Fire Safety Encyclopedia

What does wendigo mean. Who is the Wendigo? Modern ideas about wendigo

In a cape of white matted wool, not much more than just a tall man, incredibly skinny and bony, sometimes without the tips of ears, a few fingers, a nose or lips, completely bald or very, very shaggy - this is a Wendigo, an ice monster of the Algolkin tribes; a monster, once a man, and now a creature feeding his insatiable hunger with human flesh. This is not a simple monster. Wendigo is the bodily embodiment of the metaphysical spirit of the Winter Cold and Hunger.

Wendigo
Windigo- a variant of the spelling of the name Wendigo in Latin letters
Windigo
Windigo- a variant of the Russian spelling of the name Wendigo

If sometime in winter you get lost in the forests of North America - don't be hip! People there are densely poured, you will go out on someone and you will not die from cold and hunger. Don't be hip. Especially if you start to hear strange sounds in the forest - don't hipesh! If you start to hip and look around nervously, you are in trouble. It will immediately seem that you see some kind of flickering, it will seem to you that behind the trees someone or something is moving so bscnhj that the eye cannot keep track of ... After some time, the flickering will subside. And then, when the Wendigo barks right above your ear, you will realize that he was just getting closer to you. And you will jerk ... You will jump into your last race. 7-th letter from mr. McGrogan

From a practical point of view, the Wendigo is above all an exceptional cannibal hunter. It is difficult to determine who he is first of all: after all, a creepy ogre, or just a hunter. Not a trapper trapper, but a frog hound. So, on the one hand, wendigo feeds exclusively on human flesh. In preparation for the long winter (when there are fewer fresh tourists), the Wendigo even stocks up on tree branches in a large cauldron, filling it to the brim with human flesh. On rare occasions, wendigo keeps supplies in their den and fresh. Among his preferences: the sweet fat of children, the soft skin of women, the fleshy parts of men, the fragile bones of the elderly.

On the other hand, it is common knowledge that the Wendigo is able to enjoy hunting like no other, getting incredible pleasure from the gradual transition of the self-confident Yankee from the state of a frivolous tourist-hunter to a distraught fugitive victim. I must say that the Wendigo conducts this score masterfully, fortunately, he has something to create his own theme: striking the imagination of handsome fangs and plexus-claws (the former easily pierce human skulls, and the message can tear and cut everything, even mithril), absolute musical ear (recognizes the heartbeat tone of the selected victim for many miles), all-weather and night vision (seemingly in infrared mode), amazing onomatopoeia and sound production (can reproduce any voices, his whistle has the hypnotic power of luring a person to the place where he is hiding wendigo). And, of course, his chorus: wolves and bears summoned from the darkest thickets, crows and eagles, for whose songs the wendigo pays with a part of the prey. The appropriate surroundings are created by controlled atmospheric phenomena: from a whispering breeze to a stormy storm. Agree, an impressive accompaniment. To this it should also be added that experienced Wendigos can also use lighting effects to enhance the emotional response from their concert. In particular, they are able to cause the onset of darkness at least an hour ahead of schedule.

All this wendigo is the curse of the North American continent.

How and where it comes from, no one knows for certain. However, there are several versions:

1. Heroic - in order to ward off the threat from the native tribe in a difficult time of trial, the most powerful warrior of the tribe sacrifices his soul to the spirits of the forest. So he turns into a terrible monster, capable of intimidating any enemy. When the threat to the tribe is eliminated, the monster warrior goes into the deepest thicket, where his heart turns into an ice stone - a person becomes a wendigo.

2. Magic - they say that the shaman or sorcerer who is overly addicted to black, harmful magic turns into a wendigo. Some, however, stipulate that for the actual transformation into a Wendigo there is a small, but very important condition - the sorcerer will not become a monster until he tastes human flesh. It seems that for those who are purposefully looking for such a metamorphosis, this is not the biggest test.

The first symptom of transformation into a wendigo is the appearance of a strange smell that only the future monster can sense. After the appearance of this odor disturbing the soul, the victim wakes up at night from the horror of nightmares and his own crying. Further, the person begins to feel a burning pain in the legs and feet, which becomes so intolerable that the person runs away into the forest, throwing off his shoes and clothes. This is how not only sorcerers and shamans who have violated tribal taboos are transformed into wendigo, but also those who have fallen under the curse of the wendigo. Most of the damned victims will never return from the forest, and those who do come back will remain insane forever.

