Native American Folklore: The Story of the Wendigo
You are a colonial hunter stalking your quarry in the New York forests. You feel secure and unafraid. After all, you have stalked these woods for years. You know every corner. But you have a thought plaguing your mind this time. You feel tense, and instead of the hunter, you are now the quarry. The thought surges inside your head as you delve deeper into the woods- the wind crackles through the leaves, leaving you even more uneasy. You hear something stepping on broken twigs and dead leaves- as if someone or something is pursuing you. Then your eyes get a glimpse at something that looks human, but its motions are abnormal. You panic and start to load your flintlock rifle, but before you finish- you feel a cold touch around your neck before blackness. You’ve just met your end by the talons of a Wendigo.
The Wendigo originate from Algonquin-speaking tribes. The Wendigo, described as a cannibalistic beast that stalks and kills humans during the winter month- is depicted as a giant humanoid beast that can stand upwards of 15 feet (4.5 meters) with ashen-colored flesh, yellow claws, teeth, and chewed lips. Wendigo has become a pop-culture horror icon. How did the legend of Wendigo come to be?
Many different tales detail the story of the first Wendigo. One of the most popular tells that the first Wendigo was born out of a lost hunter during a grueling winter. He caved to his ravenous starvation and fed upon human remains. After he committed the heinous act- he transformed into the first Wendigo. For the remainder of his life, he lived in the forest, “crazed” by his actions and lusting for his next human meal.
According to Native American legend, there are two different ways of turning into a Wendigo. If you’ve been in contact with Wendigo for an extended period or if you have consumed human flesh even though it is out of survival. In addition, some legends state that extremely greedy people can be turned into Wendigo as punishment- forced to endure an endless unruly hunger.
Some say that someone who had been cursed by the wendigo can recover and cure their transformation. As the legends tell, that is not entirely true. The only way to save someone from the Wendigo curse is to kill the Wendigo and the person inside- death is the only cure to save the person's soul.
Moreover, how do you kill a wendigo? It’s complicated- killing a wendigo is no small task, and legends differ drastically. For some, they say stabbing a wendigo with a sharp blade repeatedly in the head is enough to kill. Most don’t recommend this way- it’s a sure way of becoming Wendigo’s dinner. Another way is for the wendigo, much like a vampire or werewolf- to be stabbed or shot in the heart by a silver steak or bullets. However, some myths say even shooting or stabbing a wendigo with a silver steak or bullets is not enough. According to myth, to successfully kill a wendigo- one would have to first stab the wendigo in the heart with a silver steak, then cremate the heart with fire before placing its remnants (including the ashes of its heart) and burying it on holy grounds. Some legends say that still isn’t enough, and to kill a wendigo- you must take the remaining parts of the wendigo and cremate them using a silver knife, then salt, finally scattering its ashes throughout the woodlands.
As you can tell, killing a wendigo is no easy feat. The wendigo possesses a supernatural healing factor that allows it to be regenerated from almost every injury. It’s best to avoid killing or encountering a wendigo altogether for the best chance of survival. Even better if you don’t succumb to your hunger and feast on human remains or become so envious that your greed consumes you- becoming a wendigo.
Although the Wendigo is a legend, a very real mental health disorder called “Wendigo Psychosis” impacts the lives of Algonquian tribes and everyday people. Wendigo Psychosis is described as a psychological condition that makes someone believe that they are a wendigo. There are several factors to how someone can develop the disorder:
● People having other psychological disorders like Dissociative Identity Disorder, schizophrenia, and Bipolar Personality Disorder can increase their likelihood of developing delusions that they are a wendigo.
● Being isolated, Alone, or having a prominent oral upbringing around cultural traditions surrounding the wendigo may trick someone's mind into thinking that they are a wendigo. High levels of stress and anxiety can worsen the symptoms, increasing the probability of psychosis.
● Substance abuse, someone using illegal drugs like meth has been shown to develop symptoms of psychosis. They can be increased by traumatic experiences. Someone using drugs to escape their trauma might experience drug-trauma-induced psychosis that could potentially lead to wendigo-like symptoms
Like many myths and legends before, the Wendigo has made a lasting impact on modern pop culture. Featured in Steven King's cult classic horror novel, Pet Seminary, and 2015’s video game Until Dawn, which is getting rereleased later this year. Although not quite as popular as other stories- the Wendigo has surrounded its claws the world in books, movies, games, and even stage plays. The legends of the Wendigo still live on in the minds of millions of people.
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