The Hatman: Origin And History

One of the oldest and most primal fears of mankind is the concept that we eventually expire. Without that very concept, all cultures and emotions would cease to exist, as almost everything we do, we do out of fear of death. Most religions, I believe, stem from this age-old fear and hence why they often tend to involve some kind of paradise that lies beyond the walls of consciousness once we leave this plane. Fear and dread lead us to personify some form of benevolent being or existence that will lead us away from such fears, hence the popularity of such religions as they offer a modicum of reassurance that there is something to look forward to beyond this mundane world. I myself have formed religious beliefs of my own but I can't help but doubt my own beliefs and brush them off as the blind optimism of a troubled mind.

We as humans seem to believe that if something is indeed to be feared, it is our enemy - this applies even to something such as death. As early as the 14th century we can see death being personified in western culture as a living (or rather unliving) chaperone of the ill and dying. Assumably, the idea of death as a being or 'Grim Reaper' originated from the global pandemic that was the black death. Superstition and paranoia lead to artists, clergymen, and scholars personifying death as a physical being. There are also more abstract manifestations of death described in more antiquated history such as the ancient greek beliefs on Miasma but I fear I am going off on a tangent.

If we focus on the physical appearance of these aforementioned personifications of death, we can see that they are almost universally depicted as male clothed in nothing but a black robe or cowl. Throughout most religions and cultures the general appearance is fairly consistent, however, as time has marched on the concept of the 'Grim Reaper' or 'Pale Horseman' has begun to fade into relative obscurity. Or so it seems - enter the elusive Hatman.

The entity known colloquially as the 'Hatman' is a recurring phenomenon that has been reported amongst a wide variety of people, including myself and some of my former classmates. In appearance it takes the form of a humanoid donning a unique hat (from which its name is derived) and is often completely faceless, being but a mere silhouette. In my experience he took the form of a shadow on my wall, as soon as I recognized it, I felt an immediate sense of dread overcome me, I must admit I was a skeptic to its existence until that very night.

The Hatman from research seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon, as I fail to pinpoint his first appearance in our realm, however, I can conclude that his existence has been noted since at the earliest 1998 as the video game 'LSD: Dream Emulator' features his unmistakable likeness as a threat to the player, and with the underlying themes of the obscure game and its development it would not be unreasonable to assume the Hatman was an inspiration for LSD: Dream Emulator's infamous grey man (depicted below).