Talk:Wendigo

message: Just a note that this page was referenced/linked at the Weird Universe daily column on 7/21/08. Beeblbrox (talk) 06:02, 22 July 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Weird Universe

message: Deconstructhis: I agree that the justification used for adding the link was an incorrect one. However I would maintain that "Grendel was in fact a Windigo". I suspect that debating the historical veracity of Grendel's existence itself would lead us in the direction of "original research". Instead I will simply point out that the Windigo taboo generally applies to any cannibal and is based on the actually experience of cannibalism, as well as the threat posed by anyone who has been forced out of the band and is failing to survive on their own. Grendel behaves exactly like a Windigo, and qualifies under the definition of a Windigo, if perhaps a Windigo outside of the standard Algonquian language group terminology and cosmology. Hrimpurstala (talk) 05:51, 9 August 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry Hrimpurstala, but I'm afraid we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Wendigos are very specifically an entity in North American Algonquian language speaking traditional belief systems.  Grendel is quite specifically a single figure in a European legend. Although they may share the practice of cannibalism and alienation from their respective communities, both are conditions which are far from uncommon in many parts of the world throughout history. Linking the two of them together, as you are doing, requires an original thesis on your part, which of course is a violation of WP:OR. Unless you can provide a specific reference from a reputable source to justify the connection you're making, I don't think the precence of the link is justifiable in the context of the Wendigo article. To tell you the truth, in my opinion, because of the tenuousness of the connection, I'd suggest that the parallels are somewhat non-notable regardless. cheers Deconstructhis (talk) 16:00, 9 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Grendel

message: Although I only copy edited it, rather than removing it, I remain somewhat dubious of the appropriateness of the most recent addition to this section. Now that I've actually read the initial article that's being referred to, I'm even more convinced that this may simply be a case of coincidence and perhaps a little bit of self promotion on the part of the "wendigo expert". We have no evidence whatsoever that Li actually read this article, let alone was 'influenced' by it. I'll let it stand for now, but unless there's some clear evidence in the near future that ties the article and the event together more directly, I'm planning on removing it. I'd understand completely if another editor wasn't quite this generous. cheers Deconstructhis (talk) 13:04, 15 August 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I've removed it (and only half a year later!). The only source actually cited is the Edmonton Sun article (plus a follow-up), whose text is just duplicated for the third source. The Edmonton Sun being a tabloid paper. I haven't found mention of the windigo connection in any other (more reputable) sources, nor any mention of Li's reading a previous Sun article (which seems to just be sensationalist self-promotion by the Sun). Indeed, more recent sources (e.g.,  and ), discussing Li's plea and sentencing, reveal that he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and believed that God told him to attack McLean, who ("God" claimed) was planning to kill Li. No mention of any windigo psychosis or a belief on Li's part that he was somehow possessed by a windigo. --Miskwito (talk) 21:37, 4 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  New addition to "Windigo psychosis" section 

message: so, just wondering, has info about Bob from TP been previously removed from this article? because it seems like there are lots of dead end, half-references to the Bob character, throughout this article, but I don't see anything concrete, like a mention in the pop culture section or something. any Kyle Maclachan fans care to comment? 72.0.180.2 (talk) 10:56, 16 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: twin peaks

message: In the article is a sentence which mentions several TV-episodes, in which the Wendigo appears. And in the following list there are some more TV-series and detailed information about them. I can't see the reason for the different treatment. Wouldn't it be better to have either everything written out or nothing?Kommitanz (talk) 20:01, 13 November 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I suggest that you ask whoever has removed it. My guess would be because there is no source for the claim. Meters (talk) 16:56, 10 January 2018 (UTC)

text: Here is a link to support my suggestion. It's from the Sleepy Hollow Wiki page http://sleepyhollow.wikia.com/wiki/Wendigo  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:C7D:42C8:3900:A81E:A119:B39D:A60F (talk) 02:31, 15 January 2018 (UTC)
thread_title: TV appearances separation

message: The article states that a Wendigo is "a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform". Should this not be "a malevolent cannibalistic spirit which could transform into humans", or according to the legend could humans actually transform into this spirit? --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 13:22, 31 January 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: It's the humans that transform into the wendigo, or that are possessed, usually. That's the point of the taboo - if you resort to cannibalism, you'll become a wendigo.--Cúchullain t/c 13:32, 31 January 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Error? 