3. Accidentally infectious - it is believed that any casual hunter who is simply unlucky to meet a real wendigo in the night forest, whose old body is worn out, can become a wendigo. In this case, the monster will not only kill the unlucky traveler, but will itself move into his body. Still wendigo - the spirit after all - can settle in a person if he falls asleep in the forest. However, spending the night under one's own roof is also not a panacea for wendigo.

The moment of penetration of the spirit into a person is marked by severe nausea and pain. Uncontrolled vomiting, for several hours without interruption, up to gastric juice and blood. In the end, a person loses a huge amount of blood and inevitably dies. Meanwhile, the body is undergoing a terrible transformation. The body grows in volume, a thick layer of white fur appears. Physical strength and weight increase significantly, supernatural forces are included in the process. The spirit of the wendigo implants purely animal components into the human body - powerful fangs and sharp teeth. Nails metamorphic into sharpest claws. Then the evil spirit revives the body, not as a person, but as a bloodthirsty beast known as the wendigo.

4. Dastardly gastronomic - among the North American Indians there are also such stories related to the birth of the Wendigo ... “These stories usually talk about a harsh winter, and about someone cut off from the outside world, left without food. Trying to survive, he eats up his family or friends. Only now he still does not manage to survive, since his atrocity destroys everything human in him ... ”.

5. Voluntary - there are always people who want to become monsters themselves. Those who want to become Wendigo start by starving. It lasts for several days, after which the person goes to the forest. There he offers his body to a Wendigo. He can accept his body both as shelter and food. However, it sometimes happens that the Wendigo adopts such volunteers, as it were. Over time, their bodies are abundantly covered with hair, claws grow, their eyes become yellow and ogre, a craving for raw human flesh develops, various supernatural abilities begin to manifest. Although such Wendig "adoptees" are much weaker than their stepfathers.

But these are all abstract questions. The fact remains that wendigo exists and must be fought with. Fighting Wendigo is difficult, but possible.

Firstly, by its icy nature, wendigo cannot but be afraid of fire. Therefore, having spent the night in the forest, always keep the fire burning, not smoldering. The time spent on harvesting firewood will pay off. Secondly, take care of the local shamans with protective amulets and talismans ahead of time. If you neglected it, plug your ears at least with some headphones. Earplugs, at worst. Yes, just cotton wool from a Narvi quilted jacket ... However, most of all - silver. But not just a cross on a chain (wendigo is not a vampire, for him it's just a bauble), but a silvered blade or an Argentum bullet in the barrel: any wounds in a wendigo heal very (very!) Quickly. The only exceptions are those that were inflicted with a silver weapon. These two things - fire and silver - are very painful and even deadly for the Wendigo.

If you are going to wet the wendigo, then you need to act seriously and for sure. Remember - there will be no turning back. An incompletely killed Wendigo will pursue his failed killer even across the oceans. There were such cases. So, stock up on silver bullets and a silver knife. Better a knife, you probably don't handle a sword very well. You can also silver the ax. In any case, it will be more convenient to cut the body of a wendigo with an ax than with a knife. But it is necessary to butcher. While some say that "the only sure way to really kill a Wendigo is to burn it to the ground and make sure that the frozen heart melts," shamans advise to be more pedantic:

After localizing the monster (which in itself is already a difficult task), its heart should be pierced with some sharp silver object (stake, arrow, knife, ax, bullet - of your choice). Then the body should be dismembered (here you will need an ax with a silver-plated blade) in order to collect the fragments of the ice heart and securely fix them in any silver container. After that, these containers with parts of the wendigo heart should be buried in consecrated places such as a cemetery or some kind of tomb (it is possible in a church or some other religious building of any religious color). The body of the wendigo itself, dismembered with a silver ax, should be sprinkled with salt (each part of the body is salted separately) and burned to the ground, scattering the dust in the wind, or hiding in extremely far apart and inaccessible places (the seabed, the bottom of a canyon, or what something like that).

This is how they are, Wendigo.

edited news VENDETTA - 22-02-2012, 10:57

Let's make the Secret World bestiary on the sly!

Bestiary: Wendigo

Bestiary: Wendigo

Wendigo

Windigo- a variant of the spelling of the name Wendigo in Latin letters

Windigo

Windigo- a variant of the Russian spelling of the name Wendigo

In a cape of white matted wool, not much more than just a tall man, incredibly skinny and bony, sometimes without the tips of ears, a few fingers, a nose or lips, completely bald or very, very shaggy - this is a Wendigo, an ice monster of the Algolkin tribes; a monster, once a man, and now a creature feeding his insatiable hunger with human flesh. This is not a simple monster. Wendigo- the bodily embodiment of the metaphysical spirit of the winter Cold and Hunger.

