The Wendigo

In Northern US and Canada lives a creature that has a craving for human flesh.  Native Americans called it the wendigo, meaning evil spirit that devours mankind. Accounts of the size of the wendigo vary, some tribes say its half the size of a human others say it is 15ft. tall. One of the myths claims every time the wendigo eats it grows, thus always growing and always hungry.

The wendigo is very thin, its skin hugging its bones. If it should stand sideways you would not be able to see it, the only way you can see a wendigo is head on. It has a head of a predator, a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, a blue tongue, and yellow owl like eyes. Its fingers and toes are like foot long talons that are razor sharp.  It is said to have a heart of ice, some legends say it is made of all ice and the only way to kill it is to melt it or shatter the heart of ice.

Early settlers described it as a werewolf, devil, or cannibal.

A wendigo is a supernatural entity that feeds on human flesh. It is always hungry and never stops feeding. Native Americans believe that a wendigo is made when a man eats his own kind. Other stories say that it possesses forcing the hunger for human flesh and then eventually morphing into a creature. It is said if you dream of a wendigo the possession has started and it won’t be long till you start eating your own kind. Many Native Americans who have had this dream asked to be executed before they do any harm to the tribe. Shamans would work medicine on them if that did not work they were indeed executed.

When hunters would go out into the wilderness the wendigo would follow. The wendigo likes to take its time hunting. It will follow, and the hunter would soon feel its eyes upon him. The hunter will soon be always watching his back. Then the hunter will begin to smell a foul odor, it is said that only the hunter can smell it. Then when sleeps for the night, he would be heard crying and having nightmares. When he wakes his feet and legs feel as if they are on fire. The hunter would then go crazy running into the woods often with no clothing, to never return. He is now easy prey for the wendigo.

If a man would return, which very seldom happened, he would be with a crazed mind for the rest of his days.

Real wendigo cases:

 1878 Swift Runner a Plains Cree trapper from Alberta killed his wife and 5 children and ate them. He later confessed and was hung at Fort Saskatchewan.

1907 Jack Fiddler Oji-Cree chief and shaman known for killing wendigos, was arrested along with his brother Joseph for the murder of a Cree Indian woman whom Jack said was on the verge of becoming a  wendigo. Jack said she had to be killed before she started eating members of her village. Jack committed suicide, and his brother died in prison.

Early settler stories told that the wendigo was like an omen, if it was sighted it signaled a death the community. Reports in the late 1800’s from a town called Rosesu, MI. Every time the wendigo was sighted someone died unexpectedly, this occurred up till 1920 when the wendigo was seen no more.

Is the wendigo a Bigfoot? Bigfoot is big and hairy, most accounts of the wendigo it is hairless. Some of the descriptions that do include hair is very thin or matted and is white or gray.

Mike Morris