message: The article refers to the Donner party, saying they became lost in Colorado in 1846. That is incorrect, the Donner party went missing in the Sierra Nevadas in California in 1846, after traveling through Nevada and straying from the normal trail right before the Donner pass. Both the pass and Donner lake in the Sierra Nevadas have been named for the Donner party.
168.105.121.91 (talk) 19:00, 27 September 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Donner Party Error

message: I wanted to add that Fear Itself (TV show) has a very good Wendigo episode (episode 8) which provides what seems to be a pretty good representation of a Wendigo (and uses the term "Wendigo") so I thought I'd add it to the series listed which lists shows which have featured them, but I don't know how to link properly on wikipedia... :/ the episode is #8 "Skin and Bones" if anyone cares to link it properly..  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.56.151.34 (talk) 08:49, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fear itself 

message: I'm not an expert on doing citations properly, but the huge pile of almost-identical citations near the bottom without much notion of what it's actually citing worry me.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.60.115.152 (talk) 07:30, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Citations are done incorrectly 

message: I distinctly recall the Wendigo being a pivotal threat in one particular story of the Lovecraft Mythos, but I cannot find my copy, and so can provide neither title nor author. 
On an unrelated note, descriptions of the original Native versions struck a bell with me, and I cannot help but to wonder if the Wendigo is not a legendary memory of an actual (unknown) form of Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. The progressive psychosis and the connection to cannibalism are both suggestive. This is of course idle speculation, as it appears to be an extinct phenomenon (if it ever existed at all).Ernest C. Ruger (talk) 00:50, 3 October 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lovecraft 

message: I suggest that the material on the Wendigo psychosis be moved to a separate article, leaving only a brief reference and wikilink in this one. The mythological creature and the psychiatric disorder really belong to separate fields of study. 850 C (talk) 20:31, 29 June 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree. Doctorhawkes (talk) 23:35, 29 June 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Move Wendigo Psychosis to new article? 

message: "columbus and other cannibals" (jack d forbes) is the first source that springs to mind citably, but I know there are many other native american writers who've used Wendigo as a metaphor for the capitalist/industrial/exploitative attitude towards natural resources.
Also, add something about the way that in (some? all?) the cultures that describe Wendigo, its mention is seasonally taboo, (more dangerous in the winter) the same as several other stories(?) types of stories(?) about the supernatural. It's stuff I don't know how to summarize/cite yet, or don't have the resources. 96.42.44.124 (talk) 06:27, 16 October 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: In reading the article I found it quite extraordinary that there was absolutely no mention of Forbes' or his book, it seems a curious omission. 90.218.165.157 (talk) 18:43, 24 October 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Wendigo as critical concept 

message: Please add the following sources to the bibliography:
Brightman, Robert (2015). "The Return of the Windigo, Again," Semiotic Review http://www.semioticreview.com/index.php/thematic-issues/issue-monsters/29-the-return-of-the-windigo-again.html 
Smallman, Shawn (2014) Dangerous Spirits: the Windigo in Myth and HistoryItalic text' Victoria, BC: Heritage House Press.  
71.236.219.0 (talk) 23:04, 31 October 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done for now: Could you please note where these sources should be used in the article? Simply adding the sources doesn't help much if they do not act as inline citations. -- ferret (talk) 23:43, 31 October 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 31 October 2015 

message: In some Indigenous communities, environmental destruction and insatiable greed are also seen as a manifestation of Windigo Psychosis.[7]
If you go to this reference you will find it is an online blog with a definite agenda. You can find out just what that agenda is if you'd bothered to read it. If Wikipedia wants to maintain its credibility in the mainstream then its editors need to find unbiased sources from which to take references. That means a source without an axe to grind. As it is this source is a load of crap.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.252.183.253 (talk) 23:54, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: The site is Mohawk Nation News. They use software also used by bloggers, but it's their official site. - CorbieV ☊ ☼ 05:03, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

text: I agree with the above. The Mohawk Nation News column is an opinion piece using the wendigo as an allegory in reference to modern issues. It has absolutely nothing to do with historical Wendigo beliefs and has no place in the article. Everything referencing it as a source should be removed. Philip72 (talk) 01:17, 7 July 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  A Poorly Referenced Opinion 

message: Substituted at 10:23, 30 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title: Assessment comment