From a practical point of view, the Wendigo is above all an exceptional cannibal hunter. It is difficult to determine who he is first of all: after all, a creepy ogre, or just a hunter. Not a trapper trapper, but a frog hound. So, on the one hand, wendigo feeds exclusively on human flesh. In preparation for the long winter (when there are fewer fresh tourists), the Wendigo even stocks up on tree branches in a large cauldron, filling it to the brim with human flesh. On rare occasions, wendigo keeps supplies in their den and fresh. Among his preferences: the sweet fat of children, the soft skin of women, the fleshy parts of men, the fragile bones of the elderly.

On the other hand, it is common knowledge that the Wendigo is able to enjoy hunting like no other, getting incredible pleasure from the gradual transition of the self-confident Yankee from the state of a frivolous tourist-hunter to a distraught fugitive victim. It must be said that the Wendigo conducts this score masterfully, fortunately, he has something to create his own theme: striking the imagination of handsome fangs and plexus claws (the former easily pierce human skulls, and the last can tear and cut everything, even mithril), absolute musical ear (recognizes the heartbeat tone of the selected victim for many miles), all-weather and night vision (seemingly in infrared mode), amazing onomatopoeia and sound production (can reproduce any voices, his whistle has the hypnotic power of luring a person to the place where he is hiding wendigo). And, of course, his chorus: wolves and bears summoned from the darkest thickets, crows and eagles, for whose songs the wendigo pays with a part of the prey. The appropriate surroundings are created by controlled atmospheric phenomena: from a whispering breeze to a stormy storm. Agree, an impressive accompaniment. To this it should also be added that experienced Wendigos can also use lighting effects to enhance the emotional response from their concert. In particular, they are capable of causing the onset of darkness at least an hour ahead of schedule.

Bestiary: Wendigo

Bestiary: Wendigo

All this wendigo is the curse of the North American continent.

How and where it comes from, no one knows for certain. However, there are several versions:

1. Heroic- in order to avert the threat from the native tribe in a difficult time of trials, the most powerful warrior of the tribe sacrifices his soul to the spirits of the forest. So he turns into a terrible monster, capable of intimidating any enemy. When the threat to the tribe is eliminated, the monster warrior goes into the most remote thicket, where his heart turns into an ice stone - a person becomes a wendigo.

He lives in the north, traps people and attacks them. Initially perceived as a symbol of insatiable hunger and hungry winter, later it began to serve as a warning against any excesses of human behavior.

Based on the myth, these creatures are tall, with a lipless mouth and sharp teeth, and his silhouette is similar to a human. Their bodies are translucent, consisting of ice, or animal, covered with thick wool. Despite the extreme thinness, wendigos are distinguished by their gluttony. They lure their victims with a whistle that resembles the rustle of the wind. Wendigo stories can be divided into two categories. Some argue that the Wendigo was created when a brave warrior sold his soul to ward off a threat from his tribe. When the threat was eliminated, he went into the forest thicket, and since then nothing has been heard of him. According to other legends, the wendigo gradually lost its human appearance due to the use of black magic, multiplied by cannibalism. Be that as it may, the Wendigo should be considered one of the most dangerous mythological creatures. There is also a theory that a wendigo is a creature that was once a man, but lost in the forest, or when some cataclysm occurs, a person on the verge of death from hunger decides to kill and eat his fellow traveler or friend, but after the meal, weeks pass , and a person loses his appearance, and hunger sets in, which he can only satisfy with human meat, and he can no longer return to normal life.

The Wendigo appeared in Episode 12 of the first season of Charmed, however, this creature looked more like a werewolf.

Mentioned in Episode 8 of Season 1 of Fear As It Is.

Also featured in Episode 1 of Season 2 of The Invisible Men.

In the computer game "Ghost Master" there is a ghost Windwalker. It belongs to the Wendigo subcategory.

Wendigo is also present in the online computer game World of Warcraft (the starting location for the Dwarves).


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Synonyms:

See what "Wendigo" is in other dictionaries:

    Sush., Number of synonyms: 1 spirit (136) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

    Wendigo Wendigo Episode Number Season 1, Episode 2 Location Blackwater Ridge, Lost River (Colorado) Supernatural Wendigo Scriptwriter Ron Milba ... Wikipedia

    Wendigo: Wendigo is an evil spirit, a character in North American Indian folklore. "Wendigo" episode of the TV series "Supernatural" ... Wikipedia

    Wendigo (Windigo) in the myths of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) and some other Algonquian tribes is a man-eating spirit. He lives in the north, traps people and attacks them. Initially perceived as a symbol of insatiable hunger, later began to serve ... ... Wikipedia

    - ... Wikipedia

    Supernatural Supernatural Screensaver of the fourth season of the series Genre Mysticism, horror, drama The author of the idea is Eric Kripke Produced ... Wikipedia

(Chippewa) and some other Algonquian tribes, the cannibal spirit. He lives in the north, traps people and attacks them. Initially perceived as a symbol of insatiable hunger, later began to serve as a warning against any excesses of human behavior.

