My tenant bruised a rat who was always pissing and shitting on his bed. For weeks he faced this torment. That night as he returned from work, he vowed to kill the rat. He has been facing several havocs since the rat began invading his apartment. On that occasion he threw his shoe on the rats head. The rat escaped via a hole at the back of his WC. The next morning the woman living beside the property had a bruise on her face. This was a woman who was caught bathing naked beside the house at 12 midnight. She has been known as a bold witch that threatens neighbors. What happened was that she shapeshifted to a rat to cause problems for Lawrence my tenant. The rat was her vehicle, her transit horse, just as the owl in many instance like the case trending and the ones before it .1
In Nigeria and several other cultures, particularly in Mexican and Tejano folklore, owls, often referred to as "La Lechuza," are depicted as malevolent witches, sometimes depicted as shape-shifting creatures or familiars of witches. I don’t know why we are surprised. Is it westernization or plain ignorance?
The recent Owl Story is something similar. During a prayer and praise program (PPP) a Christian brother caught an Owl. What was an owl doing in the midst of a PPP? According to the story the bird was weak before it was captured. It could be an innocent Owl. It could also be shape-shifted wizard. One of the reasons for the PPP in the first place was to war against a demonic witchcraft operation (DWO). The Christian supplicants who captured the bird claim that the owl was a shape-shifted witch but many doubted it. This article is not to support their claim; it is to show that witchcraft involves shapeshifting.
By Oxford Dictionary’s definition, a shapeshifter is “a person or being with the ability to change forms at will”. Witches are able to shapeshift, as in the case of the Owl story. It is highly possible. The University of Edinburgh's archives and studies on Scottish folklore include fascinating accounts of witches transforming into animals, particularly hares. These stories are rooted in historical beliefs and oral traditions. At the University of Edinburgh archive, it was found that a witch turned into a hare: For hundreds of years there have been stories of witches having ‘familiars’ that are spirits which take the form of animals like dogs, cats, wolves, goats, birds, rodents, foxes, insects and hares. “Witches were said to be able to take on the likeness of their familiar and assume their form. Hares seem to appear particularly frequently as familiars of witches, perhaps because they move so quickly and are hard to catch. Some legends say that when a hunter shot a hare, he would go to find his catch and find he’d shot a woman. Others say that the witch would say speak simple words to transform into a hare or drink powerful potions made from hare bones. The SSSA recordings on Tobar an Dulchais feature many mentions of witches becoming hares. For example, in one story, a witch was said to be able to turn herself into a hare and cause all sorts of mischief. One night some men went out and shot at a disturbance without seeing what it was. The next morning, the alleged witch was found in bed with a gunshot wound”. [Story about a witch transforming herself into a hare, Nan Marshall (Contributor), Dr Emily Lyle (Fieldworker), ref. SA1974. 171.B9, School of Scottish Studies Archives, University of Edinburgh].
Also, other animal that often appears is crows, given that in many different cultures from Norse to Celt to Native American, they are highly associated with death and have been known to act as messengers between the living and those beyond. Crows are very aware of danger; they know how to adapt quickly to new predators and lean to not only protect themselves but their young from bad situations. Many practicing witches use crow feathers or an image of a crow in protection spells. For a lot of native American tribes’, crows are a symbol of good luck and wisdom due to their intelligence. Celtic folklore also holds crows as signs of wisdom and good fortune.
In one story on Tobar an Dulchais, a young woman attempts to escape her suitors by turning into a crow. She is later blamed by one man for bad luck in the community and accused of being able to shape-shift into a horse as well as a crow. After leaving her husband, she is plagued by crows cawing that only she can hear. [A Shape Shifting Witch Met her End, Donald Grant (Contributor), Prof. Tadaaki Miyake (Fieldworker), ref. SA1972.241. B6, School of Scottish Studies Archive, University of Edinburgh]
Shapeshifting and Familiar Spirits are real: Some beliefs suggest that witches can transform into animals, or that their spirits travel in animal form, often associated with shamanism. In various historical and cultural contexts, "animal witchcraft" refers to the belief that witches can shapeshift into animals, have animal spirits as helpers (familiars), or that animals themselves are involved in magical practices. Animal Familiars are common in many regions of the world. Subjective experience has seriously shown how destructive these forces are. A common belief is that witches are accompanied by animal spirits, often called "familiars," which are thought to be evil spirits or demons in animal form.
Here are five reasons often cited for shapeshifting in witchcraft:
Stealth and Mobility: Witches are thought to take animal forms like cats, birds, or wolves to move unnoticed, evade capture, or spy on others. Animals are less likely to draw suspicion compared to humans.
Symbolic Power: Different animals are associated with specific traits. For example, owls symbolize wisdom, cats signify stealth, and wolves represent ferocity. Witches may adopt these forms to embody or harness those symbolic powers.
Connection with Nature: Transforming into animals is often seen as a way for witches to connect more deeply with nature and its energies, a central theme in many magical traditions.
Protection from Harm: Taking on an animal form could serve as a defense mechanism, helping witches escape danger or avoid being recognized during hostile times, such as witch hunts.
