Exploring the Wendigo: Real Psychosis and Cautionary Tale

The wendigo (sometimes windigo) stalks through icy forests, hunting prey that will never fill the freezing hollow of its hunger... there's no doubt this cannibalistic creature of Algonquian folklore is a figure of horror.

Not only does it embody starvation and greed, the monster has lent its name to a real-world psychosis that drives sufferers to feast on their fellow humans. Let's explore...

• The Wendigo: Cold Heart, Horned Skull and Bottomless Hunger
• Becoming a Wendigo
• Stopping a Wendigo
• Wendigo Psychosis
• The Case of Swift Runner: Real Life Wendigo?

The Wendigo: Cold Heart, Horned Skull and Bottomless Hunger

What is a wendigo? Well, depending on the story they can come in two forms - a physical predator or a possessing spirit, both of which hunger for human flesh.

Descriptions of the wendigo's physical form vary from tale to tale, but there are a few common features. The creature is said to be much taller than a human (often around 15ft tall) but also emaciated. Pale or ashen flesh and exposed bone may be partially concealed by a coat of fur, but a pervasive smell of rotting meat hovers around the creature either way.

The wendigo is marked out as a predator by its claws and teeth - but it can also have horns or antlers crowning its head. Sunken and glowing eyes surmount a lipless mouth - the beast having chewed them off in its bottomless hunger. Beneath all that lies a frozen heart, which may need to be cast into a fire if the creature is to be vanquished.

As well as their durability and physical prowess, wendigo were often said to have supernatural powers at their disposal. Some tales claim they could walk above the snow without sinking, were able to conceal themselves from human eyes (though their scent gave some warning) and could perfectly mimic voices to lure prey into the woods.

There's also the intangible version of the wendigo. This dark spirit could enter a victim (usually someone greedy or gluttonous) through a bite or even through their dreams, corrupting them into a cannibalistic madman.

Becoming a Wendigo

Wendigo folklore is inextricably tied to cannibalism, with many stories revolving around the dangers of hunger, cold and isolation - common threats in the harsh winters.

Freezing, starving and far from help, the unthinkable could seem more like a necessary evil. Pushed beyond their limits by stress and hunger, a human could take the lives of their fellows and gorge on their corpses.

Those who gave in to this terrible hunger and tasted human flesh were considered likely to become a wendigo (if they hadn't already) but even those who hadn't feasted on their fellows were vulnerable if they were greedy or gluttonous. Some legends even suggest that a wendigo would seek out these people and infect them as a punishment for their behavior!

These stories probably served a practical purpose. Those who overhunted one season or tore through their supplies might deeply regret their gluttony when hard times hit. Meanwhile, those who refused to share resources with their fellows could find themselves ostracized for their greed when they themselves needed help.

Stopping a Wendigo

Getting rid of a wendigo was no easy task. Some stories tell of warriors using silver or iron blades or bullets to put the creature down, while others say that only a shaman versed in magic can do the deed. Other tales claim that the wendigo has a frozen heart (all that remains of the human it once was) that must be destroyed by flame.

The Passamaquoddy Indians have a legend of a Chenoo or Kewahqu' (their version of a wendigo) that is partially cured after losing some of his icy hearts. The tale begins when a Kewahqu' sticks his head into a wigwam, only for the quick-thinking woman inside to refer to him as her father. This pleases the icy cannibal, who actually ends up living with and helping the woman's family.

The tale culminates with the woman nursing the Kewahqu' back to health after a battle with his kin, during which she feeds him a medicine that makes him vomit. The cannibal throws up three icy hearts, two of which are quickly tossed in the fire. The remaining one is re-swallowed by the Kewahqu' but he is mostly cured of his cannibalistic affliction!

Wendigo Psychosis

One curious offshoot of wendigo folklore is the controversial diagnosis of "wendigo psychosis." It's described as a culture-bound syndrome found amongst Algonquin Indians, meaning that the condition doesn't typically show up outside that group.

Victims of the syndrome have delusions about being possessed by (or transforming into) a ravening monster, coupled with depression, violent tendencies and even a predilection for cannibalism. Now that probably sounds a little far-fetched, but consider the following conditions...

• Cotard's Syndrome: Victims may genuinely believe that they (or parts of their body) have died and are rotting away.
• Amok Syndrome: Derived from the Malaysian "meng-âmuk" or furious charge. Amok Syndrome was used to describe villagers suddenly flying into a frenzied rage, often killing several people before being slain or subdued. Local folklore claimed that it was a form of possession by a tiger-spirit - and it's where we get the phrase "running amok."
• Delusions of Control in Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is a broad condition, but it can include delusions of control - the feeling that your thoughts and actions are not your own.

Perhaps someone becoming convinced that they are being possessed by an evil, ravening spirit and are transforming into a rotting, hungry hulk isn't so implausible after all! Side note - there are a vast range of psychological conditions that could result in wendigo-like behavior, but for the sake of brevity I kept the list short!

The Case of Swift Runner: Real Life Wendigo?

In 1879 Alberta, a Cree trapper known as Swift Runner was executed by hanging. His crime was horrific (the murder and cannibalization of his family) but his defense was bizarre. Swift Runner claimed to have been possessed by a windigo (the local version of wendigo.)

Swift Runner had turned up at a Catholic Mission in St. Albert during the spring of 1879, claiming to be the only member of his family that survived starvation over the winter. His story didn't quite add up though, since the trapper was clearly well fed. Not only that, he seemed to experience horrible nightmares as he slept... and eventually let slip that he was being tormented by the spirit of a windigo.

Police escorted the trapper back to his camp outside Edmonton, where they discovered the butchered remains of his family. Confronted with the crime scene, Swift Runner confessed to the murders (though stuck to his claims of possession) and was executed as a result.

Thanks for reading - you might also like..

• Disturb These 5 Real-Life Vampire Graves at Your Peril...
• El Chupacabra: Did a Sick Dog Spawn an Urban Legend?

Sources and Further Info:

• Encyclopedia Britannica: Wendigo
• The Canadian Encyclopedia: Windigo
• EBSCO: Wendigo (folklore)
• The Story of the Great Chenoo, as told by the Passamaquoddies.
• APA Dictionary: Windigo Psychosis
• Evil spirit made man eat family