By the Gods!

The Wendigo

The Wendigo is a malevolent, cannibalistic spirit from Algonquian mythology that has been popping up more and more in popular culture (the X-men canon of all places), so here is what you readers need to know to stay safe.

The Wendigo is depicted as an enormous creature with an insatiable appetite for man-flesh. It most often appears in First Nations mythology in the Northern United States and parts of Canada, ever-seeking its next meal. The beast represents famine, starvation, and the cold, so is most often seen as emaciated or skeletal in appearance, with an ash coloured hide. To really drive the point home on how unpleasant this thing is, it gives off a constant odour of decay, death, and corruption.

The worst part, however, is that the Wendigo spirit isn’t just a roaming physical form looking to gobble you up; people who have indulged in cannibalism are susceptible to Wendigo-possession. Scientists speculate that the experience varies from “horrifying” to “really really spooky.” So the next time you’re at a party and a plate of people-pops is passed around, remember: just say no, else Wen-di-go.