Vampires, werewolves and mummies may get all the attention in media and pop culture, but when it comes to truly frightening monsters, it’s tough to beat the Wendigo. Never heard of the Wendigo? Well, buckle up because this North American cannibalistic monster will have you sleeping with the lights on for the next week.
The extremely quick summary of the Wendigo is that it’s a monstrous snow creature that loves nothing more than eating a big heaping plate of human for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But there’s a lot more to it than that.
The Wendigo myth predates colonization in North America, with North American Algonquian-speaking tribes sharing stories of the creature in modern day Canada and the uppermost northern parts of the U.S. The first known recorded mention of the Wendigo was by French Jesuit missionary Paul Le Jeune in 1636 when he was living among the Algonquin people in what is now Quebec but by then it was already established lore among certain tribes.
Considering how old the legend of the Wendigo is, it should come as no surprise that there’s a lot of conflicting information about what this evil spirit looks like. The biggest divide is among those who believe that the Wendigo is a physical creature that eats people versus those who believe it’s a non-material spirit that possesses people and turns them into cannibals. Either way, not great for us.
But even among those who believe the Wendigo is a beast rather than an evil vibe, there are plenty of different opinions. Some claim the Wendigo stands 15 feet tall, while others insist it’s a small but vicious creature that can only grow when it feasts on human flesh. The creatures have been described as human-like by some but more akin to an animal by others.
A Wendigo can also have horns, antlers or plain old pointed ears, depending on who you ask. And it’s been described as both hairless and fury. Perhaps there are just a variety of kinds of Wendigos, causing the wide variety of physical descriptors.
What’s generally accepted is that the Wendigo has glowing eyes, yellow fangs, claws and little to no lips because the insatiable creature has eaten them off. Also, the smell, as the first sign of the Wendigo is the scent of rotting flesh.
Of course, if you catch a whiff of the Wendigo, it may already be too late because these motherfuckers are designed to hunt down and chow down on humans. They possess incredible eyesight, hearing and a sense of smell, along with being insanely fast and ridiculously strong. And they can shapeshift into animals or humans so you don’t even realize they’re around.
If you’re unlucky enough to cross paths with a Wendigo, how can you kill it? Well, unfortunately, there’s not exactly a consensus on that either. Many believe that only a Shaman can kill them, using either a silver, steel or iron bullet or a dagger. Others say that you can only truly vanquish these beasts by ripping out their hearts and destroying them.
But do you really need to worry about a Wendigo? Depends on who you ask. Most have seemingly come to view the Wendigo as an urban legend, as supposed sightings peaked over 100 years ago and have steadily declined since. Some historians believe that the origin may have been Algonquian tribes trying to keep members from giving into greed, hunger or desperation during the harsh winters.
However, not everyone has stopped believing, as there are those who have remained fully convinced the Wendigo exists and is still out there. On the r/paranormal subreddit, one person even shared their story about a strange encounter with what they believe was a Wendigo while hunting for moose in Northern Canada. The guy came across someone who looked like a relative who had passed away, only to realize he needed to escape this evil creature.
“The voice became angry and began shouting at me to ‘come here’ so I turned to run away but as I looked back one more time I saw the most disgusting thing I had ever seen, it was rotting flesh on gnawed bone, caved in eyes and a hollow chest cavity, this humanoid creature was tall and super thin,” the user wrote.
Others have similar stories about coming across beasts or shape-shifting creatures in that general area. Obviously, it may all be bullshit, but just in case, if you ever find yourself in the wilderness in Canada during the dead of winter, be careful to avoid any evil spirits or monsters because you may end up being served as a Wendigo family’s next meal.
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