By Dan Skunk; October 1, 2006
Furries are a group of people that are fans of anthropomorphic animals (animals that have what are normally thought to be human characteristics) either in physical form or in their abilities; from animals that are almost human in form with the addition of animal characteristics such as fur and tails and the shape of their heads to distinguish them, to animals that are natural in form but have the ability to think and speak as humans.
The word "furry" applies to both the anthropomorphic animals that are the subject of interest and the fans themselves, who often create their own furry personas (fursonas) or characters to represent themselves. Fursonas allow furries to interact with each other as furry characters; to play the role of these characters as part of fantasy play where they imagine themselves in a world where these characters are real and play out various scenarios together.
What distinguishes furries from other fandoms (groups of fans) where people will share an interest in something such as a television show, or a comic book series, is that furries create most of the media they share themselves. Creativity, imagination, and self-expression are just as important as having an interest in what others create.
Many furries will create full costumes of their characters (fursuits) or wear things such as tails and ears to help identify with their fursonas and enhance their roll playing experience. They will also have artwork made of their fursonas interacting with each other and use them in stories.
The internet plays a very big part in the furry community. It allows furries to meet each other and share ideas, stories and artwork and it offers many different ways for furries to interact with each other as their fursonas: from text chat all the way up to creating full 3 dimensional worlds populated with furries of all shapes and sizes.
Furries hold conventions all over the world where hundreds of furries will gather together to meet each other and socialize; wear fursuits; sell all kinds of furry related materials such as art, books, crafts, music and videos; hold shows for each other involving performing skits and commedy, telling stories, music, and dancing; discuss various interests; and hold workshops to help each other with their creative endevours.
Furries come from all walks of life. From every nation and culture, from every religion, from every social standing, from every lifestyle. They are all united by their appreciation for anthropomorphic animals--these creatures of fantasy and legend and come together as equals. Furries are some of the most open, accepting, caring people there are. They form very strong bonds with each other and form very strong communities all over the world that help and support each other. They help each other through different life issues and help each other find places to live and find jobs often opening their homes to other furries in need.
The history of anthropomorphic animals goes back as far as human culture and civilization itself and comes from all over the world: from 10,000 year old animal headed people in cave drawings in Africa and Australia; to the winged cherubim from Genesis; to the vulture taloned, lion legged, bull horned, Humbaba from the Epic of Gilgamesh; to North American aboriginal stories where animals speak to people; to animal headed Egyptian gods; to Chinese dragons; to Aesop's fables, to the werewolf legends of Europe; to mythologial half man, half animal, creatures such as minotaurs and centaurs; up to more modern times where they appear in books like The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Watership Down; to today where we see them in comics, animated movies, and advertising and as mascots.
Far from being something obscure and unfamiliar, we are surrounded by anthropomorphic animals. They invade every corner of our everyday lives and are loved by everyone. Furries are just people that have a special appreciation for these creatures that inspire their thoughts and dreams.
There are many different ways that people are inspired by furry characters, from their simple beauty, to an escape from the ordinary to a world of fantasy and imagination, to the philosophical metaphores they symbolize, up to something more deeply spiritual and meaningful. What attracts people to furry is as numerous as there are furries themselves.
Furries are beautiful in and of themselves and offer a unique medium for self-expression. There are endless possibilities one can explore when mixing animal and human forms together to create something new and unique.
Furries offer an opportunity to escape from the ordinary human world and imagine what it would be like to be an animal or posess the attributes and abilities of animals. Who hasn't dreamed of what it would be like to soar though the skys like an eagle, swim though the ocean like a dolphin, or race over the praries like a horse? Who hasn't thought of what it would be like to live like an animal, free from responsibilities and constraints placed on them by society--to just fly away and be free? These are some of the things that inspire furries. Anthropomorphic animals can symbolize a desire to be free from the human world, to posess desirable strengths and abilities that other animals have, yet to also have all the benefits of being human as well. In your imagination, anything is possible.
Being a furry allows you to be something that you are not. This frees you from the regular rules you have to follow as a human and lets you express yourself more freely and openly without fear. Many furries find fursuiting to be a fun and liberating experience. Putting on a costume temporarily transforms you into something different, and changes how those around you will see you. It allows you to be that other animal and behave like you think that other animal would behave. You can escape from who you are in real life and be something different, you can be anything that you can imagine.
Some furries create their fursonas based on what animals inspire them and have traits that they would like to have. Someone that wants to be powerful and brave may choose to be a lion. Some furries create their fursonas based on what animal they share various traits with, an animal that represents their personality. Someone that's shy and solitary might choose to be a skunk. You can tell a lot about someone just by the animal(s) they choose as their persona which makes it interesting when meeting people, because you'll automatically know things about each other without needing to speak.
Anthropomorphic animals can also symbolize the relationship between animals and humans. The similarities we share with them. We share the same basic needs and desires and behaviours. We even share some of the same thoughts and have similar lifestyles. We can see other animals as equals sharing the world with us and learn about what it means to be human by studying the similarites we have with them. We can also learn about our place in the world and by looking at what we have in comming and how we interact with each other. We can gain a better understanding of the feelings and emotions we have and why we have them. There are many different beliefs out there about what it means to be human, but by accepting that we are animals, and learning from them, and emulating them, we get closer to the basics that we all have in common. Furries--people that pretend to be animals--might turn out to be the most in touch with their humanity. There are many lessons we can learn from animals, and from the idea of furries, that we can use to help us in our everyday lives.
Some furries believe that they have an animal inside them. That their spirit is that of another animal, that, for some reason, or to serve some purpose, was born in a human body. Some believe they were an animal in a past life. Some have dreams of this past life. Some believe they have an animal spirit that communicates with them and guides them.
There are many different religions that include animals and re-incarnation. The idea of re-incarnation and spirit guides is not new at all. Aboriginal religions often put a lot of importance on animals--probably due to comming from a lifestyle that's closer to them. Some of the more popular modern religions don't do that anymore and are very anthropocentric and perhaps some people are missing that connection to other animals, and the natural world. Humans did after all evolve to adapt to a lifestyle that was closer to nature, so it would make sense that having that connection is something humans have an emotional need for to be able to makes sense of their own place in the world. Many furries have adopted religions that put a greater importance on animals, borrowing from other religions, or creating their own spiritual beliefs. Spirituality is a personal and individual experience and everyone has their own unique experiences and beliefs and no one is wrong and most furries accept that.
Furries teach us to love and respect each other, whatever we might be, to respect and charish the earth and treat the animals we share it with as equals, to trust our emotions and follow them, to not be afraid to express ourselves and enjoy life and explore the world around us and all the beauty and wonder it provides and to let our imaginations soar. When we free our minds, the possibilities are truely infinite.