Let us start off this video by telling you a story. We are aware that there are numerous stories centered on this creature of the night; however, there is one story in particular that dates back to 1878. It tells the story of a Native American who, after being expelled from the Cree tribe, had no choice but to seek refuge in the woods with his family. After some time had gone, the man was spotted in a neighboring city, looking shrunken and desperate. His entire family had apparently perished from famine.
Of course, the residents of the town did not accept his account of events as fact, and they decided to look into the situation further by contacting the authorities. But what they saw was far more than simply a dreadful scene; the remains of his family — specifically, his wife and children – were scattered across the ground.
That is not all; the bodies were also partially consumed. It is no surprise that the guy was sentenced to death and hanged, but before he died, he claimed that the Wendigo had possessed him and forced him to massacre his family. Isn’t it creepy? Oh well, we are only getting started!
After Algernon Blackwood’s novella, The Wendigo was published in 1910, the concept of the Wendigo grew even more famous. Those who have read it will agree with us that it is unquestionably one of the most classic horror stories ever written. It narrates the narrative of four men on a moose-hunting trip in the bush for those who do not know.
With the company split into two hunting teams, one of the groups’ guides begins to act strangely. So much so that he begins to get visions of the Wendigo. Although the plot is not particularly expressive, it succeeds in creating the ideal atmosphere of tension and dread.
Since then, there have been numerous references to the Wendigo. In the case of books, we have H.P Lovecraft’s The Cthulhu Mythos, Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, Michael Scott’s The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel, and Javier Torras de Ugarte’s The Wendigo.
While, in the world of television, we have had series such as Supernatural and Hannibal having references to the Wendigo, movies have been made along similar lines with references to the Wendigo such as the 2013 American western flick, The Lone Ranger. Also, it would be a total sin to miss out on the video games here because clearly, they have been at par with the media. It is vital that we mention Until Dawn and Fallout 76 because gamers know exactly what we are talking about!
So, gear yourselves up for today’s video, where we are going to talk about the demonic half-beast Wendigo and explore this mythological creature here in detail. You are in for a major treat, let’s do this!
What Is A Wendigo?
Sometimes addressed as sinister supernatural beings of great spiritual power with a never-ending desire to eat, everyone knows Wendigoes as mythological creatures strongly associated with all things cold such as the winter, the North, and things like famine and starvation. As per the depiction of the creature by Legends of America, ‘The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation; its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones.
With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets; the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody. Its body was Unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, giving off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption.’
At times known as a Windigo, Wiindigoo, and Witiko amongst other names, the Wendigo is entirely a North American creature. In fact, tales revolving around this mythological beast originated amongst the native American and Canadian tribes. As a matter of fact, if you believe in the native American folk tales, the first Wendigo was actually a warrior who had made a deal with the devil.
Well, apparently the warrior surrendered his soul as barter for formidable skills and stature to win against his opponents and in the process save his tribe. But after the war was over, the triumphant warrior and currently a full-time Wendigo was exiled from his very tribe and coerced to live as a pariah. To top things off, he was also damned with cannibalistic cravings.
Imagine a man-beast, one that brags a towering height of 15 feet, has an exceedingly malnourished body, a pair of massive glowing eyes, fangs like a dog, a very long tongue, and no lips. Add to this a rotten gray-hued skin on top of its skeletal body structure, antlers, and dagger-like talons.
Yes, that would be a Wendigo, who is always in the mood to eat. It does not matter the amount of human flesh that it has devoured, it is completely obsessed with hunting for new victims. Well in fact, according to legend, Wendigo grows bigger in size each time it consumes human flesh and in proportion to the flesh, it eats. For instance, devouring says about a 150-pound human would make their body grow that much in proportion.
People, who claim to have encountered this creature at times address it as a relative of Bigfoot and there are some who have often compared the Wendigo to a werewolf. In plain and simple words, you would not really want to run into this creature.
Are Wendigoes Excellent Hunters?
Right from being resistant to severe weather conditions, being unusually strong to having augmented senses, there are no second thoughts about Wendigoes being exceptional hunters. To top things off, they are also quite capable of curing their bodies as well as regenerating whenever they are injured. That’s not even all; the high point is that they are known for their ability to mimic human voices calling for help.
Creepy, right? There’s more to it. Apparently, it is kind of impossible to get away from a Wendigo. By now, we all know that they are kind of hunters by nature, which means they are exceedingly fast and will literally let nothing come in the way of their everlasting hunger. Say, even if you did manage to escape one, the sole fact that you encountered a Wendigo is bound to leave you sort of mentally deranged for the rest of your life.
According to legend, a Wendigo would gradually and mind you very strategically drive its prey insane. When we say strategically, we meant it would start luring its victim away by releasing a particular smell that only its victim can sniff in the first place. This will keep its victim all up and will not allow them to get any bit of sleep and instead have nightmares that will eventually make them lose their sanity. In case you did not know this, Wendigoes are also capable of furtively stalking their prey for prolonged periods.
They can even pick up on panicked heartbeats from literal miles away. And then there is also the fact that they can manipulate weather conditions and simply call upon darkness even when it is daytime!
Please do not be complacent and ignore the scent thinking that if you are inside your home, you are safe. When it comes to Wendigoes, they are very much capable of unlocking doors and entering your home. Yes, you heard that right. Once, they enter, they will kill you of course, eat you to be more specific, and then change the whole place into Wendigo residences for hibernation. Also, did we fail to mention that they can hibernate for years? Well, now you know!
