Skinwalker

Skinwalkers, or also shape shifters, are persons with supernatural abilities to change into the any animals they want, although person mostly change in the coyote, wolf, owl, fox or crow. Witnesses told, that they saw animals like dogs or wolves walking on their hind legs. Navajo tribe, who named Skinwalkers also as Yee naaldlooshii (that, who walks on all four), believes, that Skinwalkers can even seize the skin or body of a person and can control human. Originates of Skinwalker are from Navajo tribe, but, stories about these creatures can be find also between Hopi, Utes and other tribes. Each of these have their own versions of Skinwalkers.

It is use to say, that each Skinwalker is a witch, but no each witch is Skinwalker. Witch/wizard which wants to turn into Skinwalker must go through some ritual and even kill somebody from his/her family. Skinwalkers, resp. similar to them, can be found in different cultures. As informed Jaroslav Mareš, in Uganda village, people, believe that man had ability during deep trance take the form of a leopard. When the hunter finally managed to shoot dangerous animal, villagers found also dead magician, who had the same fatal blow in heart like a leopard, but a bullet in the body of a man was not find. Only in the body of leopard.

Next, as mentioned Christian priest from Latin America Father Juan Bautista, Roman clergy in Mexico: „some of the magicians will transform themselves to all appearances (segun la aparencia), into a tiger, a dog or a weasel. Other again will take the form of an owl, a cock, or weasel; and when one is preparing to seize them, they will appear now as a cock, now as an owl, and again as a weasel. These call themselves nanahualtin.“

In the most of the cultures are shapeshifters witches/wizards. Most of the Skinwalkers are wearing animal skin, although it is not necessary, and they can transform themselves in any animal. One of their supernatural power is ability of fast run, they can run faster than a car. Witnesses use to tell that they never seen anything run so fast. There are many statements of witnesses, who told, that their cars were outrun by skinwalkers.

To their other special abilities belongs also, that when you shine on them they will somehow absorb a light and also they did not left any tracks. We might think, that maybe these are only some special type of Tulpa, creature created in mind. We can mentioned information from Jaroslav Mareš, who recalls a story from Africa, whose central character is a wizard, who hate women and before death create snake. As Mareš stated „sick and exhausted, he felt that, his end is approaching. In his ideas created idea of magical snake and dedicated it to persecute all women. His vision materialized.“ Snake attacked women, while it was seen only by those whose is attacked, and men never saw this creature.

It is also saying, that Skinwalkers avoid light. From the latest sightings it is use to think, that light is hurting them. From other similarities we can mentioned, that similarly to vampires, they cannot enter a home until they are not allowed. Next similarly to classical information of witches, they can make people sick and kill livestock. Skinwalkers can even control people´s mind.

According to the Navajo myths, you can successfully kill Skinwalker only with bullets dipped into the white ash. Next, puffed smoke of tobacco can create a personal barrier, but effective protection is also salt barrier. Other possibility is to kill him in his human form or if you call him by his true, human, name.

As Skinwalkers can be seen during the night, usually wearing animal skin, we might think that these can be only ill individuals wearing animal skin, but many witnesses describes Skinwalker as muscular creature with head and body of a wolf, like a wolf-like human. But human wouldn´t make what nothing like mentioned on pages of creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Skinwalker, where witness decsribes as saw place after attack of Skinwalkers: „blood everywhere. Splattered on the trees, in the grass in the creek, everywhere. (...) when a pack of dogs, or wolves, or coyotes attack something, they do it right. They´ll pick offo ne that´s weak, or sick, or old, or just small. (...) it´s quick, it´s clean. That wasn´t what happened here.“

As Navajo are wearing sheepsking or buckskin and during ceremonies, we can not assume that Skinwalkers are common Indians. Next, as Skinwalkers doesn´t left behind them any trackes, maybe they are some types of ghost, like hell hounds, or changed soul after death. The idea of changing human soul after death in an animal is widespread throughout the world. As reported Jaroslav Mareš, in Malaysia, live natives, who believed, that souls of the dead will transform into tigers, respectively, that some „native magicians are able to take form of a tiger. After the death they live in tiger body forever, but still think and act like humans. In some areas they are not buried (...) their bodies are laid on a wooden place on the trees.“

Maybe there can be some rational explanation, but as on werevolves, vampires and witches are more information and fact as we might think on first sight, also skinwalkers can be more horrible reality, than we wan´t to believe. Navajo wouldn´t normaly talk about it. Rule is to don´t talk about Skinwalkers...

picture: https://pixabay.com/sk/k%C3%BAzeln%C3%ADk-les-vlk-fantasy-n%C3%A1lada-3047235/