windigo
Cannibalistic ice demon
A windigo is a malevolent supernatural creature in Algonquian folklore—a cannibalistic spirit or a person transformed into a monster through consuming human flesh.
The windigo embodies the horror of starvation and the taboo of cannibalism, often depicted as gaunt, insatiably hungry, and growing larger with each victim.
Also spelled wendigo, wetiko, or wihtikow depending on the Indigenous language.
The hunters spoke of a windigo haunting the frozen woods.
Frightening imaginary creature
- spiritSoul, mood, or liquor
- giantBeing of huge size
- gauntLean from deprivation
- emaciatedAbnormally wasted from hunger
skeletal · glowing eyes · clawed · towering · pale · frostbitten · humanoid · transformed
Need for nourishment
- fleshSoft body matter
- man-eaterBeast that hunts humans
- devourerOne who consumes voraciously
- ravenousExtremely hungry, insatiable
insatiable · starvation · taboo · forbidden · consumption · craving · possession · transformation
Instance of perceiving something
- horrorExtreme fear or disgust
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- creatureLiving, sentient entity
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
unexplained · North Woods · reported · mysterious · nocturnal · elusive · terrifying · campfire story
Algonquian-speaking indigenous nation
- CreeAlgonquian people of Canada
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
storytelling · taboo · sacred · elder · shaman · medicine man · animism · tribal
Inability to feel satisfied
- excessSurplus beyond need
- gluttonyGreedy excess in consumption
- hoardingExcessive accumulation of goods
- consumptionUsing up of resources
emptiness · wanting · corruption · selfishness · exploitation · hunger · rapacity · moral decay
monster
Frightening imaginary creature
emaciated · skeletal · glowing eyes · clawed · towering · pale · frostbitten · humanoid · transformed · possessed
hunger
Need for nourishment
ravenous · insatiable · starvation · taboo · forbidden · consumption · craving · possession · transformation · survival
sighting
Instance of perceiving something
wilderness · unexplained · North Woods · reported · mysterious · nocturnal · elusive · terrifying · campfire story · haunting
Ojibwe
Algonquian-speaking indigenous nation
- CreeAlgonquian people of Canada
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
oral tradition · storytelling · taboo · sacred · elder · shaman · medicine man · animism · tribal · winter spirit
insatiability
Inability to feel satisfied
- excessSurplus beyond need
- gluttonyGreedy excess in consumption
- hoardingExcessive accumulation of goods
consumption · emptiness · wanting · corruption · selfishness · exploitation · hunger · rapacity · moral decay · obsession
blizzard
Violent prolonged snowstorm
snowstorm · ice · cold · howling wind · whiteout · desolate · harsh · bitter cold · freezing · tundra
- Native Folklorecreation myth, creation story, thunderbird, spirit animal, totem
- Northwest Folkloresasquatch, thunderbird, raven, totem pole, spirit animals
- cultural psychiatryrunning amok, cultural competence, pining, somatization
- OjibweOjibwe, Chippewa, wild rice, birchbark canoes, birch bark canoe
windigoguardian spirit
Protective supernatural being
manitou · angel · spirit guide · kachina · ancestor spirit
windigoprovider
One who furnishes things
nurturer · sharing · generosity · giver · benefactor