message: I apologize if I'm being dense, and meaning no insult to the photographer, but for the life of me I cannot make out any carving of anything in that photo. Is there a clearer example available? To me it just looks like a beautiful photo of a rock outcropping in the woods. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:246:0:ed97:194e:9162:4388:1ea5 (talk • contribs) 12:40, October 25, 2017 (UTC)
:I thought exactly the same thing - and after staring at this image for a good half hour I can't make out any signs of human carving or interference with this clearly natural rock formation. Very confused. Tracking this image back to the creator, there seems to be no additional information presented. Google plus account has many other dubious and seemingly unfounded assumptions. - 10 Dec 2017. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 103.226.113.44 (talk • contribs) 06:13, December 10, 2017 (UTC)
::Agreed; there is no corroboration  or official acknowledgement in regards to this being a carving. The creator is the only person to proclaim this find. Given that it's an otherwise unfounded example, should the image be removed in favour of a better example (or no example)? - 15 Dec 2017.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mothmvn (talk • contribs) 15:41, 15 December 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: I experienced the same thing - that photo doesn't look like much of anything, apart from a rocky cliffside in the wilderness - where is the carving? If the carving isn't apparent, ought there to be some kind of instruction on where to look? And if it's that hard to see - should that photo really be included? There's plenty of fine art depicting the article's subject. 174.25.1.104 (talk) 00:51, 5 January 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I also cannot make out the alleged carving nor find any corroborating evidence associating that location with the topic of the article.  I have removed it from the article with a comment requesting participation in this talk page discussion. ▸₷truthious Ⓑandersnatch◂ 04:22, 5 January 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I also agree with the removal. And just a note that the image was uploaded by a user with the same user name as the person who has been claiming to have discovered this carving http://www.academia.edu/32926720/Ice_Age_Artifacts. If there really is a carving there (certainly can't tell from this image) there's no evidence anyone is calling it a Wendigo but him. Meters (talk) 04:53, 5 January 2018 (UTC)

text: Wikipedia is not the place to establish and interpret your photo as archaeological evidence related to Wendigos.  Wikipedia articles document what verifiable, reliable sources say about a topic—the sorts of sources a journalist or an academic researcher summarizing the analysis of other experts would refer to.  So your photo is going to have to be identified by archaeologists or similar experts as having something to do with Wendigo mythology and then be published about in a verifiable, reliable source before any claims like those can be published here at Wikipedia. --▸₷truthious Ⓑandersnatch◂ 16:55, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
thread_title: Photo Example

message: What I would like to know is whether a Wendigo would be able to control its hunger or does it continuously hunt whether it's full or not?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:C7D:42C8:3900:3D58:783C:9B24:AF8 (talk) 03:33, 17 January 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hunger 

message: the wendigo is a actual creature who posses a human when they turn to cannibalism they live in the northern woods of the US and Canada.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.104.189.194 (talk) 19:54, 6 February 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Close. It's an intangible spirit which transforms actual cannibalistic creatures. The spirit doesn't live or die, but the creatures do. Not particular to the north woods, only its name is local. The insane hunger for human flesh exists in deserts, at sea, on mountains and in caves. But calling it "the insane hunger for human flesh" makes it sound like a sex perversion, and it's not about that. Rather than agree upon what it essentially is about, most cultures politely decline to entertain the thought, much less label it. The Algonquin and French knew identifying it is the first step toward recognizing it and ultimately containing it. Some say they controlled it after that, some say they banished it, but whatever they did, the phenomena seems to have mostly dispersed. There was Issei Sagawa in Paris and Guy Leblond in North Bay, but even they were allegedly afflicted by something else. Pretty safe to say the "wendigo" (as we know it) is as dead as it's ever going to get. InedibleHulk (talk) 14:26, 7 February 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  wendigo 

message: Too much disruption, consistently, over too long a period; so re-instating the protection. As I have also edited the page, if anyone has an issue with me pushing the button, feel free to appeal at WP:RPP. - CorbieVreccan ☊ ☼ 19:51, 13 February 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  /* Semi-Protected against IP vandals */ protecting again 

message: Reference #32 leads to a dead sub link. Could have been renamed or moved. ThatxGuy (talk) 14:08, 8 March 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dead link 

message: The videogame Until Dawn uses a wendigo as one of the antagonists in its story. ThatxGuy (talk) 14:49, 8 March 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: Would it be worth it to also mention the close parallels between the Others (White Walkers in the show) from A Song of Fire and Ice and wendigos in folklore? Everything down to their presence with blizzards and ice, their proximity to the walking dead (in folklore, what is made from the corpses of a wendigos prey) and their ability to turn living beings into themselves (the "willing" wendigo conversion, when one succumbs to the cannibalistic urges). Frankly, in discussion regarding the folklore, that's the go-to example that I use for a good idea of what wendigo are.The Kilted Heathen (talk) 17:44, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Pop Culture Addition 

