Vaihdokas

Vaihdokas (a changeling, "vaihto" means "a change") is a fairy child, who had been placed to replace a stolen human child. In Finnish folktales the creatures replacing children were usually maahinens or other spirits of nature. Only children under one year old were replaced or, after the arrival of Christianity, children who hadn't been baptised yet. Children thought of being changelings were often those with disabilities or who were different in other ways. The belief in changelings didn't disappear with the arrival of Christianity, but the perpetrators of the changes became demons (piru) instead.

If a mother wanted to prevent her child from being changed, she had to keep her eye on the child at all times. She could have also placed something 'of väki' into the child's cradle. During Christian period, the Bible or a hymnal could be placed under the child's head.

During the witch hunts of the 17th century there are known cases from Åland and Kalajoki where people were accused of being changelings.

A story from Kajaani describes a changeling who died at the age of 30: the changeling was always laying down and growling like a dog in his/her sleep, and wasn't able to eat or drink on his/her own.