Lizard People: An Ancient Fear in Modern Skin
- Bee Williams
- May 5
- 4 min read
Lizard people may sound like a recent internet-fueled conspiracy, but the belief in reptilian humanoids goes back centuries and spans cultures around the world. From swamp legends in South Carolina to ancient deities in India and Egypt, the idea of lizard-like beings has long haunted the human imagination. This is the story of Lizard People: An Ancient Fear in Modern Skin.
The Reptilian Agenda
The modern obsession with reptilians—also called reptoids, archons, saurians, or draconians—owes much to David Icke. This British conspiracy theorist popularized the belief that shape-shifting reptilian aliens secretly control Earth by taking on human form and infiltrating positions of political power. According to Icke’s theory, many world leaders are either possessed by or are themselves reptilians, including members of the British Royal Family, the Rothschilds, the Bush family, and the ancient Merovingian dynasty.
Some believe these beings originate from the Draco or Orion constellations, while others insist they're interdimensional, hailing from alternate universes. Icke’s 1999 book The Biggest Secret outlines a vision of blood-drinking reptilians operating from underground bases, manipulating humanity from the shadows.
Scape Ore Swamp
The legend of lizard people isn’t confined to abstract theory. In Lee County, South Carolina, a local myth emerged in 1988 that brought the idea terrifyingly close to home. When a car was found mysteriously damaged—with tooth marks, scratches, and muddy footprints—Sheriff Liston Truesdale began hearing reports about a “Lizard Man” lurking near Scape Ore Swamp.
Seventeen-year-old Christopher Davis claimed a green, scaly, red-eyed creature attacked his car late one night. He described it as seven feet tall with snake-like skin and only three fingers. The story went viral, local businesses cashed in on the attention, and the Lizard Man became a regional icon.
World Lizard Humanoids
Cuca
Cuca is one of the most prominent mythological figures in Brazilian folklore. Traditionally depicted as an old and hideous creature with the body of an alligator and the form of a woman, she is infamous for kidnapping and devouring misbehaving children. The roots of this myth trace back to Portugal's dragon-like Coca legend, which was introduced to Brazil during the colonial era.
According to the legend, Cuca specifically targets children who defy their parents. She is said to sleep only once every seven years, and when angered, her terrifying screams echo across vast distances, reaching as far as ten leagues. Given her constant wakefulness, adults often invoke Cuca's name to frighten children who refuse to go to bed, warning them that if they do not sleep, Cuca will come to take them away.
Nāga
A half-human half-snake beings from Hindu mythology said to live underground and interact with human beings on the surface. In various Asian religious traditions, the Nāgas are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that live in the netherworld (Patala). They occasionally take human or part-human form as depicted in art. Nāgas are also known as dragons and water spirits.
Rituals devoted to these supernatural beings have occured throughout South Asia for at least 2,000 years. They are primarily depicted in three forms: as entirely human with snakes on the heads and necks, as common serpents, or as half-human, half-snake beings in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Sobek
Sobek was an ancient Egyptian deity. He is associated with the Nile crocodile (or 'sacred crocodile') and is represented as a crocodile-headed humanoid. Sobek was associated with many powers but served additionally as a protective deity with defending qualities, invoked especially for protecting others from the dangers presented by the Nile.
The entire Faiyum region – the "Land of the Lake" in Egyptian (specifically referring to Lake Moeris) – served as a cult center of Sobek. At Karanis, two forms of the god were worshipped. Mummified crocodiles were used as cult images of Sobek. Sobek Shedety, the patron of the Faiyum's centrally located capital, Crocodilopolis (or Egyptian "Shedet"), was the most prominent form of the god.
Fuxi
Fuxi is revered as the first mythical emperor of China, "a divine being with a serpent's body" who was miraculously born, as a member of the Three Sovereigns at the beginning of the Chinese dynastic period. Artistic representations show him as a human with snake-like characteristics.
Pangu was the creation god in Chinese mythology. He was a giant sleeping within an egg of chaos. As he awoke, he stood up and divided the sky and the earth. Pangu then died after standing up, and his body turned into rivers, mountains, plants, animals, and everything else in the world, among which is a powerful being known as Huaxu. Huaxu gave birth to a twin brother and sister, Fuxi and Nüwa who are said to be creatures that have faces of human and bodies of snakes.
Archaeological Clues: The Ubaid Figures
From 6500 to 4000 BC, the Ubaid culture in Mesopotamia produced enigmatic figurines that appear lizard-like: elongated heads, narrow limbs, and large, staring eyes. Some show female figures breastfeeding infants, hinting at a ritual or religious purpose. These artifacts feed speculation that reptilian imagery has been embedded in human consciousness for millennia.
Long live the Lizard Man
Through modern history and pop-culture this figure has been the backbone of many horror films and stories from Creature form the Black Lagoon (1954) to Lizard Man (2012). Like all legends, it has crept into our consciousness and continues to fascinate people around the world.
The idea of lizard people isn’t new. It's an ancient story wearing a modern mask—part myth, part metaphor. These figures embody deep-rooted fears: of hidden enemies, unnatural control, and the unknown lurking just beneath the surface of our world. Whether you see them as gods, monsters, or memes, one thing is clear—the legend of the lizard people isn’t going anywhere.