Skinwalkers 101

Shapeshifters 101

It is rare for me as a Parapsychologist to mention cryptids, my forte is ghosts, apparitions and related paranormal events. However, in writing my latest book Obsidian Vengeance, whose main antagonist is the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca, I found myself going down a rabbit hole. For reference, I discovered that Tezcatlipoca being the god of smoke and mirrors was also a shapeshifter. Further research begged the question; how many shapeshifters are there? Why does every culture throughout history have their own version of shapeshifters? Where do they come from? Every answer led to another barrage of questions. Follow me now into this dark path that goes back centuries into history to find the secret culture that has coexisted with mankind.

Everyone is aware of the most popular of shapeshifters, the European lore of the Werewolf who historically terrorized small villages in the middle ages was best documented in legal trials, the most famous being the Peter Stumpp trial in Germany in 1589. While on trial for killing and eating a small child, Stumpp admitted to being a Lycanthrope. According to records, he stated that he was given a special belt by a man in black which enabled him to transform into a wolf. 

However, some werewolf cases at the time were not necessarily deemed evil, but beneficial to the community. For example, in the case of Theiss of Kaltenbrun in 1692 Livonia, during his trial, he stated that he was a werewolf and part of a pack that defended the village against witches and devils and had been doing so for decades. He was declared not evil, and his life was spared, but he was flogged for practicing folk magic.

Of the several hundreds of cases during the 15 and 16th century, it was established that some do have the ability to change shape into wild creatures, although not necessarily for evil purposes, it is biologically possible. Perhaps it's a Jekyll and Hyde situation.

If you recall the story Dr. Jekyll used a potion to transform into the beast he called Mr. Hyde. Used as a cautionary tale, perhaps there are a certain mixture of natural herbs that produce the same effect essentially turning one into an animal, a mixture that has been passed down for centuries but hidden due to Christian mores.

Intriguing as this idea sounds, it opens more questions, how then does every culture on the planet know about shapeshifters? Perhaps in my next blog we can dive a little deeper.