Wendigo

One of the most frightening monsters associated with winter is the Wendigo. Described as a half dead looking creature without eyes. Its a giant in stature, which could be up to 10 feet tall, reaching up to the pine trees! It gives off a nasty odour that reeks of decay. It is humanlike in form but later versions added horns and antlers on its head! The appearance may vary in different places across the Americas. This creature is from Native American folklore, and is much linked with famine, the severe cold, greed and cannibalism. Its heart if made of ice. The wendigo eats human flesh, leaving traces similar to frostbite, it can also create frost damage to the body. It can invoke feelings of anger and cannibalistic cravings during winter famines. Also described as an evil spirit. According to the Ojibwe People's Dictionary, the wendigo is a "winter cannibal monster". It's got missing cheeks and lips after eating itself! The wendigo is said to prey on humans, especially children. Some believe the wendigo can possess people, and they eventually become full of hate and cannibalistic, their bones turn to ice. They can either be cured by drinking heated fat from a bear or they can be killed. The winter has driven some people to commit terrible murders and cannibalism so that there is a term in psychiatry called "wendigo psychosis". In modern times, the wendigo has been portrayed as a nicer looking deerlike ghost instead of a rotting giant corpse. Despite all of its evil reputation, the Athabaskan people regard the wendigo as owning ancestral wisdom.

Shadow Girl