Mystical Abilities: Stories often associate animal transformations with heightened magical abilities. In animal form, witches may be depicted as more agile, perceptive, or powerful, allowing them to perform tasks beyond human capability.
Rats, Hares and Owls as Three Popular Witchcraft Animals. Rats, hares, and owls hold significant symbolic meanings in the context of witchcraft and folklore, each associated with specific traits and roles.
Rat: Rats are often tied to secrecy, adaptability, and survival. They symbolize cunning and resourcefulness, and in some traditions, they are seen as messengers or familiars for witches, helping them gather information in the shadows. Due to their connection with disease and decay, they are sometimes seen as creatures of ill omen or chaos, enhancing their link to dark magic in certain narratives.
Hare: Hares are frequently linked to witches in European folklore. Witches were believed to transform into hares to evade detection or carry out magical deeds, such as stealing milk from farmers. Hares are also tied to the moon and fertility rituals. Their nocturnal nature and swift movements make them mystical, often representing intuition and the supernatural.
Owl: Owls symbolize wisdom and insight in many cultures. In witchcraft, they are seen as guides to the spirit world or as messengers between realms. As nocturnal hunters with eerie calls, owls are associated with mystery, death, and hidden knowledge. Witches are thought to commune with owls to enhance their vision or foresight. Someone narrated on Facebook how an Owl’s eerie call heralded the death of his singer and his mum at different occasions.
Cat: Cats, especially black ones, are the quintessential witch's familiar. They are believed to assist witches in performing spells or acts of divination, often serving as a magical extension of the witch's power. Cats represent mystery, independence, and intuition. Their nocturnal behavior and ability to seemingly "see the unseen" make them perfect companions in witchcraft lore. Like hares, cats are often depicted as animals witches could transform into, allowing them to move undetected or spy on others.
Other Animals: Wolves, dogs, frogs, birds, rodents, foxes, insects, and hares have also been associated with witchcraft and magic.
It is important to note that in modern witchcraft practices, animals are seen as allies who can teach witches about energy, life force, and different kinds of consciousness. The same ways witches can shape-shift into animals, the master Wizards can influence less spiritual humans, drivers, pilots or even leaders to cause chaos. Being spiritual and alert could go along way to help humanity.
Read the Owl story of Praises Chidera Obiora on 24 December 2024:
While we talked I noticed her eyes began to blink. She rubbed the eyes and it suddenly turned red.
I asked her why she was blinking her eyes and she told me it was as if sand had entered the eyes. She rubbed her eyes continuously, and I had to go and bring water for her to wash her eyes. When she felt relief, she went inside to lie down.
That afternoon when I saw her again, her both eyes were swollen. At that moment I knew this was not normal. It was an attack on her eyes. I asked her to turn her back so I could see the marks on her back again. When she opened her back, I noticed the three marks had yellowish pus in them.
"This mark is not just a scratch, but it was poisoned. You've been spiritually poisoned from your skin."
She stood up to look in the mirror and it was then I saw over 500 black worms on her back sucking out the pus. I quickly turned her back to see, but physically there was nothing there. On the mirror, the worms were visible to only me.
I was left confused.
I asked her where she had gone to contact such witchcraft.
"Did you offend anyone? Did you boast before anyone? Did you meet anyone recently whom you suspect? Because three witches are responsible for this."
She thought for a while.
Then she said to me.
"Uncle Praises, I didn't go anywhere. Apart from yesterday when I went to do my hair. 2 women were also making their hairs including the one plaiting me making 3. We all talked about a lot of things."
"Did you offend them?"
"No. I only remember talking about my boyfriend and how he spends money on me. I told them he was the one paying for my hair and he doesn't want me to look bad."
As I listened to her statement, I discovered she had boasted before the women and aroused jealousy in their hearts by just sharing her story with them.
I told her instantly, that could be your problem. You boasted before those women and said something you were not supposed to say. They are attacking you.
That night when we slept, at around 1am in the night, I heard her scream. I was awake and came out immediately. I saw the three owls sitting on her zinc. The same position. They had not changed.
This time I grabbed the stones I had kept beside my door just in case the birds came at night again and threw them at one of the birds. The stone hit its head and it fell to the floor and began to shake before eventually becoming stiff.
It was dead.
My neighbor came out of the house along with other neighbors in the compound to see the black owl. By morning when my neighbor woke up, the three marks and pus I saw had dried up. The marks had become faint, unlike the previous day.
Two days later, my neighbor passed by the saloon where she made her hair and found it locked. She asked questions and was told the owner of the saloon had fallen sick and died.
When she told me, I said to her.
"God has given you victory over your enemies."
You see some of us are quick to share our wins, our life goals, our relationship life, and success with people. We even share it with people we do not know just because we are having a conversation. One thing you should know is that not every person you tell your story to is happy for you. Not everyone wants you alive. The heart of man is filled with evil and jealousy. Guard yourself well and be prayerful. Zip your mouth. Do not share your story with the devil, thinking you sharing it with friends.
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