What Is a Wendigo?
Just about every civilization has its tales of dreadful creatures that prey on people, and the indigenous tribes of America are no exception. For many of them, there was the wendigo, a creature who struck fear into tribes. Its legend still continues in some parts of the world today.
The wendigo was a despicable creature that would eat people and possess others if it got the chance. It was quite possibly born to help prevent people from turning to cannibalism in winters when food was scarce. It truly was a terrible being, and here are some of the reasons the wendigo was as feared as it was.
1. Never Satiated
There are real life ‘monsters’ out there in the world. Crocodiles, bears and big cats etc. that are so powerful that we will have little chance of fighting them off. If we are unfortunate enough to meet with one face to face, we might have a chance to escape if they are not hungry. You will not have such luck if you meet with a Wendigo, however. A Wendigo will always be hungry, no matter how much it has already eaten. Even if it does not wish to eat you, for whatever reason, you are still likely to be in a whole world of trouble.
2. Deadlier With Age
As we get older, our bodies begin to slow down and stop working as well as they used to. Eventually, it will get to the point when we are no longer able to fend for ourselves and animals in the wild will often fall prey to predators as they become too weak to defend themselves. Older animals will also have difficulty hunting.
A Wendigo, however, will only get more powerful the older it gets. Whereas other animals will get slower and weaker, the Wendigo will get stronger and faster. As it gets older, the Wendigo will also heal its wounds faster.
3. Native American Tribes Were Terrified
Civilizations all over the world have different myths, each with different powers and abilities that could be harmful to people. Most people would be afraid of these supposed creatures to a degree, and the Native Americans were so afraid that they held rituals to help keep them away.
The tribes were particularly afraid during harsh winters when times were hard and food was scarce. They would hold rituals intended to keep the wendigo away and also to help encourage people to eat in moderation to help ensure supplies do not run out. According to the tribes at the time the rituals would help, but it was still a creature to be feared.
4. It Could Possess People
Being eaten alive by any animal is a scary prospect, as it would no doubt be an incredibly painful and terrifying experience. Being eaten alive by the Wendigo is no exception. This was not the only thing that people feared of the creature, however, as it was also believed the Wendigo’s spirit could possess people.
It is thought that those most at risk of possession by the Wendigo were those that were forced to eat the flesh of other people during famines. Being possessed by the Wendigo was believe to be a fate that is worse than being eaten alive by the horrific creature.
5. Wendigo Fever
When a wendigo possesses people, it is thought to be a long and horrid process before the victim is eventually possessed. The first thing that the victim will notice is unusual odors that nobody else around them is able to smell. Before long, the victim will also begin to experience some terrible nightmares.
These nightmares will stop them from sleeping and their lack of sleep will contribute to them slowly going mad. Eventually, the victim will develop an overwhelming burning sensation in their legs. Burning up, they will strip down naked and run into the forest, never to be seen again.
6. It Had A Putrid Form
Regardless of how dangerous some animals might be, we can still appreciate just how beautiful they can be. Bears, for example, are animals that you just want to hug if it were not for the fact that they are so dangerous. Likewise, even ‘killer’ big cats are lithe, graceful animals that are very pleasing aesthetically.
The same cannot be said for the Wendigo, however. It was a skeletal beast that was almost zombie-like in appearance, even falling apart as its decomposing body disintegrates. It also has the head of a stag’s skull with eyes that were sunken deep back into its head.
7. Supernatural Abilities
The wendigo was a highly effective hunter, and not only because of its physical strength, speed, toughness, and keen senses that would help it locate its prey from far away. Many also believe that the Wendigo also had a supernatural ability that helped to make it deadlier than any wild animal.
The Wendigo also had the ability to mimic human voices and would use its ability to lure people closer to it where it could strike. The beast was also said to be impervious to any weather conditions and could hunt in even the worst of winters with impunity, preying on people when they are at their most vulnerable.
8. Wendigo Psychosis
Possession by a Wendigo spirit can cause people to become insane and crave the flesh of human beings. Of course, in reality, is the wendigo is just a myth, but its name has still been lent to a very real condition that also causes people to crave human flesh.
Some people are forced to eat human flesh out of necessity, but that is not relevant to wendigo Psychosis. Instead, the victim cannot resist eating human flesh despite there being other food options available to them at the time. Despite there being a name for the disorder, many people feel as though it doesn’t really exist.
9. Pet Cemetery
A lot of people reading this have likely seen the movie Pet Cemetery. The movie involves a wooded area in which deceased pets start coming back to life, only the animals are not quite the same as before they were killed. It turned out that the pets were being buried in an old Mi’kmaq burial ground, who were an indigenous tribe native to the area.
The burial ground was tainted by a wendigo who was living in the region, and it was he who was reanimating the pet’s corpses. It wasn’t long before that wendigo started to turn its attention to people as well as animals.
10. As a Metaphor
The English language is complex and very nuanced. For example, we will often use metaphors to describe things rather than using language more directly. It can be confusing if you find yourself in a different part of the world, but we are usually still able to get the gist of what was said. In some parts of the world you might find people calling others a wendigo.
Of course, they do not mean it literally, but rather they may be making an observation on their perceived characters. For example, people that have a destructive nature for their own personal gain might be branded a wendigo. It likens their nature with the destructiveness of the mythical creature with the same name.
