Skinwalker from the Navajo tribe is a creepy legend that has a real basis (9 photos)

The Navajo skinwalker is something to wince for Native Americans. The name alone is enough to chill you to the bone. Different tribes tell their own stories about them. But, in general, they are werewolves capable of changing their appearance.





Skinwalkers not only have the ability to shapeshift, but they can also possess other people and bring people back from the dead using black magic. They wear the skins, and sometimes the skulls or horns, of creatures they choose, hence the name skinwalker.

Ancient Horror



Navajo Indians

The tribe does not talk about them openly because it is believed that skinwalkers hide among people and take revenge on those who talk about them. For the Navajo, living side by side with a terrible enemy is a variant of the norm. Skinwalkers are just one of their ways of life.

Skinwalkers are very dangerous, but they can be spotted if you know where to look. In Navajo they are called yee naaldlooshii or "walker on all fours." It is believed that most of them are men.

Witch doctors and skinwalkers



Witch doctors are the first candidates for werewolves. They become those who have reached the highest level of enlightenment in the tribe, but decided to use their power for evil.

They engage in dark practices, which are popularly called the “Way of the Sorcerer.” How do potential skinwalkers gain their powers? To undergo initiation, the medicine man must kill a brother or sister or some close relative.

Having received a second hypostasis, werewolves acquire the ability to demonstrate various physical abilities through the animals into which they transform. They are usually seen in the form of a coyote, owl, fox, wolf or raven, although they are capable of transforming into any animal at will.



Navajo Indian in ceremonial clothing

The nightmare doesn't end with the shapeshifting. They are able to capture another person through eye contact. Eyes play an important role in the history of skinwalkers. A werewolf will have human eyes when he transforms, and animal eyes when he is in human form!

Despite their terrible reputation, skinwalkers can be defeated. Those who track down a werewolf and discover its true identity must pronounce the evil creature's name in full. Once this happens, the werewolf will become ill or die, punished for the troubles he has caused to others.

Skinwalkers among us



Healing ritual with a Navajo shaman

What about ironclad evidence? The famous Skinwalker Ranch incident in Utah has led to several horror stories being circulated. Terry Sherman owned this estate, but he and his family left it after encountering terrible phenomena - the systematic destruction of livestock in a very strange bloodless way. The owner also encountered mysterious large animals: in particular, a wolf, three times the size of a normal beast, which Terry shot several times at close range to no avail.



Skinwalker Ranch

Then the site was purchased by millionaire Robert Bigelow, who was interested in everything otherworldly. Bigelow's observations of the ranch were documented in the 2005 book Hunting the Skinwalker, written by biochemist Colm A. Kelleher and journalist George Knapp. During the course of the project, some terrible events were recorded.

One night, Kelleher reported seeing a large humanoid creature spying on the research team from a tree.

Having scared him away, he discovered a footprint - a single oval footprint, deeply imprinted into the crust. The footprint had two sharp claws at the back.

Skinwalker as an element of modern culture



Widespread coverage of the ranch's history helped bring the idea into the public consciousness. As a result, this was followed by the filming of the 2013 film Skinwalker Ranch.



For the Navajo people, adapting part of their culture's history as entertainment is an insult. The Indians were outraged that their ancient beliefs and traditions were turned into a horror story. The mysterious werewolf was tritely commodified and, as a result, lost the flair of mystery. And, perhaps, he is hiding and waiting for the right moment to come out of the shadows and take revenge.