Stories about individuals insisting they’ve lived before surface now and then. Some of these accounts are clearly fabricated, while others are so packed with intimate details they’re hard to dismiss. Whether you view reincarnation through a religious, cultural, or purely personal lens, the following ten tales will keep you hooked. Below, we dive into 10 people who claim to be reborn as someone else – judge the evidence for yourself.
10 People Who Believe They’re Reincarnated
10 Ryan
Ryan, born in 2005, was just a youngster when he announced he was the reincarnation of Marty Martyn – a man who passed away roughly half a century earlier. Ryan even identified Martyn from a photograph, noting that Martyn’s life didn’t seem as affluent as Ryan described. While Martyn began his career as a movie extra, he later struck gold as a talent agent.
According to Ryan, Martyn traversed the globe aboard large vessels, eventually purchasing a sprawling home complete with a swimming pool and a piano. Ryan also mentioned that Martyn had two sisters – one a dancer – and that his mother possessed brown, curly hair. He further recalled Martyn’s love for sunbathing, his tendency to get sunburned, and that he employed an African‑American maid. All of these specifics line up with historical records.
Ryan did slip up on a few details. He claimed Martyn’s address featured the word “Rock” or “Mount,” yet Martyn’s final residence was on “Roxbury,” a name that sounds vaguely similar to “Rock.”
9 Helene Smith
Born Catherine Muller, Helene Smith (1861–1929) declared herself the reincarnation of the famed French queen Marie Antoinette. She also asserted she’d lived as the daughter of an Arab sheikh and as the spouse of a Hindu prince. Working as a spiritual medium, she claimed to channel messages from unseen entities.
Smith frequently entered trance states during which she professed communication with Martians. She even claimed fluency in a Martian tongue, producing written and spoken samples she labeled as authentic Martian language. Her sketches of the Red Planet featured bustling scenes: beings, boats, houses, vegetation, bridges, and lakes scattered across the imagined terrain.
8 Emin Gjinovci
Kosovan Emin Gjinovci (surname spelling varies) professes to be the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. Formerly a soldier in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), his comrades noted his uncanny resemblance to the infamous dictator. Spectators greet him with shouts of “Heil Hitler,” extending their arms in the classic Nazi salute.
Gjinovci earns a living by posing as a Hitler look‑alike in his hometown of Mitrovica, charging €20‑€80 per photograph. He receives invitations to events as the historical figure, and even at funerals curious attendees pause to speak with him. To fully embody the role, he carries Nazi symbols, a copy of Mein Kampf, and even prints a swastika on his business cards.
His parallels with Hitler extend beyond appearance. Like the original, he avoids smoking and habitually arrives early to meetings. He also harbors a dislike for Serbs, mirroring Hitler’s animosity. Gjinovci rationalizes this by saying that an enemy of his enemy becomes his friend – thus, since Serbs were Hitler’s enemies, Hitler is his ally. Whether his claim stems from genuine belief or savvy marketing remains debated.
7 Shanti Devi
In the 1930s, a young Indian girl named Shanti Devi asserted she was the reincarnation of another Indian woman, Lugdi Bai. Lugdi was born on 18 January 1902, married at ten, endured a stillbirth, and later gave birth to a second child on 25 September 1925 before dying on 4 October from pregnancy complications.
Shanti, born 11 December 1926, was unusually quiet growing up, speaking only about a husband and children. She described a husband named Kedarnath who lived in Mathura, their son, his shop, and the house they shared. She also recounted details about his attire and daily routines.
Her family took her claims seriously after she narrated the circumstances of her death, astonishing a physician who noted she described surgical procedures she could not have known. A meeting was arranged with Kedarnath’s cousin, whom Shanti recognized. Later, she identified Kedarnath himself, despite being introduced as his brother. Mahatma Gandhi even appointed a 15‑person committee to investigate her story. The team followed Shanti to Mathura, where she correctly identified several locals and described changes in the town since her death, leading them to her husband’s home – a place she’d never visited. Swedish researcher Sture Lonnerstrand, who traveled to India to debunk the case, concluded it was genuine.
