Wendigo

32. Wendigo

Wendigos are a type of cannibalistic creature whose name means "evil that devours." Wendigos were once humans, but after being forced to eat human flesh to survive, they become monsters that retain little of the human features they once possessed. After their transformation, they begin to crave human flesh and feed solely on it. Although their name is described as an 'evil spirit', it is technically a creature. At the same time, Wendigos are embodiments of gluttony, greed, and excess; never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they are constantly searching for new victims. It is also common that wendigos just capture humans to hoard their food, and then eat when hungry. Wendigos are rarely seen out of Minnesota or the north of Michigan. They are hundreds of years old, and they also have hibernation behavior during the long, cold winters they must survive—meaning they must hoard food if it is scarce. In addition, they keep their victims in dark and isolated places, such as caves or abandoned mines.

Physical Appearance

Wendigos are humanoid, standing at over six feet. They appear emaciated with bones visible under their pallid skin, a symbol of their unquenchable hunger. Wendigos eyes are pushed back deep in their sockets, and have many layers of crooked, sharp, teeth. They are equipped with razor-like claws used to rip prey to shreds. They are sometimes said to have matted fur and have chunks of skin and flesh missing, due to consumption.

Powers and Abilities

• Voice Mimicry - Wendigos can imitate the voices of humans to lure unsuspecting victims.

• Immortality - Wendigos can live forever.

• Super Speed - Wendigos possess inhuman speed (108km/h), enough to move from one place to another in seconds. Wendigos are arguably one of the fastest monsters.

• Superhuman Strength - Wendigos are incredibly strong, even by monster terms, they can tear humans limb from limb, snap necks and carry two people at once and even drag them up a tree with ease. They are considered to be among the strongest of monsters.

• Superhuman Agility - Wendigos can jump from tree to tree without being deterred by the foliage.

• Invulnerability - Wendigos are invulnerable to (albeit irritated by) normal knives and guns.

• Claws - Wendigos have giant claws, which they use to hunt or to attack.

• Super Senses - Wendigos possess enhanced senses, making them perfect hunters, they can see perfectly in darkness, and have similarly enhanced hearing.

• Super Stamina - Wendigos possess stamina superior to that of humans, and tire less easily.

• Hibernation - Wendigos can hibernate many years at a time.

Weaknesses

Wendigos are difficult creatures to kill or even harm. There are few possibilities to defeat them during the day, but it is almost impossible to defeat them at night, since it is their favorite period to hunt. Despite the beast's immeasurable amount of power, there are ways to protect oneself from the Wendigo.

• Fire - One of two only known ways to kill a Wendigo is to burn them to death. Wendigo are so sensitive to heat, they will even shun potential prey that they find sitting before an open flame.

• Anasazi Symbols - Special Anasazi symbols, drawn in protective circles, will keep a Wendigo away, much as salt does with demons and ghosts.

• Iron - The Pad of Definitons mentions that wendigos can only succumb to a few metals, one of them is iron, although it dosen't states that it can in fact kill them.

• Steel - The Pad of Definitons mentions that wendigos can only succumb to a few metals, one of them is steel, although it dosen't states that it can in fact kill them.

• Silver - The Pad of Definitions states that silver (and certain silver weapons) are one of the few metals that wendigos succumb to, it states that with some effort, silver weapons can also be used to kill wendigos by retaliating their boddies.

• Silver Stakes - The most gruesome method of killing a wendigo is to shatter their hearts with a silver stake before dismembering them.

• Silver Axes - After shattering a wendigos heart with a silver stake, it is necessary to dismember the body with a silver axe.

Lore

The Wendigo (also known as Windigo, Weendigo, Windago, Waindigo, Windiga,Witiko, Wihtikow, and numerous other variants) is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans. Those who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk, and the legend appears to have reinforced this practice as a taboo.

Wendigo psychosis is the name conventionally given to a culture-bound disorder which involves an intense craving for human flesh and the fear that the sufferer would turn into a cannibal. This once occurred frequently among Algonquian Native cultures, but has declined due to the Native American urbanization.