Top 5 American Monsters: The Wendigo

4/16/2021

Here's the third story from my upcoming eBook, Top 5 American Monsters, available on Amazon for just $0.99 as part of The Folklore & Haunted Locations Guide: USA series!

And if you like this story, be sure to check out this creepy YouTube Video I made to go along with it!!

In Native American folklore, the wendigo is described as a supernatural, flesh eating monster, or sometimes as an evil spirit that possesses men and women to feed on human flesh. Roughly translated, the word wendigo means “the evil spirit that devours mankind.” Some believe a human can become a wendigo by being possessed by the spirit of one, causing them to commit acts of murder and cannibalism, whereas others believe a person slowly becomes a wendigo by indulging in cannibalism of their own free will. In some folklore, the wendigo is able to shapeshift to assume the form of a human that it’s cannibalized and can mimic voices and other sounds to lure unsuspecting men and women into its lair, which is filled with the bones and carcasses of its previous victims.

Wendigos are described as being tall and human-like in appearance, with some allegedly standing up to 15 feet tall, with gaunt, disfigured, skeletal features, and dark, sunken eyes. They are described as being lanky and having supernatural speed and hunting abilities, with sharp claws and fangs. They appear to be driven mad by the urge to consume human flesh, and their hunger can never be sated. It’s said that over time the wendigo’s appearance becomes more and more fearsome as the possessed individual is stripped of their humanity.

Alleged encounters with the wendigo have been reported throughout North America dating back hundreds of years before the arrival of European settlers, and continue to present day. Many doctors during the early colonization of America believed that the wendigo was real, with some even going so far as diagnosing criminals who committed acts of cannibalism with a rare condition called Wendigo Psychosis.

One famous case of alleged Wendigo Psychosis was reported in 1878, when a Native American trapper from Alberta, Canada named Swift Runner claimed to be possessed by the spirit of a wendigo. During the winter Swift Runner, his wife, and their five children were living in a cabin in the woods, trapping animals and hunting for food. The cabin was located just 25 miles from the nearest village.
According to historical documents, when Swift Runner returned to the village the next spring, he was alone. When people began to ask what happened to his wife and family, he replied that they had become trapped in the cabin over the winter by snow and tragically died of starvation. When authorities went to investigate the cabin, they found a gruesome scene inside.

Swift Runner’s deceased wife and children appeared to have been murdered, and their remains devoured. Due to the relatively close proximity of the cabin to town, it was concluded that Swift Runner’s cannibalism was not a last resort to avoid starvation, and many believed he had become possessed by the spirit of a wendigo. Swift Runner confessed to the killings, and was later executed at nearby Fort Saskatchewan.

Another alleged case of Wendigo Psychosis occurred in 1907, when a Native American medicine man named Jack Fiddler, who claimed to have killed 14 wendigos over the course of his lifetime, was arrested for homicide. At the age of 87, Jack Fiddler confessed to murdering an elderly tribeswoman because he believed that she had been possessed by a wendigo spirit. According to Jack, the woman was on the verge of fully transforming into a wendigo, and he had no choice but to kill her before she became a threat.

Jack Fiddler was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison, however he chose to end his life instead and committed suicide shortly after.

In recent years the wendigo has made its way into pop culture as a horror icon, with many Hollywood movies and television shows featuring creatures with similar characteristics and lore. Due to new technology like trail cameras, cellphone cameras, drones, and the internet, more and more sightings are allegedly taking place as well, with most originating in rural, wooded areas.

Whether the wendigo exists as a real supernatural creature, or is just an old fairytale to discourage men and women from the horrors of cannibalism, one can never be too careful in the woods...

10 Comments

Author

Brian Weaver is the founder and creator of GhostQuest.net, one of the internet’s largest databases for haunted locations, urban legends, and folklore tales throughout the United States. He grew up in rural New England, where he attended college for Computer Science.

Brian Weaver is also an avid: Paranormal Enthusiast, Self-Published Author, Foodie, Video Gamer, Web Developer, News Junky, Caffeine Addict, Animal Lover, Cat Dad, Campfire Lover, Star Gazer, Outdoor Enthusiast, and Eclectic Music Lover.

adam

9/27/2019 10:56:59 am

nice

RIchard M

12/28/2019 01:38:23 pm

I saw one of those a couple of months ago.