Based on the myth, these creatures are tall, with a lipless mouth and sharp teeth. Their bodies are translucent, consisting of ice, or animal, covered with thick wool. Despite the extreme thinness, wendigos are distinguished by their gluttony. They lure their victims with a whistle that resembles the rustle of the wind. Wendigo stories can be divided into two categories. Some argue that the Wendigo was created when a brave warrior sold his soul to ward off a threat from his tribe. When the threat was eliminated, he went into the forest thicket and since then nothing has been heard of him. According to other legends, the wendigo gradually lost its human appearance due to the use of black magic, multiplied by cannibalism. Be that as it may, the Wendigo should be considered one of the most dangerous mythological creatures.

The Wendigo does not look like Bigfoot, contrary to misconceptions. He is taller than normal human height, very thin build. Sometimes they are covered with matted white hair, while others describe them as completely bald. Usually they simply chase their prey, but sometimes they take a different approach, witnesses claim that wendigos enjoy hunting. A lone traveler who finds himself in the forest begins to hear strange sounds. He looks around in search of the source - but sees nothing, except the flicker of something that is moving too fast for the human eye to detect. After some time, the flickering will subside, and the wendigo, perhaps, will quietly howl, because he likes active hunting. And when the traveler begins to run away in fear, the Wendigo attacks. He is powerful and strong like someone else.

He does not need to ambush his victim. He is faster and stronger than any human, but he enjoys his hunting games.

It is believed that the Wendigo does not take conventional weapons, including bullets. The beast can only be killed with fire.

Mention in art

Wendigo is a negative character in the 2nd episode of the first season of the TV series "Supernatural", the episode is called "Wendigo".

The Wendigo is the main theme of the feature film "Ravenous".

Wendigo appears in the Frozen Heart series of the Blood Ties television series.

Wendigo was mentioned in one of the episodes of the TV series "Charmed", but this creature looked more like a werewolf.

Acts in the novel "Little Wilderness" by Maria Galina.

Also mentioned in the 19th episode of the 4th season of the series "Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal" (the episode is called "Wendigo").

Also featured in the Marvel Comix X-Men series (Character Wendigo)

Mentioned in Episode 8 of Season 1 of "Fear As It Is"

Sources of

1. Mythological dictionary / Gl.red. E.M. Meletinsky - M .: "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1990 - 672 p.

Links

http://myths.kulichki.ru/ "Myths of the peoples of the world on Devil's Kulichki"


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Wendigo (evil spirit)" is in other dictionaries:

    Wendigo: Wendigo is an evil spirit, a character in North American Indian folklore. "Wendigo" episode of the TV series "Supernatural" ... Wikipedia

    See soul, smell, stench, direction, mood, custom, heart, courage, style in spirit, in full spirit, perk up, knock out the spirit, get the spirit, with one spirit, living spirit, evil spirit, give up the spirit, no spirit, unclean spirit, neither hearing nor spirit, ... ... Synonym dictionary

    This article should be wikified. Please fill it out according to the rules of article formatting. This term has other meanings, see Wendigo (disambiguation). Wendigo (Windigo) in myths ... Wikipedia

    This article is missing links to sources of information. The information must be verifiable, otherwise it can be questioned and deleted. You can ... Wikipedia

    An article about the main character Hulk (Marvel Comics) Throughout the existence of comics, cartoon series, computer games and films, the Hulk has encountered almost every character in the comic book universe of Marvel Comics. Some were his friends and ... ... Wikipedia

This mythical creature was first mentioned by anthropologists studying the culture of the Algonquian tribes. In legends and stories, this character personifies hunger, cannibalism and poverty. In tribal myths, several options for the birth of this creature are described.

Who is Wendigo?

According to one legend, the creature was born when a warrior went into the forest thicket, where he gradually lost his human appearance and subsequently began to engage in cannibalism. Therefore, the Wendigo is a cannibal who devours those who live near its habitat. The Algonquian tribes believed that the creature comes at night, kidnaps a person and eats him in his lair. Stories about the Wendigo say that it is almost impossible to defeat the spirit. To do this, you need to find his lair and fight with him.

