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Origins
The wendigo (win-dee-go), has many different names, including windigo, wheettigo, windikouk, wi’ntsigo, wi’tigo, wittikka, atchen, chenoo, and kewok.
With there being multiple variations, thanks to the spread of oral traditions, it is uncertain exactly where the origin of the wendigo is from. However, the most likely is it being from around the East Coast forests of Canada, the Great Plains region of the United States, and the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada.
tohdraws: Wendigo, art on DeviantArt
Physical Description
When you think of a Wendigo, you probably picture a large creature with dark fur, hoofed feet, and a deer skull for a head. This is far from what a Wendigo actually is. While there are obviously different cultural and regional variations, there are still plenty of similarities in the many stories. The creature is said to resemble a human, more than an animal. Most legends depict the wendigo as a tall, rawboned creature, with ashen skin and dark, sunken eyes.
They are often said to have a distorted-looking face. Oftentimes having an unnaturally long face structure, plenty of sharp and jagged teeth in its mouth, and a haunting expression.
While these are the most common tellings, there are also plenty of variations which claim that wendigos are larger and more fleshed out, proportionately growing in size with every meal.
Description
Wendigos are described similarly in different stories, with some minor differences in each telling. Almost every version depicts the beast as a monster which used to be human, having turned into a blood thirsty being or spirit due to greed.
One of the most common examples of how one becomes a wendigo is when a group goes out and gets stuck in a harsh snowstorm for days, even weeks on end. Eventually, they run out of food, and get hungry, leading for one of the men to turn on the others and commit cannibalism. It is because of this act that the man would then become the wendigo. Some also say that the transformation is because the act of cannibalism would weaken the soul and let the spirit of the beast take over.
In every rendition of the wendigo, it is said that the monster feeds off of human flesh, oftentimes attacking small groups such as campers and hunters, as well as lone wanderers. They typically hunt in the warmer months of the year, storing their victims, and hunker down in their dens (typically caves), where they feast on their half-dead prey during harsh winters. However, they will still hunt during the wintertime. Despite their large meals, a Wendigo's insatiable hunger is never truly satisfied, and will forever continue to hunt and kill.
Some believe that the wendigo, after feeding, can temporarily take over the personality and looks of the victim, and lure unsuspecting victims in.
Powers/Abilities
Wendigos are often endowed with different powers and abilities. The most spoken of are enhanced strength, speed, and stamina, exceptional eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell, as well as the ability to walk and run across snow without sinking or slowing down. These often give the Wendigo even more of an advantage against its prey. Because of this, it is often believed that the wendigo is nearly impossible to escape from.
Wendigo Psychosis
Wendigo Psychosis is a mysterious occurrence which combines Native American folklore, and psychology, in which someone gains an immense hunger for human flesh, often resulting in cannibalistic tendencies and actions.
While there is currently no known cause for this psychosis, it is believed to be a result of substance abuse, trauma, isolation, and psychological disorders.
There have been roughly 70 reported cases of Wendigo Psychosis since the 1960s. However, the most well-known and terrifying case would have to be the case of Swift Runner.
Norval Morrisseau: Windigo, tempera on heavy light brown building paper by Norval Morrisseau, c. 1964; in the collection of Glenbow, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Just Tom's Art Acrylic Art
Swift Runner, also known as “Ka-Ki-Si-Kutchin,”
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