Jon Solo Sebastian 06/22/2024:

At first glance, to me, the Wendigo’s come off like zombies, but they don’t infect their victims with a virus, and grow their population of flesh eaters like zombies do. They’re centralized in the colder climates of Canada and North America; based along the Great Lakes and woodlands such as the Minnesota woodlands, and the forests surrounding the Great Lake region. They’ve been referred to as a winter cannibal monster, which leads me to think of them as being like the White Walkers from George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. Demonic-like cannibals in cold weather climates sounds to me like maybe we need to start up a real life Night’s Watch!

Wendigo’s aren’t zombies or White Walkers even though they share a lot of similarities; and in case you’re wondering, yes, George R.R. Martin pulled from the Wendigo legend when he created the White Walkers.

What is a Wendigo?

The Wendigo is a folktale creature that has long been known among the Algonquian Ojubwe, Eastern Cree, Saulteaux, Swampy Cree, and Innu peoples. “They are seen as malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural beings of great spiritual power who were strongly associated with the winter, the north, and coldness, as well as famine and starvation.”

In the lore, their description splits a little bit, which isn’t unlike some of the other mythical beasts I’ve covered. One of the reasons I leaned toward zombies at first is due to their appearance. They’re humanoid; they have ashen skin, emaciated bodies, sunken eye sockets with glowing eyes, yellowing fangs and claws, and their lips are either chewed up or completely gone because they eat them while they’re hunting for their next meal.

Branching from that description, some legends describe the Wendigo as a giant creature that stands near fifteen feet tall. It starts out as an average size, but grows larger every time it eats, and never satisfies its hunger. It might be hairless or have thick matted fur. Some drawings of the Wendigo even illustrate it having horns or antlers similar to deer. Lastly, while there are some varying physical characteristics, one thing holds true throughout them all—they smell of rotting flesh, and you can smell them long before they get close enough to you.

The left image is a White Walker from Game of Thrones. The right image is a depiction of the yellow eyes and antler version of the Wendigo

“Some anthropologists believe the legend developed as a cautionary tale about the importance of community to guard against individual greed, selfishness, and isolation. The wendigo was a personification of cold and hunger in a time when human survival relied on banding together and sharing resources, particularly during the long, harsh winters of the northern wilderness. The legend may also have served as a warning to children not to wander too far into the woods.”

In some legends, the Wendigo is simply described as a fearsome creature that stalks and eats humans, or it’s an evil spirit that possesses humans and turns them into crazed cannibals. They’re cursed beings and wander alone seeking their next meal. They will only eat human flesh, so if they’re unable to find a human meal in time, they will starve to death. This leads me to wonder, though, if they were possessed cannibal humans or creatures, why wouldn’t they travel out of the woodlands to nearby towns to find their next meal?

How can a Wendigo be stopped?

One way to stop a Wendigo is to stay away from it and let it starve. If it’s an evil spirit possessing a human, you may want to call an exorcist. A shaman is an option as well. In fact, a shaman might be the only option when it comes to stopping a Wendigo. There have been instances of people hunting Wendigo’s; or what they suspected to be a Wendigo, at least. “At the beginning of the 20th century, an 87-year-old Cree man by the name of Jack Fiddler was tried for the murder of a Cree woman. 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. Therefore, she had to be killed before she murdered other members of the tribe. In addition to this woman, Fiddler claimed to have slain at least 13 other Wendigo during his lifetime.”

Final thoughts and other places you might find a Wendigo

Some safe places to find Wendigo’s include the video games, Until Dawn, and Fallout 76. They were supposed to be in The Witcher video games as well, but they are not. There is another beast in The Witcher that holds some of the characteristics like very tall with antlers but those are called Leshen, and are nothing like Wendigo. Wendigo have popped up in television series such as, Charmed, Sleepy Hollow, Supernatural, and Hannibal.

I’ve come to find the Wendigo to be one of the most interesting creatures I’ve researched so far. Its existence, real or suspected, or made up, has brought some real life consequences to folks on both sides of the coin. My best advice if you see a Wendigo, and I’m positive I’ve offered this advice in my other pieces—run away from it!