What does a Wendigo look like?

According to research by anthropologists, the creature resembles a person a little. The spirit of the Wendigo has a large stature, thin build, sharp teeth and no lips. The character is often described as translucent, disappearing in the moonlight and never showing up on a sunny day. In a number of myths, the Wendigo demon has long hair that reaches the middle of the back, which looks greasy. It smells unpleasant, it is surrounded by insects.

Where does the Wendigo live?

The creature lives in the jungle or forest more often. His home is a cave or burrow, hidden in a secluded place where people rarely go. Wendigo is a nocturnal creature, it goes hunting after midnight, when the inhabitants of the surrounding villages are sound asleep. He returns to his lair before dawn, where he spends the daytime. The evil spirit Wendigo has good hearing and is smart, so sneaking into his cave while he is sleeping is very difficult. The monster's lair is surrounded by traps it has created.


Does Wendigo exist?

Scientists argue that in reality it does not exist. The Wendigo (Demon of the Forest), like the rest of the legendary monsters, is just a fruit. Psychiatrists, anthropologists, historians and other specialists unanimously say that there are several reasons for believing in the reality of a monster:

  1. Ignorance and explanation of what is happening around mystical reasons.
  2. , also called Wendigo syndrome.
  3. , in which even banal things and events are mistaken for monsters.

How to kill a Wendigo?

It is very difficult to do this, but shamans claim that there is a way to destroy the monster. According to myths, you need to hunt down the monster and find its lair in order to lure it out into the sunlight, during the day it is more relaxed and less dangerous. Next, you should adhere to several rules:

  1. The creature is afraid of silver and fire, so you need to use a torch and arrows, knives and axes made of the mentioned metal.
  2. You cannot kill a monster with one wound. He will die only after being dismembered.
  3. It is necessary to use special amulets that the shaman will make. The number of these charms must be 6, otherwise they will not work. A number of amulets are designed to give a person strength, the rest protect him from the monster.
  4. After killing, the dismembered body should be sprinkled with salt and burned. The ashes will need to be scattered in the wind, carefully monitoring so that it does not settle in a hill.

A person who decides to get rid of a monster should be very careful. The rage of the Wendigo is what the myths warn about, which say that a wounded but surviving beast will pursue its failed killer for life, so it is very important to make sure that the creature died, and not just received severe injuries. The spirit is tenacious and can recover even after multiple deep wounds.


Wendigo - Legends

There are three main myths about the birth of this evil spirits.

  1. According to one, a certain hunter sold his soul to the dark forces in order to save the tribe from extinction, so he turned into a monster and went into the forest.
  2. The second myth says that two comrades went into the thicket, where they got lost, they had almost no chance of salvation, and hunger tormented them more and more. One of the friends killed and ate the second and subsequently lost his human form.
  3. The last legend tells about the curse of the Wendigo, allegedly a shaman cast a spell on the hunter for greed and self-interest, which led to the starvation of fellow villagers.

All of these myths have a similar feature. In each story, the participants were threatened with hunger, death from lack of food. The evil spirit of the Wendigo in all myths is a cannibal who devours his fellow tribesmen and those he meets near the lair. It is believed that some parts of the stories could be reality, cannibalism in difficult times for tribes is a proven fact.

Movies about Wendigo

Directors and screenwriters often turn to legends and film them. The topic of cannibalism and killing for the sake of survival also did not remain uncovered by them. In both pictures, the monsters have a different name, but their habits clearly indicate that we are talking about the mentioned character. The most famous TV series and films about Wendigo are:

  1. Wendigo Rage(1995, USA).
  2. "Wendigo"(2011, USA).
  3. Dead Birds(2013, Iceland).
  4. "Cannibal"(1999, Czech Republic, Great Britain, USA).
  5. "The Night Was Dark"(2014, USA).
  6. "Last winter"(2006, USA, Iceland).
  7. "The lone ranger"(2013, USA).
In a number of mystical series, you can also find a similar character. He is mentioned in the series:
  1. "Pines"(2015, USA).
  2. "Charmed"(1998 (season 1, episode 12), USA).
  3. "Supernatural"(2005 (season 1, episode 2), USA).
  4. "Grimm"(2011 (season 2, episode 11), USA).
  5. "Fear As It Is"(2008 (season 1, episode 8), USA).
Fans of mysticism are advised to pay attention to the books:
  1. "Wendigo" E. Blackwood.
  2. "Malaya Glusha" M. Galina.
  3. "Wendigo, Demon of the Forest" E. Verkin.

Similar publications