The Wendigo is a creature that can be found in the legends of the Native Americans, most notably among the Algonquian peoples. These peoples are some of the most extensive and numerous of the Native American groups in North America, and they once lived all along the Atlantic Coast and the Great Lakes Region.
However, Wendigo-like creatures are also found in the legends of other Native American tribes, including the neighbors of the Algonquians, the Iroquois. Amongst these peoples, a creature known as the Stonecoat bears some similarities to the Wendigo.
A Wendigo’s Insatiable Hunger
Roughly translated, the word ‘Wendigo’ 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.
This hunger is reflected in their appearance, which, according to some, is extremely thin. Despite their gaunt physiques, Wendigoag are described by some as giants, measuring at about 4.5 m (14.8 feet) in height. Whilst there are slight variations as to the physical description of this creature amongst the different Algonquian peoples, it is generally agreed that Wendigoag have glowing eyes, long yellowed fangs and long tongues. Most Wendigoag are also said to have sallow and yellowish skin, though others say that they are matted with hair or have decaying skin.
Legends say that Wendigoag were once human beings. According to the most popular version of the story, a Wendigo is formed whenever a human being resorted to cannibalism, even if it were done in order to survive. 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.
Wendigoag are believed to roam around the forests where the Algonquians lived, and forest dwellers that disappeared over the years are rumored to have been eaten by these creatures. Many Wendigo sightings have been reported over time, not only by Native Americans, but by white settlers as well.
For example, between the late 1800s and the 1920s, a Wendigo is said to have appeared near a town called Rosesu in northern Minnesota. It has been claimed that each time a sighting of this creature was made, an unexpected death followed. The sightings, however, eventually stopped, and things went back to normal.