The Wendigo is a supernatural creature originating from Algonquian myth and folklore. It is typically described as a gaunt, ghoulish humanoid associated with a foul stench and an insatiable craving for human flesh. In some traditions, its size is phenomenal, being taller than the tallest trees. In popular culture, Wendigos have been depicted in various ways, often as monstrous humanoids, sometimes with horns or antlers, associated with the Northern winds and/or cannibalism. In some depictions, humans can be possessed by or transformed into Wendigos.
The Wendigo featured in the Cthulhu Mythos is derived from Algernon Blackwood's 1910 novella The Wendigo. It was first incorporated into the Mythos by August Derleth, and is intimately associated with Derleth's creation, Ithaqua.
The exact relationship between Ithaqua and the Wendigo varies across media. Sometimes the Wendigo is seen as a "cousin" of Ithaqua (AWD: "The Seal of R'lyeh"), sometimes as an avatar of it (EXP: "Born of the Winds"), and sometimes as an entire species of creatures that serve the boreal giant. (EXP: Ye Booke of Monstres)
Description[]
In Algernon Blackwood's novella, the Wendigo is a large beast that takes up humans as companions, apparently affecting their minds in some way and forcing them to run through the forest side by side with the creature. The Wendigo's presence is signaled by a strong smell. The creature runs at extreme speeds, burning the ground with its footsteps and running over the treetops, possibly to the point of running in the air itself. The abducted human will be forced to run so fast to accompany it that their feet will burn away, and regrow in the shape of the Wendigo's feet. Once in the sky, the Wendigo will drop its human companion to the ground. Those who survive the experience may still find themselves physically and psychologically altered somehow. In contrast to the well-known tales about cannibalism, Blackwood's Wendigo feeds exclusively on moss. (ADJ: The Wendigo)
In the works of August Derleth, the Wendigo is identified as a cousin of Ithaqua, and master of the Shantaks that fly from Kadath in the Cold Waste to do its bidding. Both Ithaqua and the Wendigo are also known as "Wind-Walker". (AWD: "The Seal of R'lyeh")
In the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, the Wendigo is another name for Ithaqua itself, but the word is also used to refer to the humans and other creatures that have been physiologically transformed by it and forced to accompany it in its travels. In humans, it is claimed that "this transformation leads to the complete destruction of the feet, immunity to freezing temperatures, and unendurable cannibalistic tendencies which bring on madness". (EXP: S. Petersen's Field Guide to Cthulhu Monsters)
Unlike Blackwood's portrayal, the Wendigo who serve Ithaqua are carnivorous, and feed on live prey, although in some cases they prefer to abduct victims and take them to their overlord, who transforms the victim into another Wendigo to join its entourage. Like Ithaqua itself, these Wendigo can walk on the wind. A certified way to kill a Wendigo instantly is to pierce its heart with a hot object. (EXP: Ye Booke of Monstres)
Gallery[]
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