A creature, its desiccated skin stretched to the point of tearing over sharp bones, stalks the Great Lakes regions of Canada and the United States. Ragged and torn lips pull back in a twisted grin and in its eyes… madness. Come face to face with this nightmare, and you’ve just met the Wendigo.
Part of the beliefs of several Algonquin-speaking people, the Wendigo is the embodiment of some of the worst that human nature can offer: gluttony, malevolence, even cannibalism. It is a spirit that can possess a person, driving them insane. Once turned, they prowl the woods, vainly trying to sate their insatiable hunger, for it is said that if a Wendigo eats, its body simply grows bigger, meaning it can never be full. Never satisfied, a Wendigo is doomed to wander… and to eat.
A Wendigo is a supernaturally-efficient hunter. They can move through the trees without making a sound and they’re said to be able to hear a person’s heartbeat from miles away. They play games with their prey, making noises to terrify and deceive a victim. They can even imitate a human voice and will call out for help to draw a Good Samaritan close. If one begins to chase you, escape is nearly impossible. As stealthy as they are, when they charge they can topple trees and create whirlwinds in their wake.
There are three ways to become a Wendigo.
First, a person can be overcome with the unbearable hunger that is experienced by those trapped in desperate circumstances and turn into a Wendigo. One example would be the Donner Party, a group of settlers trying to make their way to California from Missouri in 1846. A group of 87 people—men, women, and children—entered the Sierra Nevada mountain range, only to become hopelessly trapped by snow. Food quickly ran scarce and one by one the settlers began to die. Desperation drove those who still lived to consume those who had fallen. It remains one of the most infamous cannibalism stories in American history. Though the Wendigo isn’t specifically associated with the Donner Party, this was exactly the kind of circumstance that could create one.
Second, a person can be intentionally cursed to become a Wendigo. One story tells of a man who couldn’t accept that his romantic overtures to a certain young woman had been rejected. He was able to set the curse of the Wendigo upon her, causing her to murder her entire family. In the end, the woman holds enough of her humanity to realize what she’s become and ends her own life.
Lastly, a person can simply be possessed by the spirit of a Wendigo. In the mid-1600s, one account is said to show the horrifying effects of possession. A group of men were left by an expedition to the native tribes of the area. When the expedition returned, they discovered that the men had gone insane. The text reads that the men were afflicted with a condition that made “them so ravenous for human flesh that they pounce upon women, children, and even upon men, like veritable werewolves, and devour them voraciously, without being able to appease or glut their appetite…” In the end, all of the men were put to death.
While cannibalism is a practice one can find in the world even today, it is generally looked upon as one of the most abhorrent taboos. Within the psychological community, a person compelled to cannibalism was diagnosed with Wendigo Psychosis. Though this classification is controversial, Wendigo Psychosis has actually been diagnosed in the real world.
The idea of the Wendigo is surprisingly prevalent in today’s pop culture. From movies like Ravenous to comic books to TV shows like Hannibal, whispers of the Wendigo are woven into truly disturbing stories. It’s one thing to be threatened by some purely supernatural force, it’s quite another to face a flesh and blood person who has had all their humanity driven from them, and who looks upon you as their next meal.