So...Are They Real??

These legends and rituals told through the years of skin walkers are merrily that; a legend. We have to take into consideration that most Medicine Men and Shamans, along with some rituals in old Native history, would have been under the influence of sense-heightening drugs. This, combined with the appearance of an animal’s pelt draped across the shoulders, could definitely be a cause for hallucination. There are also accounts of specific “skin walkers” having a disorder called “lycanthropy, a bona fide psychological condition, as a legitimate basis for the authenticity of skin walkers. It turns out that the psychiatric literature is indeed sprinkled with cases where patients held delusional beliefs that they were animals, which is what lycanthropy is.” (Brian Dunning). It wasn’t uncommon during the 1800’s for there to be groups of people jumping to the conclusion of black-magic and evil spells. This was also during the same time as the Salem witch trials, where many where falsely accused of being witches and killed for it. Therefore, many natives were banished and hated from their tribe, creating a group of vengeful people who thought they had supernatural powers. This would explain the stories of skin walkers breaking into houses to harm the owners, or just tormenting them by knocking on windows and stalking from afar.

With this scientific viewpoint on skin walkers, we can also take into the consideration that there isn’t any verified proof of them. There may be blurry photos and stories from your grandma, but that can go for UFO’s and Bigfoot as well. People can very well Photoshop anything these days, or even dress up and claim it to be real. Before we consider anything, we must do our research first and not trust everything we read on the internet, or hear from our friends. These folklores have been traveling around for a while, and like the game of telephone, will be distorted and over-glorified.

In conclusion, the reality of skin walkers is that they're just not real. For one, it's scientifically impossible for such a creature to exist. The story began far too long ago and has no legitimate records. During the period of time when everyone was trying to figure out how things came to be, why the sun rises and sets every day, what is wind, why is the sky blue, and so on. To answer our curiosity-driven questions, story-telling became the way of the century. Mythical beasts that held the Earth in its palms, and terrible demons that will punish you if not asleep by a certain time. These were all ways to teach lessons and know our place in the universe. Unfortunately, along with these fairy tales laced with rules and deep meaning, there came scary stories created for entertainment and the feeling of adrenalin. These stories may have been taken too seriously, and in turn, carried through the centuries to become what we know today as folk lore, legends, and myths. Fortunately for us, skin walkers are qualified under every title listed above, because it is only that; a legend.