others. 4 (context obsolete English) A simpleton; an idiot. 5 (context obsolete English) One apt to change; a waverer.

1. n. a person of subnormal intelligence [syn: idiot, imbecile, cretin, moron, half-wit, retard]

2. a child secretly exchanged for another in infancy

A changeling is a figure in West European folklore.

Changeling, The Changeling or The Changelings may also refer to:

A changeling is a creature found in folklore and folk religion. A changeling child was believed to be a fairy child that had been left in place of a human child stolen by the fairies. The theme of the swapped child is common in medieval literature and reflects concern over infants thought to be afflicted with unexplained diseases, disorders, or developmental disabilities.

Changeling, in comics, may refer to:

• Beast Boy, a DC Comics superhero who used the codename "Changeling" for a period during his membership in the Teen Titans
• Changeling (Marvel Comics), a supervillain who later joined the X-Men

Changeling is a 1980 fantasy novel by Roger Zelazny. It was nominated for a Locus Award in 1981, and was followed by a sequel, Madwand.

Changeling is a soundtrack album released in 2008 based on the film of the same name. In common with all his films since Mystic River (2003), Clint Eastwood composed the music to the 2008 film Changeling himself. The score is jazz- and bebop-influenced, and mainly low-key, featuring lilting guitars and strings. The addition of brass instruments has its roots in film noir and plays to the film's setting in a city controlled by corrupt police. The theme shifts from piano to a full orchestra, and as the story develops the strings become more imposing, with increasing numbers of sustains and rises. Voices reminiscent of those in a horror film score are introduced during the film's flashback scenes to the child murders. Eastwood's bassist son, Kyle, played on the soundtrack. The score was released on CD in North America on November 4, 2008 through record label Varèse Sarabande.

"Changeling" is a song by English pop singer-songwriter Alison Moyet, and is the third single released off her eighth studio album, The Minutes (2013).

Changeling is a 2008 American psychological drama film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski, that explores child endangerment, female disempowerment, political corruption, mistreatment of mental health patients, and the repercussions of violence. Based partly on real-life events – the 1928 "Wineville Chicken Coop" kidnapping and murder case in Los Angeles, California – the film stars Angelina Jolie as a woman supposedly reunited with a boy she immediately realizes is not her missing son. When, however, she tries to demonstrate this to the police and city authorities, she is vilified as delusional and an unfit mother.

Straczynski spent a year researching the story after hearing about the Wineville Chicken Coop case from a contact at Los Angeles City Hall. Almost all of the film's script was drawn from thousands of pages of documentation. His first draft became the shooting script and his first film screenplay to be produced. Ron Howard had meant to direct the film, but scheduling conflicts led to his replacement by Eastwood. Instead, Howard and his Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer produced Changeling alongside Malpaso Productions' Robert Lorenz and Eastwood. Universal Pictures financed and distributed the film.

Several actors campaigned for the leading role; ultimately, the key factor in Eastwood's decision to cast Jolie was his feeling that her face would suit the 1920s period setting. The film also stars Jeffrey Donovan, Jason Butler Harner, John Malkovich, Michael Kelly and Amy Ryan. While some characters are composites, most are based on actual people. Principal photography, which began on October 15, 2007 and concluded a few weeks later in December, took place in Los Angeles and other locations in southern California. Eastwood's low-key direction led actors and crew to note the calmness of the set and the short working days. In post-production, scenes were supplemented with computer-generated skylines, backgrounds, vehicles and people.

Changeling premiered to critical acclaim at the 61st Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2008. Further festival appearances preceded a limited release in the United States on October 24, 2008, followed by a general release in North America on October 31, 2008; in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2008; and in Australia on February 5, 2009. Critical reaction was more mixed than at Cannes. While the acting and story were generally praised, the film's "conventional staging" and "lack of nuance" were criticized. Changeling earned $113 million in box-office revenue worldwideof which $35.7 million came from the United States and Canadaand received nominations in three Academy Award and eight BAFTA Award categories.

Changeling is the second studio album by the Irish rock musician Camille O'Sullivan, released on 4 February 2012 on Little Cat Records.

Recorded throughout 2011 at various recording studios in Dublin with producers and musicians Feargal Murray and Eanna Hickey, Changeling consists entirely of cover versions of songs by artists including Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Radiohead, who O'Sullivan describes as "influences." The album also contains two songs written exclusively for O'Sullivan by collaborator/producer Eanna Hickey and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody.

Upon its release, Changeling received positive reviews and peaked at number 45 and number 6 in the Irish Albums Chart and Irish Independent Albums Chart, respectively. The album was also supported with a small nationwide tour, launched at Tower Records in Dublin on 16 February, and was followed by a European tour throughout 2012.