This creature is considered by many to be the creation of
horror writer Algernon Blackwood in his classic terror tale, "The Wendigo."
But it is very real to many in the northern woods and prairies of Minnesota, a part of
Native American legends. Way before Blackwood’s story.
Many legends and stories have circulated over the years
about a mysterious creature encountered by hunters and campers in the shadowy
forests of the upper regions of Minnesota.
One variation has the creature so thin that it could not be seen from the side
and only those who faced head-on could see it. This creature is said to have a
voracious appetite for human flesh and that many forest dwellers who
disappeared over the years believed to be victims of the monster.
The American Indians had their own tales of the Wendigo
from long ago. The Inuit Indians of the region called the creature by various
names, including Wendigo, Witigo, Witiko and Wee-Tee-Go. Roughly translated, it
meant "the evil spirit that devours mankind." Around 1860, a German
explorer translated Wendigo to mean "cannibal" among the
tribes along the Great Lakes.
Indian legends described a gigantic spirit, over fifteen
feet tall and lanky. It had once been human but had been transformed into a
creature by the use of magic. Though all of the descriptions of the creature
vary slightly, the Wendigo is generally said to have glowing eyes, long yellowed
fangs and a long tongue. Most have a sallow, yellowish skin but others are said
to be matted with hair. They are driven by a horrible hunger. Also the lore
says the Wendigo is created whenever a human resorts to cannibalism to survive.
In years past, such a practice was possible, although still rare, as many of
the tribes and settlers in the region were cut off by the bitter snows and ice
of the north woods. Unfortunately, eating another person to survive and the
legend of the Wendigo was created.
According to the
settlers' version of the legend, the Wendigo would often be seen to signal a
death in the community. A Wendigo
allegedly made a number of appearances near a town called Rosesu,
Minnesota’s North Star City in the late 1800's through the
1920's. Each time that it was reported, an unexpected death followed and
finally, it vanished one day.
A true story about the Wendigo concerned a Cree Indian
named Jack Fiddler. He claimed he had killed at least fourteen Wendigos in his
lifetime. The murder resulted in his imprisonment at the age of 87. In October
1907, Fiddler and his son, Joseph, were tried for the murder of a Cree Indian
woman. Both men pleaded guilty to the crime and defended themselves, stating
that the woman had been possessed by the spirit of a Wendigo. Their story went
that she was about to transform into the monster. According to their defense,
she had to be killed before she murdered other members of the tribe.
Stories are still told of Wendigo's seen in northern Ontario, near the Cave of the Wendigo, and around the
town of Kenora,
where a creature has been spotted by traders, trackers and trappers for
decades. There is belief that the Wendigo still roams the woods and the
prairies of northern Minnesota and Canada.
The Wendigo has fascinated us enough to be a character in Marvel Comics universe, novels, television series, movies, artwork, and so much more. It's just another legend to enjoy, but next time you go hiking in the woods during winter, be sure not to get lost and get back. Otherwise, if it snows heavy and you are caught out in it and you hear a howl, beware, the Wendigo might be stalking you, or worse, it just might want to possess you and make you the Wendigo!
If in a mood to enjoy a story about a Wendigo, check out
the movies and books below:
Short Stories:
"Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood (free):
Year of the Wendigo by Ernest DeVore (Kindle-99 cents)
Wendigo (Kindle-99 cents) by Joseph Sweet
The Wendigo by Lijah Phoenix (Kindle—99 cents)
Wendigo: A Joe Bell Short Story by Alan Stanford (Kindle-$2.99)
Movies:
Wendigo: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275067/
Frostbiter: Wrath of the Wendigo (also known as ‘Wendigo’
too): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116371/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Television:
Wendigo (Season 1 of Supernatural): Sam and
Dean follow the coordinates left in their father's journal and land in the
middle of the Colorado
woods where they investigate the disappearance of several campers.
Who, What, Where,
Wendigo (Season 2 of Haven): Audrey and Nathan lead a search party into Haven's
sprawling woods when a local teen goes missing - and find they are not alone
out there when a local supernatural legend seems to be more than a story.
Wendigo, Dogma, Wolfman
(Season 2 of Monsters and Mysteries in America):
Hybrid beasts are not legends in Michigan.
They are real. Across the state a Wendigo transforms men into cannibals; in the
countryside a man-wolf preys on one road; and in the city a bloodthirsty
manimal confronts Jeff Cornelius.
Others Wendigo appears in an episode, is of Grimm, X-Files, and many others to put down.
Books:
Pet Cemetery by Stephen King (available at Barnes and Noble, Books A Millions and your local independent bookstore)
Night of the Wendigo by William Meikle
The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
Wendigo by Jeremy Terry (Kindle-99 cents)
Warden (Book 1: Wendigo Fever) by Kevin Hardman
Wendigo by Raven Bower (available at Barnes and Noble, Books a Millions and your local independent bookstore)
Shadow of the Wendigo by Dale T. Phillips
The Witchy Wolf and the Wendigo by Rose Anderson and Gordon Bennetto
Cry of the Wendigo by C.W. James
The Curse of the Wendigo: An Agate and Buck Adventure (Vortex Books) by Scott R. Welvaert and Brann Garvey
Flesh by Dylan J. Morgan
Edgewise by Graham Masterton (available at Barnes and Noble, Books a Millions and your local independent bookstore)Where the Chill Waits by T. Chris Martindale
2 comments:
Do not forget Brian Lumley's Lovecraftian fiction about Ithaquathe Wendigo inspired Old One. These are available in the Chaosium collection of Lumley's short works: "Singer Of Strange Songs."
I had no idea there was so much to the Wendigo "legend." My only acquaintance with it was the episode of "Charmed" where Piper was turned into one, and I had just assumed it was something the writers of the show had invented. Well, live and learn.
Post a Comment