When a person consumes the flesh of another human being, he or she is believed to be overcome by evil spirits and transformed into a Wendigo. The Ritual Movie Monster Explained; David Bruckner's - Collider Wendigo - Mythical Creatures Guide For example, between the late 1800s and the 1920s, a Wendigo is said to have appeared near a town called Roseau in northern Minnesota. The gods convinced Fenrir to let them chain him up by pretending that they were playing a game to see how strong he was. The wendigo is a mythical creature from Native American, Algonquian folklore which is believed to roam in the forests of the Great Lakes Region and the Atlantic Coast of both Canada and United States. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. Descriptions of the Wendigo vary across cultures, but they are generally described as a large alien-like canine beast. Valkyrie means choosers of the slain, and the Valkyrie not only worked for Odin, but also chose who lived and died in battles, using malicious magic to ensure their preferences. Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. In the past, this occurred more often when Indians and settlers found themselves stranded in the bitter snows and ice of the north woods. He was sentenced to death by magistrate Ellsworth Perry. Vampires are legendary creatures said to feed on the blood of humans and animals. The aswang is an eater of the dead and a cannibal. The pca is a legendary creature of Celtic folklore, most notably in Ireland, the West of Scotland, and Wales. They are the lords of the forest and hold close bonds with gray wolves, bears, and all animal life. The Kraken mostly ate fish. These victims are often transformed into wendigos themselves (often from the touch or possession of the beast) after they give in to their carnivorous desires. Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword? Have you ever asked yourself what is a Wendigo, this is a depiction of one. The ashes must be scattered to the four winds. Most often, the creature will only possess people who are starving, who are gluttonous, who have had a craving for human flesh before, or who are greedy and have tendencies to display their wealth openly. Performance & security by Cloudflare. These monsters are the embodiments of gluttony, greed, and excess. Her name is connected to the mythologically important tumuli or "mounds" that dot the Irish countryside, which are known as sde (singular sd) in Old Irish. Very much like the lyrics of the famous She may be ancient Egypts most famous face, but the quest to find the eternal resting place of Queen Nefertiti has never been hotter. This gives us an interesting contrast: you have these enormous gluttonous creatures and then you have these thin gaunt husks that are wasting away, but both still suffer from starvation, and that is what we consider the curse of the Wendigo. This idea of selfishness does also tile of the fact that Wendigo was seen as solitary creatures, often being referred to as spirits of the lonely places. Other: The Wendigo was one of the appearances in the hit TV shows "Charmed" and "Supernatural". Arguably the most powerful and deadly creature in North American folklore, the Wendigo appears in many tribal legends, but the best-known description comes from communities surrounding the Great Lakes region. ( Daniel Eskridge / Adobe Stock). The frost from his mane falls to the ground below to make dew. The wendigo was also likely used to serve as a metaphor to understand terrible acts committed by other people that couldnt be understood otherwise. Humans and elves were thought to have occasionally interbred to produce children with the appearance of humans but that possess extraordinary intuitive and magical powers. But are they only part of Native American mythology or are there really cannibalistic humanoids waiting in forests for their next victim? The name Wendigo derives from an Algonquian root word meaning "evil spirit" and "cannibal." Jesuit missionaries reported sightings of Wendigos in the 1600s. Amongst the Cree, there is a traditional dance called the Wihtikokansimoowin, or Wendigo-like dance. During the dance, the fearsome Wendigo is portrayed satirically by the dancers. These types of cases led people to believe that it might be a more serious mental issue, one that would later be dubbed Wendigo Psychosis, the deep craving for flesh. Therefore, the description varies depending on the region. Wendigos are also very intelligent compared to other similar beasts and demons. They are most commonly seen as black horses with a flowing mane and luminescent orange eyes. The Strange & Terrifying Creatures of Native American Folklore - YouTube 0:00 / 14:47 Intro The Strange & Terrifying Creatures of Native American Folklore Mythology & Fiction Explained. It also helped to dehumanize those who did decide to eat human flesh by giving others the explanation that they had been overcome with a wendigo spirit and were no longer human. It gives off a horrendous odor that only the dead could match. It is said that silver is the only type of weapon that can seriously hurt a wendigo. It has heightened senses that allow it to tune into every inch of its hunting grounds (which often extend for many miles on end). Next, the body must be dismembered with a silver weapon, slated, and cremated. A Jtunn (Old Norse: [jton]), sometimes anglicised as Jotunn (pronounced ytn [1] ), plural: jtnar / jtnar, Jotnar, or Jotuns is a giant in Norse mythology, a member of a race of nature spirits with superhuman strength, described as standing in opposition to the races of sir and Vanir, although they frequently mingled with or . It enters the thoughts and plagues their mind of countless nightmares, unable to sleep, they start experiencing a burning sensation throughout their entire bodythis has been described as Wendigo Feverand there have been countless tales of people running stark naked through forests at the dead of the night claiming that they have Wendigo Fever. This transformation can take anywhere between a day to a few weeks. It enables the creature to trick, deceive, hunt, and kill humans. