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Intro:
I first became aware of the skinwalker concept as a youngster during the late 1990s, and my fascination has only intensified in the decades that have passed since then. It seemed, therefore, rather logical to me that one day I might seek out the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the phenomena. This book contains the results of more than a year’s worth of research that dragged me out of the UK and led me through Europe, Russia, and even the spiritual home of the skinwalker - America.
Before we take a look at some of the new reports uncovered during my investigation, It’s important to first clear a few things up about skinwalkers and their origin. If you were to take a look at Wikipedia, you’d see that the term “skinwalker” comes directly from the Navajo language and is said to literally translate as "by means of it, it goes on all fours”. To the idigenous folks, skinwalkers are evil witches who use dark and twisted magic to cause harm and counteract the good work of the responsible medicine people of the tribe. They can shapeshift, appear and vanish at will, and their presence is always considered to be a bad omen.
Before we take a look at some of the new reports uncovered during my investigation, It’s important to first clear a few things up about skinwalkers and their origin. If you were to take a look at Wikipedia, you’d see that the term “skinwalker” comes directly from the Navajo language and is said to literally translate as "by means of it, it goes on all fours”. To the idigenous folks, skinwalkers are evil witches who use dark and twisted magic to cause harm and counteract the good work of the responsible medicine people of the tribe. They can shapeshift, appear and vanish at will, and their presence is always considered to be a bad omen.
The main issue people encounter when attempting to research skinwalkers is that Native American culture stipulates that details of these creatures are not to be discussed with outsiders. Sure, the tribal elders are willing to admit they have ancient stories related to the skinwalkers, but most aren’t too keen to divulge the ins and outs. In the mainstream at least, the vast majority of people only understand the basic concept I’ve already outlined. I wanted to know more, much more, and a chance encounter with a homeless man on Westminster Bridge in London, UK, on February 2nd 2021, sparked a chain of events that would eventually lead to a massive change in my understanding of the skinwalker phenomenon. Little did I know, the information I was about to receive from the random stranger would turn my life upside down.
Westminster Bridge is a busy crossing point, and it’s easy for anyone to get trampled if they fall down or fail to move at the same speed as the stampeding crowd. On the afternoon in question, I had taken the time to visit a friend whose child was under the care of doctors at St Thomas Hospital - it was only a short walk from the bridge. I left the hospital at precisely 3pm. I know this because that is the time at which the ward nurses told me all visits must end. Less than five minutes later, I found myself squashed between a charging pride of people all attempting to cross the River Thames with little regard for anyone who dared to get in their way. This darwinian attitude is no doubt what led to a man being pushed to the floor by the angry mob right in front of me.
Unlike the other few hundred people on the bridge that day, my life is not so busy that I can’t stop to help someone in need, so that’s exactly what I did. The man lying on the ground in front of me looked a little bewildered, but I managed to use my body to create enough space for him to clamber back to his feet. I grabbed his hand and helped him up. We both quickly resumed our pace to avoid being re-trampled by the crowd and were soon off the bridge. After thanking me for the assistance in some type of unfamiliar American accent, the stranger asked if he could buy me a coffee, and because I don’t turn down free drinks, I agreed.
We chatted for a while on the walk to the coffee shop which was only a few hundred metres away, and I learned my new friend’s name was Machakw (although he told me most people call him Mat). Over a couple of hot drinks, I asked Mat about his unusual name and was informed that his family were from the Hopi Native American tribe and most of them still lived on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Being a writer of supernatural books, I explained my interest in Native American folklore and my particular fascination with the Navajo skinwalker legends, much to Mat’s amusement.
“Ah, so you’re one of those guys who thinks it’s all Navajo too, then?” He quipped with a smirk curling into his cheeks. “The problem with you people is that you can never see the bigger picture. It’s not just the Navajo, you know. Almost every single Native American tribe has stories about the skinwalkers, and the Hopi is no different. Some of the details might change from place to place, but we all fear the skinwalkers just the same. They are responsible for many “so-called” natural disasters and sicknesses that have plagued my people, and the worst thing is, originally, they were just like you and me.”
I pushed Mat to tell me all the information he could whilst being sensitive to the fact that most Native Americans will not talk to anyone about this stuff. It soon became clear that Mat was no average guy from the reservation. He flew to London a couple of years previously in an attempt to build a life away from his homeland and culture, which he deemed restrictive. Unfortunately for this adventurer, things hadn’t gone according to plan, and he was now homeless in the UK with no financial means of getting home, and from the impression I got, he was too ashamed to call his elders and ask for help.
While I felt sorry for the guy, it also became apparent that the usual secrecy rules around Native American lore might not apply in this instance, and I have to admit I was excited. Mat continued to tell me about his knowledge of the skinwalkers.
