SKETCH-OF-THE-DAY 087

W is for Wendigo

The Wendigo is a malevolent, cannibalistic, and a downright horrible evil spirit common to the lore of north-eastern native American tribes - most notably, the Algonquian Indians. There are many descriptions of this eidolon but most boil down to a gaunt (almost skeletal) humanoid with nightmarish features seen skulking around cold and windy northern boreal forests chowing down on humans. A person can change into a Wendigo or be possessed by one - either causing cannibalism or because of it - not a good thing. And so the Wendigo is kinda the boogeyman of the Algonquians - used to keep tribe kids in line: "Hawk-in-the-Sky, stop biting your brother, you'll turn into a damn Wendigo."

Interestingly, there is a condition called "Wendigo Psychosis" (not kidding) where a sufferer, even in the presence of normal food like Doritos, craves nothing but the delicious flesh of a human - human steaks, human-kabobs, human casserole, human sandwich, human buffalo wings, and human smoothies. You name it - Wendigo Psychotics dig it.