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. Either way, the stag is an animal that appears in folklore all around the world including Greek Mythology, though its normally associated with woodland deities and fertility. It has long spindly fingers with sharp nails that it uses to tear its victims into pieces. The easiest way to describe this type of Wendigo is as a gaunt skeleton that looks like it has risen from the grave. The reborn gods meet once again, and Sunna, the daughter of Sol, now even outshines her mother. In addition to satirizing the Wendigo, some Native Americans even became so-called Wendigo hunters. His extra legs are coupled with his regular legs, growing from his shoulders and his haunches. The Wendigo is a horrifying creature of Algonquian Native American legends said to devour human flesh to survive a harsh winter. False The terror of their victims is perhaps the only form of joy a wendigo feels. According to Norse mythology, Loki is a mother. Wendigo - Wikipedia One of the most terrifying aspects of a wendigo is its inability to be satisfied. Wendigo: The Evil That Devours. Who are the Valkyries? They are malevolent and cannibalistic creatures. Encyclopedia Mythologica - Kelpie This person is frozen, and the only way to kill a Wendigo is to kill the human within it as well. Whilst he pleaded guilty to the crime, he defended himself by saying that the woman was on the verge of transforming into a Wendigo, as she was being possessed by the evil spirit. In some traditions a person can be possessed by the Wendigo spirit and forced to commit violent cannibalistic acts. Overview: The Wendigo (Windigo, Wiindigoo, Witiko) "The spirit of the lonely places" is a cannibalistic spirit in Algonquin (a native American tribe) mythology. It is said that the creature is able to sense the fear of their victims, which only adds to their anticipation and excitement for the kill. Jtunn (plural: Jtnar) is a race of entities contrasting that of their eternal rivals Norse Gods from Norse mythology and legend. So, why does this version of the Wendigo have antlers and fur reminiscent of a stag? The Wendigo is extremely fast and has unnatural strength despite how frail some of them may look. Leshy - Wikipedia She is an obscure Jtunn that inhabits a forest in Northern Sweden and is venerated by an ancient group of cultists . Once this has been done, the shards of the creatures heart must be placed in a silver box and buried in consecrated ground. Diet: The only food that a Wendigo desires is the succulent taste of human flesh. There is the belief that humans could turn into Wendigos if they were overcome by greed. Their hearts are made of ice. Or did he value the self-preservation of his own life over his family? In the past, vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria, which resulted in corpses being staked and people being accused of vampirism. They can infect the human population with a bite, and the creatures transformation is often associated with a full moon. They love to gather and play pranks on unsuspecting people and children. The Draugar possess superhuman strength and can increase their size at will, but they cannot shake the unmistakable stench of decay and have the hideous visage of a dead body. There are two different types of elves in Norse mythology, the Dokkalfar, or dark elves creature, and the Ljosalfar, light elves creatures. He usually requires an offering, perhaps a white goat thrown with its head turned away into a waterfall that flows northwards, or smoked mutton stolen from the neighbours storehouse four Thursdays in a row. Roughly translated, the word Wendigo (also spelt Windigo and Windego) means the evil spirit that devours mankind. Another translation, said to be made by a German explorer around 1860, equates the word Wendigo with cannibal. Wendigoag are said to have an insatiable hunger for human flesh - no matter how much flesh they eat, they remain hungry. The Untersberg is a great mountain straddling the Austro-German border opposite Salzburg. There are some stories and legends about the Wendigo. Of all the horrible and shocking things that human beings can do to one another, nothing alarms, disgusts, terrifies or fascinates more than cannibalism. With every victim these new wendigos devour, they grow proportionately in size. People who . 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This type of Wendigo has become quite popular today, and its an image that Im sure many of you recognize from a lot of popular media, but this particular image seems to be a more modern interpretation. As the wendigo is a creature of pure and unbridled evil, it can be dissuaded with objects that have been charmed with protective spells. He pulls the serpent out of the water and they come face to face, with Jormungandr dribbling poison and blood. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. Pcas have a fondness for riddles and are sociable creatures. It is said to start with a strange and disturbing smell. Sometimes the eyes are described as glowing yellow or red. The pca is a mythological fairy and ultimate shapeshifter. They were elegant, noble maidens that bore dead heroes to Valhalla, the heavenly home of Odins fallen army as they await Ragnarok. They are allowed to contact humans for only a short amount of time before they must return to the sea. There isnt much mention of the Wendigos appearance in traditional Algonquin folklore, and what we do see certainly doesnt describe a stag. A person who is being stalked by a wendigo will often feel a growing sense of dread that they are being watched or followed. For Sale In Britain: A Small Ancient Man With A Colossal Penis, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Unleashing the End of the World, Alleged Sighting of the Mythical Manananggal in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety, What is Shambhala? A horrifying Wendigo of Native American legend. The Wendigo is a creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. Many descriptions of this version of the wendigo claim that the entrails of the creature are sometimes visible because of the extreme decomposition of the body. However, the tale has been told by tribes as far south as Minnesota. It usually resides in sheltered locations such as caves or dense forests, venturing out only to hunt. He plays the fiddle with incredible talent, mimicking the sounds of the forest, wind and water. Draugen is the ghost of a man who died at sea. One key feature of the aswang is its bloodshot eyes. Their tongues are said to be a terrible blue and the mouth of the creature is always covered in blood. But, what is a Wendigo? b. In the modern times, wendigo has grown into a cultural icon representing some kind of bad luck or misfortune. As the story progresses, the guide stops more and more often. These stories were told to encourage moderation and essentially scare individuals into behaving in a certain way. Rather than referring to their size, the name Jotnar means devourers. The Draugar creature often live in their graves in order to defend the treasure that they were buried with, but they are also known to enter communities in order to wreak havoc on the living, often tormenting those who wronged them in life. There are two very distinct archetypes that Im sure many of you would recognizea large looking demonic Beast, normally of the head or skull of a stag, complete or some kind of antlers or horns. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'mythologyexplained_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_4',629,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mythologyexplained_com-large-leaderboard-2-0');If we put aside the Wendigos appearance briefly, there was a general agreement as to what the Wendigo was and what it represented. An old Objiwa story, however, depicts a hunter killing a Wendigo with a normal knife by repeatedly stabbing it in the head. This illness was thought to occur when a person had been exposed to the malevolent spirit of the wendigo and was feared more than death itself. Features of the werewolf include the meeting of both eyebrows at the bridge of the nose, curved fingernails, low set ears, and a swinging stride. Wendigo, The Mythical Creature, The Legend and Its Origin The ancient city of Eleusis in Greece was the site of one of the most mysterious and revered religious rites of ancient Greece, the Eleusinian Mysteries. However, he is mischievous, and enjoys stirring trouble between the wise eagle that sits at the top of the tree and the hungry dragon that dwells in its roots. While in human form, the Encantado will wear a hat to hide its protruding forehead. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. d. Performing a ritual involvingmurder. The wendigo is able to sense their fear and paranoia grow with each heartbeat. It represents greed and colonialism. Theyre Alive! The creatures can assume a variety of terrifying forms, including a horse, rabbit, goat, goblin, or dog. Their name would give rise to the English word berserk. Berserkers were said to wear the pelts of bears and wolves as they entered battle and could make the full transformation as they felt necessary. His feet are burnt down to bloody stumps. Among other powers of the wendigo, it is thought that the creature is able to cause an illness called wendigo fever. When the visitor asks what is wrong, the guide tells him he thought he heard something. Drinking the blood of many slain animals. The idea that the soul wandered at night was a common phenomenon. Belief in the Wendigo forms just a small part of American belief in the supernatural, with 1 in 8 Americans having admitted to a psychic reading, according to the Psychic Guild . Strigoi in general originate from Romanian mythology and are said to be spirits risen from the dead [1]. They revolve around a young man and his superstitious Native American guide. They are generally depicted as not very intelligent and quite malevolent, but they can show kindness in exchange for a favour. In the 2017 film adaptation, her vocal sound effects were provided by Luke Gentry. Various Scandinavian kings used berserkers as part of their army or as hired men and royal bodyguards. Because of this, a wendigo can never be satisfied and will always hunger for more victims.