6 King Arthur Pendragon
John Rothwell, who legally renamed himself King Arthur Pendragon, claims to be the reincarnation of the legendary King Arthur. A biker until 1986, Rothwell became enamored with Arthurian lore and declared his lives were too parallel to be coincidence.
To cement his new monarchy, he founded the Loyal Arthurian Warband, bestowing knighthoods upon his followers. Yet, ruling as a medieval king in the 21st century proves challenging. He holds worship sessions at Stonehenge, where English Heritage charges parking fees for vehicles. Arthur argues that in his former life no one charged him for tethering his horse at the site, prompting a legal battle over the fees.
The court deemed the charges a “reasonable and legal measure.” Undeterred, Arthur continues to protest, insisting the fees infringe on his human rights by forcing him to “pay to pray.”
5 Serge Benhayon
Australian Serge Benhayon professes to be the reincarnation of Leonardo da Vinci – the iconic Renaissance artist, scientist, engineer, and architect. Benhayon founded Universal Medicine, a controversial alternative‑health organization that has drawn criticism for its unconventional practices.
Among his claims is an “esoteric breast massage” he says can cure cancer. His £23,000 relationship workshops have allegedly led to numerous divorces, and his daughter Natalie asserts she can communicate with a woman’s ovaries. Former patients and their families accuse Benhayon of exerting manipulative control, with some likening his group to a cult. Despite the backlash, he earns over £1 million annually, and intriguingly, several of his clients were referred by conventional doctors.
4 James Gibson
James Gibson, a drug‑dependent murderer, also claims to be a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. He lost his father in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia, at age 12. Soon after, he fell into cannabis use, later escalating to crystal meth at 14 and LSD by 15.
On 3 April 2015, Gibson brutally attacked Glen Sullivan with a baseball bat, striking him twice. Sullivan later died from brain damage and skull fractures. When a witness asked Gibson why he struck Sullivan, he replied, “He killed my dad. I saw it in the smoke.” Gibson later told a psychiatrist that Nazi forces were directing him, insisting he was a reincarnated Hitler tasked with murder so that a Nazi team would recognize and retrieve him. He received a 15‑year prison sentence.
3 Rajesh
In 2005, 12‑year‑old Rajesh and his brother were constructing a mud hut when their mentally unstable father destroyed it, prompting Rajesh to hurl a brick that struck his father’s head, causing serious injury. Shocked, Rajesh fell silent for two months, refusing to speak to anyone.
When he finally spoke, Rajesh answered questions in English with an American accent, despite previously speaking only Hindi and never having learned English. He claimed his sudden fluency stemmed from being the reincarnation of an unnamed American scientist. Subsequent investigations by Zee News revealed that Rajesh still understood Hindi, responding to Hindi queries with English answers, and his accent was unnatural. It appears he likely picked up English from watching the Hollywood film Total Recall.
2 Boriska Kipriyanovich
Amidst the many claims of human reincarnation, Russian Boriska Kipriyanovich stands out by asserting he is the reborn soul of a Martian. According to Boriska, he lived on Mars until a nuclear war wiped out the planet, after which he was killed.
Before the cataclysm, Boriska said he belonged to a Martian team that regularly visited Earth, even meeting ancient Egyptians. He claims Martians have partially unlocked immortality, possessing technology that halts aging once they reach thirty‑five. He also argues that our spacecraft can’t detect Martian life because the planet was leveled, and surviving Martians now dwell underground. Martians, he notes, breathe carbon dioxide, so lack of oxygen isn’t a problem.
1 Luke Ruehlman
Two‑year‑old Luke Ruehlman claimed he was the reincarnation of a Chicago woman named Pam. Living in Ohio with his mother Erica, Luke often spoke of Pam, though Erica dismissed the chatter as imaginary. When she finally asked about Pam, Luke insisted he had been Pam in a previous life.
He added that he died in a fire, went to Heaven, and was sent back to Earth as a baby. Erica searched online and discovered a Pam Robinson who perished in a Chicago hotel fire in 1993. While some might label Luke’s story a hoax, two points stand out: Erica had never spoken about Chicago, and Luke correctly identified a photograph of Pam among several images, despite never having seen her before.