An illustration of the Wendigo, a fearsome creature from Native American lore. There are many different stories associated with this mystic being. Others saw a headless horseman, riding backwards on his horse. Despite the psychological explanation, reports of Wendigo sightings have continued into the 21st century, especially any time a particularly brutal winter rolls around. I settled down a bit and started asking them if they had seen or heard anything. i have also lived in wisconson half my life and i only know the hodag, Your email address will not be published. The Wendigo roams the upper regions of Minnesota with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Normally Im the type of person that would go out and look for myself, maybe even going down by the pond to explore and find something, but this case shuts all of that down. Im of the mind that things beyond our comprehension and everyday scope absolutely do exist, and this is one I wont be messing with or going on adventures to see again. Other sightings have been reported northwest of Crivitz in a large expanse of wetlands and hardwood forest. More sightings in the Bay followed in the 1930s, '60s, '70s and '80s. Education Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancers first intellectual loves. In Native folklore, it was called N'ha-a . This had sent horrendous chills down my spine, So I ran the fastest Ive ever had back towards the campsite, while I heard the twigs and leaves crunching behind me. Other names include Windigo, Witiko, Weedigo . At that time, lead miners were pouring into the region following a trail that the Indians used to take from Central Wisconsin to the Mississippi River. Two consecutive notes with roughly a three to four second gap and then two more consecutive notes. He and his wife watched it briefly, unable to understand what they were looking at. Skinwalkers are shape-shifting witches able to assume the attributes of various animals, especially canines. Though their legend has changed over the years, many of their main characteristics are fairly steady-and sightings of them continue to roll in . Many still believe that the Wendigo roams the woods and the prairies of northern Minnesota and Canada. During a brutally cold winter, this mans intense hunger drove him to cannibalism. Indeed, one was seen as perfectly able to be changed into a Wendigo, in most cases if they resorted to eating the meat of another person, or through magic woven by another Wendigo, and humans were also at times said to be possessed by the creatures. I also became increasingly paranoid that someone or something was out there with me. The description fit perfectly and made my blood run even colder. Whatever this person or thing was, it was about five feet up in a tree. A wendigo is a fifteen-foot-tall monster with a hairy body, glowing . My town is small and everything is silent and dark by 9:00pm. The lore of the Wendigo, which is often ominously translated as the evil spirit that devours mankind, varies slightly from tribe to tribe, but it is always seen as a malevolent creature with an intense, uncontrollable perpetual hunger for human flesh, and often said to possess the minds of others in order to drive them to cannibalism. Theres been a ghost reported along the old road in southwestern Wisconsin since the pioneer days of the early 1840s. Blackwood's Wendigo is a mystical creature, representing the lure of the wilderness. Believing it must be a large buck, the couple proceeded down the trail hoping to get a glimpse of it. The Story Behind the Special Wisconsin Cheese Back on Sale, Old World Wisconsin Provides a Historical Home for the Holidays, A Landmark Farm Enjoys New Life as a Community Education Center with a Focus on Healthy Food, The 5 Hottest Majors at the University of Wisconsin Right Now, Wisconsin's 7 Weirdest Towns & Why They're Called That, 8 Cheese Factories You Can Visit in Wisconsin. Another report comes from Reddit user Katzaidanj, who does not specify his exact location, but assures us that it is an area where Wendigos could and have been spotted. It started with finding mutilated animals around the remote property in rather grisly fashion, including dead foxes and deer that had had their spinal columns torn out and strewn around, as well as vicious claw and teeth marks and limbs rendered from their bodies. A hairy humanoid with canine features, the Beast of Bray Road, has been sighted in Wisconsin dating back to 1936 on a rural road outside of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. 8 Cheese Factories You Can Visit in Wisconsin, Get exclusive Wisconsin stories & news right in your inbox. They would prevent the snakes from overrunning the earth and devouring mankind, according to Menominee folklore. While not exactly dealing with cryptids, the Second Salem town of Whitewater is known for its stories of witches and spirits. The case of Wendigo psychosis spreading among the Algonquin peoples and the missionary travelers among them is a famously recorded example of appearances of Wendigos in the world. At this point in the transformation, it was seen as beyond the point of using rituals or ceremonies, and that a shaman was needed to battle the creature, put it to death, and consecrate the corpse. Whilst there are slight variations as to the physical description of this creature amongst the different Algonquian peoples, it is generally agreed that Wendigo have glowing eyes, long yellowed fangs and long tongues. The part I never like to talk about. According to the Native legend, any human who eats another human, for whatever reason, even starvation, is transformed into a wendigo. Cookie Notice David kept it to himself, however, and they continued walking the trail until they reached a point where the path branched off to the right, and a snowmobile trail went to the left. Into the days of settlers there were many cases of even the white man coming across these abominations, and the creatures were often blamed for missing persons. That feeling is undeniable once you are familiar with it. I live in an apartment complex that is on the end of a residential street, so most of the street is older houses. Others say he walks in a more haggard manner, as if he is falling apart. It's a bony, emaciated beast with desiccated gray skin and hollow, sunken eyes. His saddled and bridled horse returned to the saloon without a rider. In the wilds and cold expanses of the North American continent, the Natives of the region had their own stories of sinister entities that stalked the night, and they too had those who would fight them. NASA's Photos From Mars: Don't Tell Me the Red Planet Wasn't Once a Thriving World! I do remember antlers, and matted fur, but nothing gaunt or skeletal. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Scare Yourself Senseless at These Haunted Wisconsin Attractions, $209 a pound?! The voice calling me was a harsh, raspy, animalistic in tone imitation of my sisters voice, who had just recently left the trip due to stress only a few hours ago. What was this thing? The Wendigo (also known as the Windigo, Windago, Witiko, Wee-tee-go, Wihtikow, Waindigo and several other variants) is a cannibalistic spirit resembling a zombie. . Primary Editor: Jia-Rui Cook. Other stories describe it more like a thin bipedal bear creature with a skeletal head and antlers. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash-gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. Originating within the myths and lore of various Algonquin-speaking tribes of Nova Scotia, the East Coast of Canada, and Great Lakes Region of Canada and in Wisconsin, United States, including such tribes as the Ojibwe, the Saulteaux, the Cree, the Naskapi, and the Innu, the monstrous entity called the Wendigo has long been feared. Ever since that night Ive been thinking about it and running through all of the possibilities of what it could be, but always coming up with no explanation. The Wendigo has been described as a giant with a heart of ice, recessed eye holes and a lipless maw for a mouth. Just about the only thing scarier might be what one would do if the starvation became too much to handle. Other stories describe it more like a thin bipedal bear creature with a skeletal head and antlers. But there is another aspect, according to which the Wendigo is something like . - YouTube 0:00 / 20:27 WENDIGO Sighting Near Pikes Peak, Colorado? Perhaps one of the most unique and famous beasts on this list is the Rhinelander Hodag. The blazing force of nature had almost burned my face when I was just stopped mid fall, I hadnt gained my balance it was just as if someone was hanging on to me and pulled me back. You can view the map here. There are many local traditions of the Wendigo with slightly different details in its appearance and abilities depending on the region, but it is always said to be frightening, and there are also variations in their powers. In fact, Fiddle and his brother, Pesequan, were widely thought by the Cree to be the most powerful Wendigo hunters there were, with Fiddler once claiming to have personally killed 14 of the foul beasts over his lifetime, including one of his own brothers who had apparently gone Wendigo after having resorted to cannibalism out on a trading expedition in order to survive. Shepard reported that it had the head of a frog, the grinning face of a giant elephant, thick short legs set off by huge claws, the back of a dinosaur, and a long tail with spears at the end.. Many of us are packing up and heading into the great outdoors for a fun array of activities like swimming, biking, hiking, hammock napping, and scary campfire stories. For context: I love the supernatural, paranormal, and true crime. Originally the lake was referred to as Mde Wakan or Bad Spirit Lake by the local Nakota Sioux for its deep, cold, and salt-infested waters. Probably Not! Wikimedia CommonsA Wendigo Manitou carving on Mount Trudee in Silver Bay, Minnesota. Her most recent book is American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America. As they made their way back toward the road to leave, a strong odor filled the air. They are said to possess powers such as mimicking voices, superhuman strength, mind control, weather manipulation, the generation of darkness, and the ability to create confusion and fear, as well as others. Black Earth, Wisconsin: Trails Books, 1997. Have you had a similar experience in the Two Rivers area? One of the most infamous cases is the story of Swift Runner, a Native American man who murdered and ate his whole family during the winter of 1879. This is one of the two most well-known creatures on our list. The whistling continued for what felt like forever but thinking it through was maybe five minutes when Ryan finally yelled out into the darkness. Once he has infiltrated their minds, he can turn them into wendigos as well, instilling upon them a similar lust for human flesh. Under those circumstances, who could blame them for having a fear of starvation? In Native American folklore, the terrifying wendigo is often described as a gaunt and foul-smelling creature that roams the woods in search of human flesh to consume. It was all very unsettling, indeed, but it was about to graduate into the horrifying. The thing is massive. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. One report comes from a witness on Reddit called universemasterOnGram, who says that he is of Native American descent and that this happened near an unspecified reservation on a camping trip when he was 13 years old. (Twitter: @DiscoverWI), That is so cool I live in Wisconsin my hole life and I havent heard of some of those. After all, besides some of the telltale signs such as the generation of fear, general appearance, and what seems to be in some cases an effort to trick or draw in the victim, as well as the assertion from all of these witnesses that these were "Wendigos," we are left wondering if there is perhaps something else to this all. I went to that corner the last few days but always stopped because I just had a odd feeling about continuing, David said. British Columbia: Ogopogo. I would saw that if I had to run about 20 yards uphill through the woods it