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Updated on June 17, 2025
North America

Skin-Walker

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Skin-Walker Hunting

Summary: The Skin-walker, a creature from Native American folklore, specifically among the Navajo people, is a feared and malevolent witch that can transform into any animal. Often associated with dark magic, the Skin-walker is believed to use its shapeshifting abilities for nefarious purposes. The creature represents the dangers of abusing spiritual knowledge and serves as a cautionary tale against dabbling in the dark arts.

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The Witch of Transformation.

The Skin-walker is one of the most feared and mysterious creatures in Native American folklore, particularly among the Navajo people.

  1. Domain: Folklore Creature
  2. Phyllum: Witch
  3. Class: Nocturnal Terrestrial
  4. Order: Shapeshifter
  5. Type: Therianthropes
  6. Family: Skin-Walker
  7. Threat Level: Deadly/Extreme
Skin-Walker Hunting

Overview

Known as yee naaldlooshii [1]Wall, Leon and William Morgan, Navajo–English Dictionary Hippocrene Books, New York, 1998 in Navajo, it translated meaning is “by means of it, it goes on all fours.”

The Skin-walker is a malevolent witch capable of transforming into any animal at will. While some stories describe Skin-walkers as shapeshifters who wear the skins of the people and creatures they have killed [2]Carter, J (2010, October 28) The Cowboy and the Skinwalker Ruidoso News , others emphasize the idea that they possess the power to morph their very bodies into animal forms.

Often depicted as sinister beings who engage in harmful and malevolent acts, Skin-walkers are believed to possess both dark magic and a deep connection to the spirit world.

In many traditions, they are associated with evil sorcery, and their abilities to shapeshift are seen as a form of power that is used for nefarious purposes—typically for personal gain or vengeance.

The Skin-walker serves as a cautionary tale against dabbling in forbidden knowledge and the dark arts.

A Skin Walker At Night

First Sightings

While the Skin-walker legend is primarily associated with the Navajo tribe, the concept of shapeshifting witches appears in many Indigenous American cultures across Northern America, albeit with regional variations.

The Navajo, however, are the most well-known for their legends involving Skin-walkers. The first references to these witches date back centuries. These tales have been passed down through generations as both terrifying myths and a warning to respect the boundaries between the physical and spiritual realms.

Habitat & Behavior

Skin-walkers are typically believed to live in remote areas, such as deep forests, caves, or abandoned buildings. Their primary behavior involves using their shape-shifting abilities to deceive, hunt, or harm others.

When they transform into animals, they may take on the form of wolves, coyotes, bears, or other animals that are traditionally considered to be powerful or dangerous.

They are also thought to use their powers to walk among humans undetected, taking on the guise of trusted individuals or familiar faces to gain the upper hand.

They are also said to be able to possess living people and animals and walk around in their bodies [3]Teller, J. & Blackwater, N (1999) The Navajo Skinwalker, Witchcraft, and Related Phenomena (1st Edition ed) Chinle, AZ Infinity Horn Publishing .

This ability to blend into both human and animal societies makes them particularly elusive and terrifying.

While the Skin-walker may appear as an ordinary animal, many Navajo people believe they can be identified by certain telltale signs, such as red or glowing eyes, unnatural movements, or a sense of unease or dread that accompanies their presence.

Physical Description

A Skin Walker Mid Transformation
  1. Physical appearance of a Skin-walker can vary depending on the animal form they take, but their human form is often described as being unnaturally gaunt, with unsettling eyes and a twisted, menacing demeanor.
  2. In animal form, they appear just as any other creature, though they may possess certain unnatural qualities—glowing eyes, unusual size, or the ability to move in ways that defy natural behavior.
  3. Size: Skin-walkers are said to be of normal human size when in their human form, but when they transform into animals, they take on the size and proportions of the creature they become.
  4. Abilities: Skin-walkers can transform into almost any animal, and their shape-shifting ability is often linked to the acquisition of powers through dark rituals.
  5. Believed to possess great speed, strength, and cunning, often using these traits to manipulate others or exact revenge.
  6. Weaknesses: Skin-walkers are vulnerable to being detected by certain sacred symbols or rituals, such as the use of protective charms, or through the recognition of certain signs that betray their true nature.
  7. Some say they are unable to transform back into their human form unless they are in complete solitude.
Skin Walker

Mythical Significance

The Skin-walker is not only a creature of terror but also represents the dangers of overstepping natural boundaries. In many Indigenous American cultures, particularly the Navajo, the Skin-walker symbolizes the consequences of abusing spiritual knowledge and the consequences of seeking power at the expense of one’s humanity.

They are often depicted as individuals who have turned away from traditional values and embraced forbidden practices, gaining immense power but losing their humanity in the process.

The Skin-walker’s ability to shape-shift also reflects the fluidity and adaptability of the spirit world. They are intermediaries between the human and animal realms, operating outside of the accepted social order and often sowing chaos in their wake.

They are often regular characters in Navajo children retelling of legends, even replacing characters in modern urban legends, for example telling the story wityh a skinwalker rather than “The Hook [4]Brady, M K & Toelken, B (1984) Some Kind of Power Navajo Children’s Skinwalker Narratives Salt Lake City, UT University of Utah Press .”

This makes them powerful symbols of fear and the potential for corruption.

Transformation of a Skin-Walker

Related Creatures

  1. Werewolves: In many cultures, werewolves are known for transforming into wolves, often due to a curse or bite. They share the skinwalker's ability to shift between human and animal forms.
  2. Nagual: A shapeshifting creature from Mesoamerican folklore, naguals can transform into various animals and possess magical powers.
  3. Leshy: In Slavic folklore, the Leshy is a forest spirit that can shapeshift and sometimes take on monstrous forms with deer antlers, similar to how some skinwalkers are depicted.
  4. Ondine/Nix: These water spirits can shapeshift and lure humans into the water. While not exactly the same as a skinwalker, they represent another form of shapeshifting being in folklore.
  5. Wendigo: A malevolent spirit or creature in Algonquian folklore, the Wendigo is associated with cannibalism, greed, and insatiable hunger. While not a shapeshifter, it can be linked to the skinwalker through its connection to negative traits and supernatural powers
  6. Deer Woman: A figure in Native American folklore, the Deer Woman is a seductive spirit who can lure men to their death. She is related to skinwalkers through her association with animals and her potential for causing harm.
  7. Odiyan: A creature from Sri Lankan folklore, Odiyan are said to be able to transform into animals, similar to skinwalkers.
  8. Warlock: A male witch or sorcerer, warlocks are sometimes associated with dark magic and supernatural abilities, similar to skinwalkers.
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Footnotes   (4)
1
Wall, Leon and William Morgan, Navajo–English Dictionary Hippocrene Books, New York, 1998
2
Carter, J (2010, October 28) The Cowboy and the Skinwalker Ruidoso News
3
Teller, J. & Blackwater, N (1999) The Navajo Skinwalker, Witchcraft, and Related Phenomena (1st Edition ed) Chinle, AZ Infinity Horn Publishing
4
Brady, M K & Toelken, B (1984) Some Kind of Power Navajo Children's Skinwalker Narratives Salt Lake City, UT University of Utah Press
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