Therianthropes and otherkin are people who acknowledge that they are physically human, but believe that they are another species in spirit. It's hard to define because the definition varies so much with each individual. If the concept is new to you, you can learn more about it at Otherkin.net and other websites linked to from there.

I've made a collection of all the artwork that I can find that people have made about this subject:
[link]

In this collection, you'll see self-portraits that various therians and otherkin have drawn of their inner selves, or of their past lives. Some have written poetry to express their spiritual feelings.

Before DeviantArt introduced the Collection feature, I was working on making a webpage listing the art. That was last spring, and boy am I glad that an easier way to manage all those links came along!

The collection is very long, and getting longer all the time. I add more artwork as I find it. I have a few favorite pieces that I'll feature right here in this post, as a sample. If you like them, don't overlook the other wonderful works that are also in the collection.


Two in One by ~inuki42 is probably my all-time favorite of any work of art that tries to explain what it's like to be an otherkin. This one captures it, clearly and concisely.


A Precious Balance by ~Blazespirit Worth yet another thousand words. The dual nature of humankind itself is drawn to both civilization and wilderness. Even the oldest surviving written story in the world, The Epic of Gilgamesh, talked about it through the character of Enkidu: he was born a wild creature, and was tamed into being a man of the city, but on his deathbed pined for the wild life.


Therian Spring by ~swandog


Otherkin Zee by =DigitalShark. Would your ideal form have extra parts?


OtherKin Dragon by ~little-yuuri.


Dragon Soul by ~felineflames, who describes it this way: "There's a dragon in my soul. I hope to never lose the little spark of magic in my life that allows the dragon to stay with me. Regardless of where my life leads, I always want to keep hold of magic, imagination, and the spirit of living."


Vampiric Embrace by ~xvmprsgrlx is an illustration which appeared in the recently-published book A Field Guide to Otherkin.


Reflection by ~Tusami What if mirrors told more?


Vampire? by ~Kit-Fallen. A whimsical cartoon that captures an ordinary encounter.


Portrait of a Soul by ~Lizard-of-Odd. A self-portrait doesn't have to just show the face that you wear on the outside, since the personality is not the body, right?

Some therians and otherkin have designed symbols to represent their beliefs. Not all are familiar with or adopt these symbols. Some designs are becoming well-known, while others remain obscure, but have still been adopted by more than a couple of people. Here are a few of these recurring symbols.


The therian theta-delta symbol, or weresymbol:
This interlaces two Greek letters: the circular theta, meant to represent the human element and/or the soul; and the triangular delta, to represent the animal element and change. It was designed in about 2003 in the Therianthropy.org or Awereness forums. It's now common for a therian to superimpose a picture of his/her theriotype (inner animal species) on this symbol. Here are some examples, and there are many more in the collection:


Therianthropy Symbol by ~LoneDarkWolf Unless if I'm mistaken, this is the original design?


Completed Bracelet by ~MidniteWolf139. Adapted to beadwork.


Therian Wallpaper by ~ZachM is a slick and stylish desktop wallpaper.


Theta-Delta Tattoo for Aconite by =StrydingSoul.


Friend's Therian Symbol -scan- by ~ArchangelUzziel


Therian Symbol by ~meirya


Vitruvian Therian by ~Albeiho


Nyx Goldstone by ~DarkwolfUntamed.

The otherkin star:
A seven-pointed star is called a septegram or heptagram, and it has symbolized many different things throughout world history. Sometimes called an elven-star, it's a symbol used by the Silver Elves (a group of elf-identified people that has been around since the 1970s), and by Wiccans of the Faery tradition, and also by otherkin. See the definition of heptagram on Wikipedia, and read an article about the Elvenstar, written by Devan, of an otherkin music band, Elvendrums. Here are a few examples of the star.


Elven Star - Rainbow by ~sarahmitchell is the original logo of Otherkin.net.


CatchingDreams_Morij_7OKin by ~Mizuenzeru. The star woven into a dream-catcher.


Tattoos Tickle by *layra


For The Moon by ~Zerak.


Mana Tattoo by *Naryu


No Idea What They Are by ~Ymaryn.

The therian flag
was designed in 2004 by ~WatergazerWolf, a wolf therianthrope. The artist has given permission to others to modify the design to represent their own species. This is done by including a “wereprint,” which combines traits of both a human hand-print and an animal paw-print. Most of the main designs can be found in that artist's DeviantArt gallery; these are just some.


Therian Flag Design by ~WatergazerWolf


Therian Wereprints by ~WatergazerWolf


Wereprint Antler Carving by ~WatergazerWolf


"Wolf Dance" tagua pendant by *Foxfeather248


Wereprint Tattoo by ~WatergazerWolf


Wolf Shaman's New Tattoo by ~Wolf-Shaman

The otherkin emblem:
Also called the otherkin sigil, this symbol was designed in 2002 by dragon Kaltezar, aka Dayve J. Hawking, with assistance from dragon Kaijima A. Frostfang. The emblem has a circular border around the faces of three species: an elf, a dragon, and a wolf. These are some of the most common species for people to identify as, when other than human. See Kaltezar's webpage about the otherkin emblem.


Otherkin Skateboard by ~DrgnKiyo makes use of a sticker printed with this design.


Proud by ~Zerak overlays the emblem on the aforementioned star. Since they're both circular designs, they fit together nicely.


Otherkin Awareness Stamp by *VampireKitten182 is one of several "stamps" in a series about therians and otherkin. The stamps are available for anyone to post on their blog to show their support for an idea.


Conbadge by ~mojo-lahojo.

Other therian symbols
were designed in 2003 by ~twilight-stray, aka Ashley Davis. They incorporate a crescent, a spiral, and an animal footprint, the latter of which can be used to symbolically represent one's species. The main designs can be found in that artist's gallery, so here are just a few examples.


Therianthrope Symbols by ~twilight-stray


Sticker Ideas by ~twilight-stray

If you liked those, have fun browsing the rest of my collection of otherkin and therianthrope art, where you'll find many more! Right here: [link]

There are also some groups on DeviantArt for therians and otherkin, where art on those themes are also shared. Here are some such groups... ~Weres-United-Club, ~Therianthropes, ~Therian-Club, ~VampsOfEternalNight, ~OtherkinAlliance, ~Otherkins, and *OtherkinClub.