The Ancients knew of Shadow People

Egyptians called the shadow khaibut. 

TheY believed that the khaibut was one of seven souls that each person had. 

The shadow was an integral art of the whole person.

The Roman word for shadow was umbra, also meaning ‘the shade’ or the ghost of an individual who went to a place called the Land of Shades. 

The land of Shades was believed to be underground or part of an Underworld and after the person died, their shadow went there. Again it was part of the person - not separate.

In Greece, people were known to dedicate their shadows or give them over to a God. This was considered to be a marvelous sacrifice but at the same time fearsome.
For instance, it was believed  that if a person went to the temple or sanctuary of Zeus Lycaeus, they would lose their shadows.
For those who do not know, Lycaeus was believed to be the origin of Werewolves and from this particular story, maybe some of the lore concerning werewolves became born and still lives on today.

In medieval times, werewolves and vampires were considered those cursed and lacking a shadow or reflection. They had no soul. 

If someone sold their soul to the devil then they had no shadow—hence shadow being linked with the soul again. 

In Europe, people believed that the shadow beings desired blood and without it, couldn’t be reborn. Superstitions and fear spread like the black plague concerning a person’s shadow. 

People refused to let their shadows fall on graves, a rumbling river or near a cliff.

In biblical times, curses were spoken on a person’s shadow. For example in Numbers 14:9 –“Their shadow is departed from them.”
This is a curse that would effectively split the person in two and disallow a sacred burial and sweet death, as part of them would always be wandering. Their souls would never know peace.

According to Pagans a person who did not have a shadow was NOT a demon, a vampire, a werewolf or someone who had given their soul over to any devil but they were believed to have gone into a sort of eternal place of bliss. 

Plutarch said, “At the end of the world, the blessed ones would be happy forever. In a state neither needing food nor casting a shadow.”

So if we take into consideration what the Ancients believed concerning ‘Shadows, Shadow sightings and people’, is it safe to say that the Shadow experience you have had, is indeed a spirit or ghost or someone who has passed on to the other side. 

Why is the image that we see of the Shadow person always a common one? 

Why are the shadows able to take full form or any form—animal, creature, man, while other dead people can only become orbs or when they take actual form, look like an actual person?

Are all shadow figures without a sex?

Are they male or female?

Some shadow people are small figures being no bigger than a child but people do not connect them with actual children. It is only the size that they are compared to verses the others who can be up to seven feet or more in height. 

If the Shadow beings are ‘Watchers’ then does this make them some sort of guardian? If they are Watchers, then what are they watching? Surely they know more than we do. Is there a reason some see them and others do not? The ones who see them, do they have a link or connection to these beings while others may have a connection to some other paranormal type thing? 

These are all great questions when we consider how our ancestors thought of these spirit beings.

Before you consider anything as 'evil' ask yourself why - was if because you have read that they are or is it because you have had a personal experience?

Brandi Auset originally wrote this in 2010 - I want to acknowledge her work.I have added to and reworked the article.I find this topic extremely interesting. What are the shadow people we are seeing now and what time in history are they appearing from?