How Does A Person Become A Wendigo?
If myths are to be believed then there are two ways how a person can turn into a Wendigo. The first is obviously if a person comes in contact with one and does so for a longer duration. The second is if a person devours human flesh. The Native Americans used to believe that if one consumes human flesh and it does not matter if one is doing so to endure the severe winter conditions then that leads to the person transforming into a Wendigo. There’s also a different version to this myth that says human beings who are very greedy can also transform into Wendigoes.
Can A Person Be Freed From The Wendigo Curse?
Do you really want to know if a person can be saved from the Wendigo curse? Well, as far as we know death happens to be the only way to save the soul of a human being from the curse. It is said that the person who transformed into a Wendigo kind of remains their former self inside it even post the transformation, residing mostly around the heart area and to save a person from the curse, the creature, as well as the person inside both, have to be killed. We are quite sure this wasn’t the answer that you were looking for but it is the truth.
But seldom have we heard of tales where apparently the person under the curse was rescued and only the Wendigo was killed but that’s very rare, in fact hardly ever the case.
You will be quite shocked to know that the people of Assiniboine, Ojibwe, and Cree tribes carried out ritual dances that featured Wendigoes as a means to keep off the evil spirits as well as emphasize the significance of unity and support between people during severe winters and remind them of the threat.
How To Kill A Wendigo?
There are several versions to it – some say that a Wendigo can be slain by burning, some are of the opinion that Wendigos can be killed by using silver weapons. Mind you, an injured Wendigo is very much capable of regenerating itself. Therefore, what one needs to do is make use of silver weapons such as silver bullets, silver blades, and even stakes for that matter and aim at the heart. Don’t make the blunder of thinking that is the end to it.
Post stabbing the Wendigo in the heart, one has to break the heart into pieces, put the pieces in a silver chest and have it buried in a church cemetery. As for the remaining Wendigo, one must sever it using a silver-plated ax. Even a silver knife works for that matter. Next, it needs to be salted, burnt, and finally have the ashes scattered to the winds.
It is important that you remember that if you miss a single step, you will find the Wendigo reviving itself, hunting you down and meting out an unimaginably, painful death to you. We are pretty sure, no-one wants that!
Are Wendigo Stories Real Or Myth?
We are all quite acquainted with the severity of the climatic conditions, especially in Canada as well as the U. S. Great Lakes. So, if one were to think that the members of the Native American tribes living there resorted to cannibalism just in order to survive, it would not be entirely wrong. After all, they were more than often troubled by the exceeding levels of coldness and hunger. Also, this is the principal area where the Wendigo is believed to roam around through the backwoods.
There have been many tales of the Wendigo that have served as warning stories, mainly to put a stop to those who even in their slightest minds would be drawn towards cannibalism given the long winters and scarcity of food.
Taking other native folklores into consideration, there was a time when the Wendigo faded into obscurity as the tribes’ cultures were brought down and eventually made a part of the wider Canadian society. However, in the year 1907, a certain series of events secured the Wendigo back in history.
Well, in fact, there was a member of the Cree tribe of northwestern Ontario called Jack Fiddler, who told a Methodist minister about his skill to win against the Wendigoes. Of course, word started to spread around like wildfire. Jack Fiddler along with his brother Joseph was eventually arrested and imprisoned for killing a woman even before she altered.
It is reported that Jack managed to flee and hanged himself while Joseph passed away in prison days before he would have been out on appeal. While the Fiddler killings did add integrity to the notion that Wendigoes very much existed, let’s not disregard the fact that they also did point towards a myth, one that sort of evolved from the eradication of physical or mental illness.
Deeper Significance Of Wendigo Stories
Right from Stephen King’s Pet Sematary to Bryan Fuller’s psychological horror-thriller tv series Hannibal, the flesh-eating image of the Wendigo is often introduced in a manner way different than its original cultural contexts, one where it carries unfathomable moral significance. In fact, the newest addition to the listing of Wendigo tales happens to be Scott Cooper’s 2021 supernatural horror flick, Antlers, one where a school teacher doubts that one of her students is suffering from personal problems back at home, oblivious to the fact that the student is sheltering a perilous entity in his house.
Putting stress on the Algonquian traditions, the Wendigo usually emerges through a particular set of situations that are distinctive to different tribal groupings. If we take a look at most of these traditions, the Wendigo is shown to be human in origin and then becomes a monster through a course that results either from certain acts of starvation-induced cannibalism or from the possession by a spirit.
In the course of the transformation from human to Wendigo, the person has on display escalating levels of self-centeredness, vehemence, appetite, and greed, the latter specifically for human flesh. The stories aren’t shared just for entertainment purposes but to fortify the communal values that permit the communities in which this practice takes place to live well with one another and within their environments.
Is The Wendigo Still Out There In The Woods?
If one takes into consideration the supposed Wendigo sightings between the time period of the 1800s and 1920s then a few reports of this demonic half-beast mythological creature may have come to the surface since then. Recently in 2019, inexplicable howlings in the Canadian wilderness did lead some to inquire if they were actually caused by the notorious man-beast or not. In fact, there was a hiker who was quite sure that he had never heard anything like that before.
You will be more than fascinated to know that there are many lakes today that have been named especially after the mythical creature. For instance, there is Lake Windigo in Minnesota and also a Windigo Lake in Wisconsin. As for those who believe that the Wendigo is for real, they are pretty sure that the creature is still out there in the woods, knowing that beneath that petrifying, flesh-eating demon lays a human who was once a hungry hunter.