Wendigo, a monstrous cannibal from Indian legends

 The Wendigo is a fearsome creature from Algonquian Native American legends that describe it as a monster that devours human flesh to survive the winter. Is this creature just part of Native American mythology?

The Algonquians are one of the largest and most numerous groups of Native Americans. They once inhabited the entire Atlantic coast and the Great Lakes region. Wendigo-like creatures are also found in the legends of other Native American tribes, including their Iroquois neighbors. Roughly translated, the word Wendigo (also spelled Windigo and Windego) means "an evil spirit that devours humanity". Another translation, by a German explorer around 1860, identifies the word Wendigo with "cannibal". The Wendigo's main trait is its insatiable hunger for human flesh.

According to the most popular version of the legend, the Wendigo arises when a person resorts to cannibalism. Even if it's for survival! It is believed that when a person eats another human's flesh, he is defeated by evil spirits and turned into a Wendigo. In another version of the story, the first Wendigo is said to have been a warrior who made a pact with the devil.

Some believe that a human person still lives inside the Wendigo. However, this person is overpowered and is the beast's weak point. The only way to kill a Wendigo is to kill the human inside it. With a few exceptions, in most cases death is the only way to rid a person of the Wendigo. The Wendigo are believed to roam the forests where the Algonquians lived. It was said that forest dwellers who disappeared over the years were eaten by these monsters. Over time, many Wendigo sightings have been recorded, not only by Native Americans, but also by white settlers.

It is impossible to assess to what extent it was caused by the real activity of this mythical creature, and to what extent by fear of a purely demonic entity that lurked for human flesh. Back in the early 20th century, 87-year-old Cree resident Jack Fiddler was tried for the murder of a Cree woman. Admitting to the crime, he defended himself by saying that the woman was close to turning into a Wendigo.