might take me 30-40 seconds. The brother Pesequan was subsequently found guilty and sentenced to hang by the government, although he died from illness in 1909 before the sentence could be carried out, sadly just three days before a pardon went through. Ogopogo is said to be a long, serpentine, aquatic creature that dwells in Lake Okanagan in the south central interior of British Columbia, Canada. As you can see, there are a large amount of sightings on the east . Most often described as a massive, hairy brute up to 15 feet tall, with a mix of human and animalistic features, the Wendigo has long been said to partake in acts of murder, insatiable greed, and cannibalism. This is still hard for me to wrap my head around because it shook me to my core, but this story takes place just over a year ago in late November 2018. But I wasnt sure if I hit the deer or not so we walked over there and started looking for my arrow, still constantly watching around near us, and we couldnt find my arrow anywhere.. Me and my wife were walking a bridle trail bow hunting in Nipissing Swamp State Natural Area, David wrote, when I started to feel like we were being watched.. By then, the hodag was so much a part of Rhinelander culture that the city is known as The Home of the Hodag, and boasts a Hodag Country Festival, several hodag statues and has a hodag as the mascot of the high school teams. The Wendigo has been described in many ways, but they all have common traits. Basically, the word wendigo can also function as a symbol for gluttony and the image of excess. He called out a few more times, but there was only silence. They had come out to hunt, after all. The whistling stopped. There exist many local stories of the Witches Triangle intersecting graveyards, the Witches Tower barricaded water tower, and a mysterious locked book that is said to be in the special collections section of the Anderson Library, which according to hearsay, leads to the deaths of those who read it. YouTubeAn illustration of the Wendigo, a fearsome creature from Native American lore. (Owner, manager, employee, etc. It is still terrifying to talk or think about. It is the most I have ever been scared and the most that adrenaline has ever flowed through me. In fact, many anthropologists believe that the concept of a wendigo only developed after the Native people had contact with the Europeans. The local tension leading up to such accusations may even be comparable to the fear that preceded the Salem witch trials. Wisconsin Downtowns: Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse & Oshkosh, Visiting Eagle River Throughout the Seasons, Its All About Oulu: Past, Present & Future, Discovering the Hidden Gems of Wisconsin with Best Western, The History & Legends of Jefferson County. The wendigo, as described by the Chippewa and Ojibwe tribes, is a man who consumed the flesh of another human being. Citation: The Driftless Reader, by Curt Meine and Keene Keeler, p. 80, my grand father always called it Tawacunchukdah translates roughly to spirt lake. With its bones pushing out over its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into the sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. The Wendigo is a wicked spirit that haunts the wild areas of North America's Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes regions. My jaw was tight, my fist clenched, knowing I wasnt ready for whatever was out there if it was anything at all. Showers (available seasonally) Laundry (available seasonally) Potable Water (available seasonally) Windigo Camper Cabins (available seasonally) Call (906) 482-0984 or email isro_parkinfo@nps.gov for the most up-to-date information regarding the availability of services and amenities in Windigo prior to your trip. Required fields are marked *. From a Sasquatch lurking in the woods of Northwest Louisiana, to a feral girl roaming Catahoula Parish, to aliens in Pascagoula, the Gulf Coast region has encountered its fair share of bizarre, and often inexplicable, monster sightings. Some say its a sea serpent. We turned around, my eyes glued to the trees, and when we got to the middle of the houses I could see two eyes watching me through the two houses. The Ridgeway Ghost story begins at Sampsons Saloon in Ridgeway, where a peddler is said to have stopped in for a drink and was never seen again. My name is Charles Keeper, and I was an investigative reporter for a local paper in Wisconsin. I just kept thinking about what I saw. But ironically enough, these stories might actually represent the Indigenous peoples response to the horrific violence unleashed on them by non-Native people. Ive tried telling people in my life about all of this but, as most people do with this type of stuff, none of them really put any stock into it except my brother now that hes had this experience. But other reports compare the wendigo to a werewolf instead. After scientists from the Smithsonian Institution announced they were coming to town to investigate, Shepard admitted the hodag was a hoax. One hiker who was present said, Ive heard many different animals in the wild but nothing like this.. The name derives from the Ojibwa language for "Wiindigoo", originally used by the Algonquian Indians tribe of the northern forests, they believed that Wendigo were cannibalistic giants with supernatural powers, one of which was the ability to possess people and turn them into Wendigo. RSS. It all begin with Morris Pratt in 1889 where he built the Pratt Institute, which dealt with topics of spiritual studies long before the existence of UW-Whitewater. Wendigo is most often represented as a forest monster tall, insane, and violent. In modern times, such beliefs and traditions have faded, their traditions replaced by the inexorable march of science and the rational. Use the form below to suggest edits. Wendigo or not, it is very creepy, to say the least. "Massive" is the Word. The show also featured Wendigo sightings near Rice Lake and Trego. Food & Drink The first thought that comes to mind is the classic image of the Wendigo. 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