Wendigo

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Wendigo ( plural : Wendigowak ; German " ogre ") is the name of a fictional being of the Anishinabe culture, especially the Ojibwa and the Cree . It is said to be an evil and vengeful spirit that takes possession of people, drives them insane and turns them into cannibals .

description

About the name

Even if the same being is always meant, the Wendigo is known among numerous, diverging readings: Windigo, Wintego, Wendago, Wihtego, Wetigo, Windego, Wintigo, Wintsigo, Windagoo, Windikouk, Weendigo, Wiitigo, Weendegoag, Weendago and Weetigo .

Appearance and behavior

Usually the wendigo is described as anthropomorphic . He is said to live in deep, dark forests and in abandoned cemeteries. When it takes shape, its appearance should be reminiscent of the modern descriptions of zombies : its skin is discolored black in places, as if its flesh was going to rot . His lipless mouth is studded with pointed teeth and his eyes stand out prominently. They are supposed to look like the eyes of an owl but be completely bloodshot . His feet are described as almost three feet long, the heels are conspicuously pointed and end in a single, big toe. His hands supposedly end in long, pointed claws. The wendigo is said to be big enough to bite off the tops of trees. Nevertheless, it should be able to move incredibly quickly. His heart is said to be made of rock-hard ice.

The wendigo is said to be a persevering and persistent stalker and hunter: he follows lonely hikers and hunters until darkness falls, then he attacks and eats his victim. But he should also be able to drive individual people insane either by means of powerful magic or by taking possession. Then he gets his victim to kill his hunting companions or even his own family members and eat their meat ( cannibalism ). In many legends and anecdotes , the Wendigo turns the recently deceased into revenants , which he then sends off against living people. According to other traditions, the spirits of killed wendigo victims find no rest and often become wendigo themselves.

backgrounds

The essence of the Wendigo can be assigned to the nature and dead spirits. Stories and legends about the wendigo have been passed down within the Ojibwa and Cree communities since ancient times. The fear of the wendigo made the Indians always go out in small groups to hunt in the woods. When a tribal brother never returned from his hunt, the wendigo was often blamed. The belief in Wendigowak was so strong that laws and taboos were introduced within the Indian communities to regulate the dealings with allegedly possessed and Wendigowak. For example, if a tribal brother was possessed, his companions had to kill him immediately. European settlers and missionaries reported in the early 19th century on executions allegedly possessed in the communities of the Cree, Ojibwa and Saulteaux . Children and young people were (and are) told horror stories about Wendigowak in order to educate them and to keep them from going it alone at night.

reception

Fiction

  • The 1910 novel The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood is the earliest literary processing of the material.
  • In the novel Pet Sematary the writer Stephen King , the antagonist turns out as a Wendigo.
  • Wendigo plays a central role in Josh Ericson's (pseudonym Thomas Jeiers ) "Winterkill" .
  • In "The Monstrumologist and the Curse of Wendigo" by Rick Yancey , the monster scientist and his assistant Will Henry chase a Wendigo.
  • In Anette Strohmeyer's "Human Hunger" the legend of the Wendigo is the main theme.
  • In the second volume of the "Creatures of the Night" series "Wolfsgesang" by Lori Handeland, the werewolf hunters are confronted with the legend of the wendigo and finally with a wendigo.

Feature films

TV Shows

  • In an episode of the TV series Charmed , the three sisters meet a wendigo.
  • The second episode of the first season of the TV series Supernatural is named after Wendigo, which appears in it.
  • In Teen Wolf , the protagonists meet a wendigo.
  • In the TV series 'Haven' (USA / Can, 2010–2015), the Wendigo legend is taken up as the primary plot in one episode.
  • In several episodes of the Sleepy Hollow series , Crane, Abbie and Jenny encounter a wendigo from time to time.
  • In the dreams and visions from the Hannibal series , Will Graham sees a wendigo next to a black stag.

Computer games

  • In the computer game Harvey's New Eyes , the wendigo is one of the incarnations of the central antagonist.
  • In the video game Until Dawn (2015), Wendigowak appear as the central antagonists.
  • In the video game series 'Final Fantasy' there is a monster named Wendigo in some parts.
  • In the video game Kona there is a book that describes the legend of the Wendigo.
  • In the video game World of Warcraft , Wendigos appear as opponents in the starting area of ​​the dwarves. However, in a different interpretation than the original.
  • In the video game Fallout 76 , the wendigo is a type of opponent that is also linked to a quest.
  • In the video game Folklore Hunter you go on the hunt for a wendigo.

literature

  • Sidney L. Harring: White Man's Law: Native People in Nineteenth-century Canadian Jurisprudence (= Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History Series). University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1998, ISBN 0802005039 .
  • Margaret Atwood : Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature . Virago, London 2009, ISBN 9781844080823 .
  • Christopher R. Fee, Jeffrey B. Webb: American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An Encyclopedia of American Folklore . ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara 2016, ISBN 1610695682 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Christopher R. Fee, Jeffrey B. Webb: American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales . Pp. 1035-1036.
  2. ^ A b c Margaret Atwood: Strange Things. Pp. 56 - 59.
  3. ^ A b c Sidney L. Harring: White Man's Law. Pp. 217-222, 287.
  4. ↑ Stephen King: Cemetery of the Stuffed Animals. Roman (original title: Pet Sematary ). German by Christel Wiemken. Unabridged edition. Ullstein, Berlin 2005, 459 pages, ISBN 978-3-548-26310-6 .
  5. ↑ Wendigo in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  6. ↑ Wendigo in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  7. ↑ Wendigo in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  8. ↑ Wendigo in the Internet Movie Database (English)