Something lurking in the woods wishes to feast on human flesh… Is it a human being inflicted with a cannibalistic spirit? Or an otherworldly cryptid all on its own? Or maybe it’s just someone suffering from a rather nasty psychotic break?
The Wedigo (also known as Windigo, Wiindigoo, Wìdjigò, and wīhtikōw in various First Nation languages) is a terrifying creature of Algonquian folklore.
In some traditions, the wendigo is the result of a human resorting to cannibalism. As a result of its heinous crimes, an evil hunger haunts them and turns them into a monster that continues to hunger for flesh.
In other traditions, the wendigo is a supernatural being. Standing around 15 feet tall, these giants are the embodiment of gluttony.
No matter how much they ate, they remained emaciated and famished. Thus the hunt for the most dangerous game (humans, in case you don’t know) continues.
Cannibalism has always been a taboo subject (for good reason!) and has created a number of boogeymen throughout the ages.
But with wendigos, it can be said that the boogeyman is real (sort of)! This is due to a condition being deemed “Wendigo Psychosis”.
Wendigo psychosis is a psychotic break in which a person would choose to consume human flesh. Due to it being such a rare occurrence (and also there being some disparity in the legitimacy of this specific condition), there are varying definitions.
One side describes wendigo psychosis as eating human mean despite other food being available.
Another says it comes on due to extreme cold temperatures and isolation (such as with the Donner Party). It comes on as an insatiable craving, but also as a last resort.
There is also the issue of ritualistic cannibalism (as seen in many societies throughout Australia, North America and Oceania to name a few). Is this considered mass wendigo psychosis when seemingly well-functioning societies participate in such rituals?
What about those with psychosis who express the desire to consume flesh, yet do not act on it? Maybe they are suffering from a mental break… Or maybe. JUST MAYBE. They have a wendigo spirit on their shoulder, looking for a way in to possess them.
(In reality, should you or anyone you know desire to eat human flesh or think you are possessed by a wendigo spirit, please seek out help via a therapist or call National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264)
Featured image from Cryptidz.Fandom.com. Caged Wendigo from greyloch on Flickr.com. Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya from WikiMedia Commons. All images on this site are free usage!
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