Very few types come close to doppelgangers. Doppelgangers are ghosty twins of people who aren’t deceased, but rather, are still alive. Often associated with a haunted home, these strange beings come with a lot of different myths associated with them.
The definition alone seems pretty straightforward, but like with most other paranormal encounters, it’s not. Truth be told, it’s hard to tell what’s going on when you have a doppelganger in your life. Is it a ghost? A demon? Something else entirely?
Doppelgangers are ghostly (or otherwise paranormal) “twins” of people who are alive and well. Taken from the German term for “twin walker,” it’s a type of shapeshifting paranormal entity who is an exact replica of a living, breathing human being.
Unlike most ghosts, doppelgangers are not confirmed to be ghosts since the people they mimic are still alive. Some believe them to be demonic entities, others believe them to be ghosts, while even more believe that they’re a category of paranormal creature all their own.
Many doppelgangers simply behave the way that their human twin would, including doing things like having conversations with others or just walking through the house. Others are a little more sinister, glaring at family members or doing things that just don’t seem quite normal.
Doppelgangers can be both seen and heard by others in their proximity. To the unsuspecting individual, they don’t seem any different than their loved ones. They aren’t transparent, their voices (if heard) sound similar, and even the clothes they wear seem normal.
Though most people associate doppelgangers with an identical appearance, not all doppelgangers are visible. Some just are disembodied voices that sound identical to someone living in their home. Doppelgangers do seem to have the ability to speak. When they do speak, they don’t sound any different than the people they’re mimicking. However, they don’t always talk. It all depends on the power and strength of the entity in question. Multiple accounts show that doppelgangers are not only capable of speech, but can hold fully lucid and intelligent conversations.
Though doppelgangers can speak and even make themselves visible, they still have some limitations. One of the most commonly cited by witnesses is that they usually don’t seem to have the ability to pick up objects. Ghosts, in general, tend to have a lot of myths dealing with their existence. Doppelgangers are no exception to the rule. Doppelgangers are known for having multiple superstitions involving their appearance and interactions with them.
In many parts of the world, seeing your own ghostly doppelganger is a warning of your own death. This is doubly true if you make the decision to attack your own double, or if you see your own doppelganger in a position reminiscent of death. Though death doesn’t always follow seeing your own doppelganger, there is a general belief that having this chilling experience is an omen of bad luck or tragedy. While it may not be lethal all the time, seeing your double definitely doesn’t set well for you.
The common belief surrounding others seeing your ghostly twin is that it’s a warning that something bad will happen to you. Though the belief is fairly widespread, there have been plenty of doppelganger sightings where nothing happened to the mimicked individual.
There seems to be several rumors swirling around the topic of doppelgangers and mirrors. More specifically, there are two primary rumors that deal with this topic. The most common belief is that doppelgangers that appear as real, living people “in the flesh” cannot be seen in mirrors–much like vampires. So, if you notice that your friend doesn’t have a reflection, it could be a doppelganger. Accordingly, there have been multiple cases where people claimed to see doppelgangers in mirrors but unable to see them “in person.” To a point, it seems like doppelgangers can only be visible in one realm or the other.
There’s a definite theme of “evil twin” surrounding doppelgangers that is heavily played into when it comes to the advice they offer. Much like listening to a “friend” who doesn’t have your best interests in mind, listening to the advice given by a doppelganger is a bad idea.
Doppelgangers generally do not have peoples’ best interests in mind and seem to prefer causing chaos and fear in peoples’ lives. Giving people bad advice is often the easiest way for them to make a person’s life turn upside-down.
With many other entities, it’s fairly clear what they want out of people. Some ghosts have unfinished business with the living, while others are just there, reliving what was once their daily lives. With demons, the end goal seems to be tormenting people. With doppelgangers, it’s hard to tell what they want. For the most part, they just seem to enjoy mimicking people and stirring up trouble. Some also seem to get a rise out of scaring people who see them, while others just seem to do their own thing for no reason at all.
There are many cases of doppelgangers with more sinister intentions. If you have been starting to “see doubles,” then there may be times when you aren’t sure whether the person you’re seeing is really who you think they are. These signs are what witnesses most commonly cite as signs of a doppelganger:
- The “person” doesn’t speak or lift up objects. Though there have been cases where doppelgangers are powerful enough to do things like most people can, the vast majority of them don’t have the ability to speak or move objects on their own.
- You know that the person they’re mimicking isn’t around. If you know for a fact that your friend is overseas, yet you see them right in front of you, something is up.
- They don’t quite look right. Many reports of doppelgangers mention that there’s always something slightly different about the twin. Oftentimes, they have darker eyes, or look sickly, or are wearing clothes they don’t own. If something doesn’t quite look right, it could be a doppelganger.
- They don’t act right. Doppelgangers are often described as emotionless, odd, or sinister in their behavior.
- Something doesn’t feel normal or good about the interaction. Sometimes you really can’t tell that you’re dealing with a doppelganger except for the fact that you feel very uneasy about the interaction. Trust your gut!
