administrative society codified the legal concept of surnames, most people descriptively specified others situationally using epithets. We must re-embrace the concept of names as living things, capable of change.
Maybe in this moment you are speaking to Music Coyote and not Sleepy Coyote, or Little Wolf rather than Big Wolf.
It is surprisingly natural to infer which animal is being referred to at any given moment through context, body language and epithets.
"Hi wolves, what's up?"
We are writing.
We are wolves.
"Wolves are writing,"
we say.
(wolves using plural pronouns but works same singular)
Self affirmation helps ground yourself in your identity.
Therioilleism: animal self-reference, also known as third-critter speech.
You can just call yourself an animal, all the time.
Besides, if a cis-animal suddenly gained the ability to use english it would probably speak like that, right? It only seems natural.
Illeism encourages the speaker to decentralize their ego and consider their relationship to the world around them. Think about how you move, how you feel. What does it mean to be a creature in this world? What can you discover together with your pack, with others? The animal ontology you uncover is valuable and deserves to be shared.
Look for other hale zines:
* PawsignIME
* Something happened (or happens) to your narrative in the future
* Animal body
* Tuponyms
a 4 paws 4 wolves publication
09.02.2026 01:16 —
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Therionyms & Therioilleism
a zine about animal identity by hale (but you can call us wolves)
Are you an animal? Do you think of yourself as a creature? Do you call yourself a beast?
Names have two aspects: external identifiers which are used by others and internal identifiers which you use to refer to yourself. Congurency between the two - when others think of you in the same way you think of yourself - is empowering.
Wolf, coyote, tiger, elk, fox, doe. Do any of these words >feel< like you?
Do your ears prick up when you hear them spoken?
(Yes, we can see your ears)
You are already accepting an animal name as your own. A therionym.
Ask the critters around you to call you by your animal name. Feel acknowledgem-ent spread over your pelt like warm sunlight. You are being Seen. Through this, and every moment just like this your true nature is being Observed.
Likewise, by using your packmember's therionyms you hypostatize their animal forms.
A feedback loop will grow between you.
This is a kind of power even humans take notice of. The invisible threads of our reality, our context, are made plainly audible.
It is up to you whether your therionym is a nick-name, a parallel truename, or even becomes part of a legal name.
On homonyms (same-names):
It is quite likely your pack has more than one member of the same species and you will suffer therionym collisions. Names, historically have always collided. Before
Our latest zine, Therionyms & Therioilleism is done! Hope everyone who received physical copies at furswap enjoys <3
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genuinely- what's something you wish u could reach more critters about? things you wish you had time to do with others? I am trying to think of ways to open space for those sort of things
22.12.2025 05:11 —
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OH SO COOL !! THANK YOU!!
12.11.2025 23:59 —
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SO SORRY it is very hard to balance whether we do these in color or B+W, as a printer tech I feel for you lol
12.11.2025 23:59 —
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Check this out! It's a very cool project, I'm pleased I was able to contribute a piece to this, but you should really see all the other wonderful words and pictures within! :0)
11.11.2025 20:06 —
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google drive link to all 3 NUZ zines, in printable and readable formats. MAKE SURE TO FLIP OVER SHORT EDGE WHILE PRINTING AND PRINT AT ACTUAL SIZE! 0.5 and 1 are better for printing than 0.
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
11.11.2025 18:27 —
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A zine, with text emblazoned on the top and bottom, reading "PROJECT: NUZ NON-HUMAN UNITY ZINE, ZINE ONE. A COLLECTION OF NONHUMAN INFO AND EPHEMERA". the text surrounds a canid circumscribed by a theta-delta, with the crossbar of the theta laying across its muzzle.
✨PROJECT: NUZ ZINEONE✨
Howdy!! We have a whole new edition of the Nonhuman Unity Zine for you to share and enjoy, with new arts, writing, and information, plus a few new features and gimmicks! We hope you enjoy, and RTs ARE APPRECIATED!
(Not screen-reader friendly post, pdf files at the end!)
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