Wendigo

[fruittrees]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo

Alvin Schwartz's Impressions
http://books.google.com/books?id=qjeXf1 ... GoyaDIBWfQ

Cheers

[Lobo]

I have an intrepretation of the Wendigo tattooed on my left calf.
similar to the attached file.

[onekatietwo]

Ooooh. That's a weird one. How do I miss all these legends, folklore and strange historic occurrences? Thank god for HomeTown Tales, with out, I would be so tragically ignorant.

And man, that is weird. 'Culture bound disorders' are so very intriguing and strange.

[Emily]

The wendigo has always been one of my favorite tales. I remember hearing the story over a campfire when I was very young and being absolutely terrified.
It is not mentioned in the wikipedia article but somewhere I read a French Canadian voyageur variation on the tale. Basically, the Wendigo would call your name on stormy nights in the woods and if you answered the wendigo would make you chase him until you wore off your feet and died.

[Daniel]

That's a bizarre twist to the legend. Make you chase him? Where there no tags backs? I hate being "it" with no tag backs.

Granted, the "until you wore off your feet and died" part made me laugh out loud...then kind of freaked me out for a while. Once the thought sinks in, it's creepy.

[Emily]

My personal theory is that that twist on the Wendigo legend was trying to explain why some of the voyageurs went stark raving nutters from the solitude or from being snowed in to long. Like that Cabin Fever episode of the Simpsons. They would spend all winter in the back country in small groups or even alone trapping pelts and it definately got to some of them. If your friend started hearing voices and ran out into a snowstorm, what could it be but an evil spirit?

[Lobo]

[quote="Emily"]My personal theory is that that twist on the Wendigo legend was trying to explain why some of the voyageurs went stark raving nutters from the solitude or from being snowed in to long. Like that Cabin Fever episode of the Simpsons. They would spend all winter in the back country in small groups or even alone trapping pelts and it definately got to some of them. If your friend started hearing voices and ran out into a snowstorm, what could it be but an evil spirit?[/quote]



Yes but what about the legends that were established way before the white man even came here???

[Emily]

[quote="Lobo"]
Yes but what about the legends that were established way before the white man even came here???[/quote]

I would love to find a good source for those, actually. The one variation on the Wendigo story I mentioned I believe was in a book of French Canadian stories, so it probably comes from after the Europeans. Most of the books of native legends I have read are either ridiculously edited (I.E. all the sex, violence etc removed) or anthropology texts which make dry reading. If anyone knows any good books, I always love suggestions.

[DanielleRVA]

I know the show Supernatural did a really cool Wendigo episode. Always enjoyed stories about them.

[Lobo]

Thanks for the info...I will be checking this out.