Brian at GhostQuest.net link

12/28/2019 07:31:21 pm

Wow, where were you? What happened?

Richard M

12/29/2019 03:36:24 pm

Port Orchard, WA, working at night. ... To not sound like a complete retard, I'll have to give you a little background. I do the energy based exercises associated with the Kabbalah. One of the possible effects is that a person becomes more aware of things like this, as an example: Three people enter a room, one might feel nothing, one might get a creepy feeling, and the third might get a creepy feeling and also perceive something-or-other standing in the room with them, even "seeing" as it moves or gestures. As a result of my practice, I am in the third group.

So anyway, a fence which is locked at night goes all the way around the place that I work. A couple of hours into my shift(maybe 10pm) I was checking the back fenced area, the light from the motion sensing light was on(not unusual as there are deer and other animals that set it off), I look left first, and: deer. I look right and about half way between the spotlight and the first deer is another(completely white) deer with it's head down(grazing), slowly moving towards the first deer(it stops moving each time I look at it). I look back and forth between the two several times comparing the color. After the second time I look at the white "deer", I turn my head to where the regular deer was and it ran off, I look over to where the "white" deer was, and it's also gone. [All this took maybe 20-30 seconds.]

A couple hours later, while walking around again, I hear a loud creaking and the sound of movement in one of the large trees along the edge of the outside of the fence. I look up and it's sitting there just starring at me. So, I'm like, "Okay, whatever". It stayed sitting there, starring at me, while I was walking around outside. So at 3am, I unlock the main gate(it's gone). At 3:30am, I walk around one more time double checking everything.

So, there's a section outside of the fence that is checked at the beginning and end of the shift. You unlock the gate, walk around the building check the doors and windows and lock the gate as you go back in. So, as you walk back to the gate there are trees and bushes behind you. It was sitting in the bushes and came out when I was about half way back to the gate. So, I turn around and starring at it for a little while.

After a while you get a sense for what you can ignore and what you shouldn't, and this was one of those you definitely pay attention to. It only moved when I took my eyes off of it, so I backed up to the gate and closed / locked it behind me and go back inside. It tried to grab or scratch my hand as I was locking the gate but I was like, "Nope."

At about 3:45am I relocated the next area. I enter the parking lot and park. I look back towards the entrance(maybe 100 ft) and it's standing there starring at me, so I'm like: "well, fuck". So, I look left and it's standing outside the drivers side door, I curse for a few minutes, it lays on my car, and stays like that till the sun comes up. And no, it wasn't a problem since part of my shift actually involves sitting in my car(where I parked).

The first thing I thought of was actually: zombie deer? I figured it was a spirit of the forest. ... This is actually pretty close to what it looked like but more(and longer) fur:
https://www.etsy.com/nz/listing/613992356/wendigo-supernatural-american-folklore

I've actually seen it a couple of times since then. Some times sitting in the trees, some times it'll be sitting in the bushes along that building.

12/30/2019 11:16:32 pm

Wow, I'd be afraid of going out there at night!!

12/31/2019 11:21:30 am

It's fine. I think in most cases, such things are surprised that I notice them. These days most people are completely oblivious.

One of my friends(practices wicca / shamanism) is surprised by me as well. When she comes across something, she gets a sense for what it is(it's positive / negative / neutral, it is or was male / female, etc.) When I come across something like this, an image of what it is pops into my head. Either way, both she and I have to speak to it for a little while so see what, if anything, it actually wants(in most cases attention).

Also, in some cases, such things are a physical manifestation of the negative emotions of all the people who have been in the area.

Wendigo Hunter

9/24/2020 03:13:47 pm

You people are full of crap. I killed the Wendigo in 1979 in the backcountry of Montana. I saved the hand and had it preserved in a large jar full of vinegar.

11/30/2020 12:08:45 pm

So, do you have a picture that you can post?

Starling

4/24/2022 01:39:29 pm

umm... there's not going to be only one wendigo, dude

also... you have a line and a half of flaming this guy who literally wrote several paragraphs of pretty damn good proof

Jessie anderson

2/9/2021 01:40:54 pm

May I use this image as my tiktok profile pic

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.