Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
Skinwalkers sound like something out of an M. Night Shyamalan horror movie. Whether it's historically accurate or completely made up, it's the stuff of nightmares.
What exactly is a skinwalker? Robert Lamb and Desiree Bowie from How Stuff Works explain that the term originates from Navajo (Diné) folklore.
"[A] skinwalker is a malevolent witch capable of transforming into, possessing or disguising themselves as an animal," Lamb and Bowie write. "Skinwalkers go by different names in different Native American tribes. The Navajo version is called yee naaldlooshii, which translates to 'with it, he goes on all fours.'"
A human transforming into an animal is disturbing enough, but it becomes even more unsettling when you learn how they came to be this way.
"A person becomes a skinwalker by committing a heinous act, like killing a family member," Lamb and Bowie continue. "This gives them supernatural powers, allowing them to shape-shift from a human to an animal at will. They often become coyotes, wolves, foxes or bears, though they can transition into any animal."
That probably doesn't sound like any animal you'd want to cross paths with in the woods.
Maybe you first heard about skinwalkers when the History Channel recently released the docuseries, "The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch." In case you missed it, that ranch is right here — in Utah.
But stories, myths, legends or whatever you want to call skinwalkers have been around for longer than you think. Here are just a few sightings and reports of this paranormal phenomenon in Utah through the years.
Suspicious signs at Sherman Ranch in 1996
Long before it adopted the moniker of Skinwalker Ranch, the allegedly haunted area in Ballard, Utah, belonged to a couple named Terry and Gwen Sherman. In 1996, the Shermans told the Deseret News about some disturbing paranormal activity that was frequently occurring on their ranch. In addition to seeing a UFO, they claimed that other suspicious things were happening on their ranch. These included crop circles and cattle mutilations.
"You talk to a lot of people around here that at one time or another have seen something they can't explain," Terry Sherman told the Deseret News at the time. "There's been a lot of cattle mutilations, and a lot of them weren't reported. Several (ranchers) told me that when they had a (mutilation), they called the authorities and the authorities couldn't do anything, so it was just a waste of time and effort."
The Shermans didn't know then that what they might have seen were signs of skinwalkers. And if the unreported events are any indication, they could have been around for much longer than the 90s.
The History Channel series may have brought this topic to the forefront of people's minds in 2020, but rest assured that investigations at Skinwalker Ranch are still ongoing.
In 1997, biochemist Colm Kelleher claims to have seen a "large humanoid creature" spying on his research team from a tree on the ranch, according to Adam Janos for History.com. He said the creature was about 50 yards away, but up in a tree about 20 feet off the ground.
In his 2018 documentary, Kelleher recalled the creature had a "penetrating yellow light" in his eyes. If that weren't chilling enough, he said the marks left in the snow after the being ran away consisted of "a single large print in the snow with two sharp claws protruding from the rear of the mark going a couple of inches deeper. It almost looked like a bird of prey, maybe a raptor print, but huge and, from the depth of the print, from a very heavy creature."
In October of last year, Deseret News writer Meg Walter accompanied current ranch owner Brandon Fugal on a tour of the property. The security team and investigators had plenty of stories about inexplicable activities in the area. Accounts of malfunctioning camera systems, a "malevolent force" and even audible voices warning them to leave are enough to make your skin crawl (or walk?).
Several spooky sightings in Utah County
Utah Stories writer Danny B. Stewart, who claims to have spent his whole life documenting creepy encounters in the state, has had several people tell him that they believe they've come face to face with a skinwalker. But this time the stories come from Utah County.
A Vineyard man told him of a brush with a strange creature outside his home in 2009.
"At first, he thought it was a cow or a horse that had escaped its pasture, but as he got closer, it started to take shape. He couldn't believe his eyes. This is when he stopped his story for a moment to look me in the eyes and say, 'I know this sounds nuts,'" Stewart explains in his Utah Stories article.
The man said it was a "white stag with huge antlers and a human face."
A Pleasant Grove resident named Eric shared his story, too. Driving home one night, he said he saw a creature running across the street on all fours. At first he thought it was a cat, but when it reached the other side of the road, it stood up on its hind legs and looked directly at him.
"It stood at a height taller than my vehicle and was humanoid in shape, but it was very thin," Eric said. "In a total panic, I sped off and immediately called my friend who had claimed to have seen what he believed to be a 'Skinwalker', which he has seen more than once in our area."
There could be much more
While this list is small, it's important to remember that the skinwalker legend comes from Navajo culture — and they don't like to talk about it.
"Navajo people are generally reluctant to discuss skinwalkers openly, as they are considered powerful and dangerous entities," Mike and Dorothy McKenney write for HubPages. "They believe even speaking about them can attract their attention or invite harm."
So, while the allure of something dark and mysterious can be a fascinating conversation topic, a word of caution may be in order. If you're at all superstitious or leery of an unwelcome encounter with a humanoid beast, perhaps it's best if you steer your discussions toward something else.
Just because there aren't more documented sightings of skinwalkers, it doesn't mean they aren't out there.
Does bigfoot live in Utah? You be the judge
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