The Skin In Supernatural

Most indigenous cultures have tales about skin diseases. Supernatural forces star in many. There are myths and legends. Folk tales of blebs and blemishes.

They are brought on by curses, foretell grave futures and disappear when invisible beings are appeased.

Could this be because our ancestors intuitively guessed the link between skin and psyche?

Sensing that they’re entwined together.

These are four skin stories from India:

Dark pigmentation on face

Brings bad luck. And for women, bad luck for the spouse.

This bad luck is reversible if the pigmentation disappears.

Scaling of skin

Is due to the wrath of snake gods 🐍

Usually because someone in the family has harmed a snake or destroyed it’s natural habitat.

White spots on skin

Are also linked to snake gods being angry with one’s family.

Leprosy and Smallpox

Are due to curse of the goddess.

Why this Skin-Spirit link?

Only other afflictions that birth such stories are those of the mind and brain. Spirits, demons and disembodied forces feature there too.

There are no such tales about heart, lung or renal disease. Despite the fact that they can all be fatal. And disabling.

It points to the power the skin and mind have in our subjective worlds. Their potential to turn our lives upside down.

Perhaps this fear and stigma is born out of the horror of loosing one’s identity. Our mental capacities and body image are intrinsically tied to our sense of self. And it’s scary to loose that. In fact, it’s terrifying.

And we’ve been weaving stories about things that terrify us, forever.