“It’s not like they’re demons or anything like that. They’re just people from a very long time ago who worked out how to use magic to change themselves into something else. Something un-human. They see it as a progression. Like evolution I suppose. And they’ve been hopping between here and the other world since long before the Hopi and Navajo built their societies. Hell, they’ve been here since long before a single human being stepped foot in the Americas. We call them skinwalkers, but they’ve got other names all around the world. People need to wake up and realise they’re all the same thing.”
We discussed the matter at length for the next two hours, and my new friend spilled the beans on everything. I asked him about Skinwalker Ranch in Utah, and he said he never visited the location, but people from his tribe believe there is a curse on the land and that skinwalkers are active in the area. Mat offered to give me the name of a Hopi Native American friend who would be able to provide some assistance should I ever attempt to visit the ranch myself. I wrote it down, although I would have never imagined I’d make such a trip at that point.
It was getting dark outside, and so I double checked that my new friend had somewhere to sleep that evening before taking my leave. As Mat was homeless, he didn’t have a mobile phone or an email address, and so it was impossible to keep in touch with him through conventional means. I did, however, hope I would bump into him in Westminster again one day.
I drove home, opened my laptop, and began frantically typing up everything I could remember from my afternoon’s conversation. Mat’s comments about skinwalkers originating in ancient times and having different names and descriptions all over the world got me thinking. I was more than aware of shapeshifting creatures in legends and folklore from Rome, Greece, Egypt, and even Sumeria, but was it really possible that all of these stories are somehow linked? I wasn’t sure. Thankfully, I have hundreds of mythology books in my library, and so I began the work of researching and comparing various accounts from around the world. The results were absolutely staggering!
The Berserkers or “Bear Warriors” were once a huge cult that spread over much of the northern hemisphere. Some scholars believe they were humans capable of transforming into ferocious bears during battle. Indeed, the term “go berserk” literally means to “change form.” There were also the Ulfheðnar or “Wolf Warriors” and Jöfurr or “Boar Warriors”
that Indo-Europeans, Turks and Mongols claim had many of the same characteristics. Make no mistake, these were real people who did lots of real fighting, but there are tales of magic and shapeshifting involved that we can’t ignore.
In the arctic, inuit people fear shapeshifting monsters known as “ijiraq.” These beings can appear in any form, and are known to kidnap children who are never seen again. Interestingly, inuit people believe the ijiraq to inhabit the space between two worlds, and the folklore suggests it is impossible to look straight at one of the creatures. People see them in the corner of their eyes, but when they turn for a direct look, the being disappears.
Ancient Greeks told stories of many shapeshifters including Nereus, the oldest son of Gaia (the Earth) and Proteus, his younger brother.
The “Púca” comes from Celtic folklore and refers to what ancient Irish people believed was a spirit that could bring good or bad fortune, and there are differing versions of the story in all Celtic regions across Europe. For example, the Welsh call it “Pwca,” and Cornish people refer to it as “Bucca.” All of these legends have the same root, and all of them relay a story of a spirit or monster that can shapeshift, usually with a desire to cause harm.
As I sank into the comfortable chair in my library with a pile of mythology books propping up my ashtray, it felt as though a light bulb turned on inside my head. Reading the many different myths and legends from around the world, I found it impossible to ignore the startling similarities between the seemingly unconnected cases. My rational mind told me that I would never discover the true origin of the skinwalker phenomena, but my inquisitive mind continued to tempt me. Could it be true that stories of apparently different shapeshifters from around the world are all linked? Is “skinwalker” just a Native American term for something much older and more terrifying than anyone realises? I had to find out.
The following morning, my investigation began with the purchase of a new notebook and a discounted airline ticket to Germany. I had received an email a couple of months previously from a fan of my paranormal books who lived just outside of Berlin, and they claimed to have witnessed a human turning into a wolf in a woodland near their home. At the time, I did not intend to investigate the case further, but now I was officially on the hunt for skinwalkers and shapeshifters, it seemed like a good place to start.
I flew from Gatwick to Berlin in less than two hours, and I spent the entire flight reading an old essay about a shapeshifter from German folklore called the Aufhocker. According to the author, the creature can appear in any shape including a goblin and various animals, and the name literally translates to mean “leap upon.” It all sounded very skinwalker to me, and I hoped that my host Stefan might be able to shed some more light on the legend that very evening. I was not disappointed.
This book begins with a detailed description of Stefan’s shapeshifter encounter from Rehhahn forest in Brandenburg, which is just a few miles from the centre of Berlin. It is the first new report I collected, but it certainly wasn’t the last.
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