The Wendigo (also known as windigo, weendigo, windago, windiga, witiko, wihtikow, and numerous other alias variants including "Manaha") is a mythical monster from varied Native American cultures.
Contents[show]
History
The Wendigo
The Wendigo
Wendigo who existed in areas where the Winter caused it to become isolated due to heavy snow and adverse conditions: in these harsh conditions it was believed that the practice of cannibalism was occasionally practiced and the Wendigo was believed to be the result of such actions.
Often said to have been human the Wendigo had become transformed via the act of cannibalism into an eternally hungry monster that had no real universal appearance: though a common depiction is of a deer-headed decomposing humanoid; or a large hairy humanoid with a heart of ice, the concept of the Wendigo was likely formed as a warning against cannibalism.
Fame
The Wendigo has become a popular monster in fiction and somewhat of a staple in horror/fantasy, like Sleepy Hollow and Supernatural, although depictions vary drastically from story to story (though the idea of a large, hairy humanoid is still the most common one) - although the Wendigo itself is almost entirely mythological science has named a cultural phenomena the "Wendigo Psychosis".
Wendigo Psychosis
This is a rare condition in which individuals start to crave human flesh even when other food is in supply and interactions with people suffering from this condition may also of contributed to the legend of the Wendigo. This mental illness is very similar to Cabin Fever and Isolationism, and sufferers often describe being influenced by an external malevolent force.
In popular culture[edit][]
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Although distinct from how it appears in the traditional lore, one of the first appearances of a character inspired by, or named after, a Wendigo in non-Indigenous literature is Algernon Blackwood's 1910 short story "The Wendigo".[32][33][34] Blackwood's work has influenced many of the subsequent portrayals in mainstream horror fiction,[35][36] such as August Derleth's "The Thing that Walked in the Wind" and "Ithaqua" (1933 and 1941),[34] which in turn inspired the character in Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary,[35] where it is a personification of evil, an ugly grinning creature with yellow-grey eyes, ears replaced by ram's horns, white vapour coming from its nostrils, and a pointed, decaying yellow tongue.[36] These works set the template for later portrayals in popular culture, at times even replacing the Native American lore.[35] In an early short story by Thomas Pynchon, "Mortality and Mercy in Vienna" (first published in 1959) the plot centers around a character developing Wendigo Syndrome and going on a killing spree.
The Wendigo appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Herb Trimpe, the monster is the result of a curse that afflicts those who commit acts of cannibalism in parts of Canada. The Wendigo first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #162 (April 1973) fighting the Incredible Hulk as well as Wolverine in his first comic book appearance.[37]
Creatures based upon wendigos appear in a number of films and television shows, including Dark Was the Night and Ravenous.[38] Television series include Supernatural,[39] Blood Ties,[40] Charmed,[41] Grimm,[42] and Hannibal, where an FBI profiler has recurring dreams or visions of a Wendigo that symbolizes the titular cannibalistic serial killer.[43]
While creatures with the name appear in a number of computer and video games, including The Legend of Dragoon,[44] and the Warcraft universes,[45] these creatures may have no relationship to the traditional legends.