message: Apparently the traditional wendigo is not a shape shifter and is not normally depicted with antlers.  But popular culture seems to depict them with antlers as their most prominent feature more often than not. Is it possible that the legend got crossed with that of the skinwalker?  I should add, skinwalkers dont commonly have antlers either, but they are shape-shifters, and therefore a shape-shifter in an area where deer are common might assume the form of one. —Soap— 19:32, 2 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Antlers 

message: The plural "wendigoag" is listed in the Etymology section- as I understand it, that's the only correct plural? But the term "wendigos" is then used throughout the rest of the article.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Digitalbirthcontrol (talk • contribs) 20:49, 4 September 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: Depends. "Wendigoag" would be the plural in the source language, "wendigos" would be the assimilated into English plural.--Khajidha (talk) 17:36, 20 October 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Correct plural? 

message: I've noticed a few trending posts on social media from Algonquin, etc., folks claiming that saying the name is taboo for fear of attracting it (much like the etymology for "bear"), to the point where some refuse to write out the name fully (replacing letters with asterisks, etc.). Is anyone aware of any sources that may or may not back this claim up? Noir LeSable (talk) 14:26, 25 October 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: Response by  moved to user talk due to issues with WP:OR, WP:RS and WP:FORUM.- CorbieVreccan ☊ ☼ 20:15, 21 May 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Name Taboo? 

message: Every time the protection expires, the vandalism, or addition of unsourced commentary that needs to be removed, resumes. This page is such a perennial target, I think we are headed for permanent semi-protection next time. For now, I have re-instated the temporary protection to give our regular page patrollers a break. If anyone has an issue with this, as I also edit here, feel free to request changes to the page here on talk, or changes in protection level at WP:RPP. - CorbieVreccan ☊ ☼ 19:10, 17 June 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-indeffed again 

message: You should add a power section this is what it should say 
“The Wendigo has supernatural powers such as mimicking voices supernatural strength, supernatural speed, and some believers say that the Windigo can teleport. Another ability of the Windigo is the power to make things decompose faster such as its prey every time the Windigo kills its prey they decomposers in astounding speed till there is nothing but bones.  There is also another ability that the Windygo has and that is the ability to shapeshift some believers say that when the Windigo gets close to its victims it shapeshifts into someone they can trust then when it's close enough it attacks the victim.” 2600:6C51:757F:4EB7:7C3F:DE4D:CAAB:B661 (talk) 21:49, 18 October 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 23:21, 18 October 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 18 October 2021 

message: Can images from literature be used? Maka09 (talk) 16:07, 13 April 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Images? 

message: There is an excellent and spooky windego scene in the new gruesome animated non-verbal series "Primal" on HBOmax.
S01E08 Coven of the Damned 76.121.4.52 (talk) 07:55, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  In Popular Culture 

message: https://prnt.sc/NQzgCDHFe-Aw for the photo ImSirBacon (talk) 18:49, 22 June 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done: Please upload an image, and me sure it has an acceptable license. We cannot use copyrighted images. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 19:54, 22 June 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 22 June 2022 

message: The video game Until Dawn is literally all about Wendigos, and a lot of the characteristics match the legend, with it taking place in winter, their physical appearance, and how characters transform into wendigos, as well as fire being effective (as wendigo's hearts are made of ice). WizardWolf124 (talk) 15:03, 12 February 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: If you have reliable sources to support that claim, you can add it! Carpimaps (talk) 14:10, 27 March 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  In Pop Culture 

message: 2601:281:D881:FA80:6197:BA7B:7BC9:A6CF (talk) 01:08, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Callmemirela 🍁 01:17, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 6 May 2023 

message: Adding to the popular culture section the following: 
The 2015 horror survival video game Until Dawn by Supermassive Games features the Wendigo as the main antagonist. CLBrierley (talk) 12:43, 25 September 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: Trivial reference, see MOS:POPCULT * Pppery * it has begun... 22:38, 7 October 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 25 September 2023 

message: Suggested edit ...
Photos ... Wendigo Manitou Carvings on Mount Trudee in Tettegouche State Park Minnesota
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wendigo_Manitou.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wendigo_Manitou_Face.jpg  ... automatically cropped by Twitter facial recognition software
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0Bw0Ms8SCW6RjVERjWWVrM051MHc?resourcekey=0-G6mCgNxuRSPlgULKBreQCQ ... all photos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Minnesota ... Wendigo is featured in this film in Tettegouche
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zc-33fFcEigXncfuApLUyaA6ANRJFDhksMohilFknQ8/edit ... Great Circle Navigation Archaeology
 2601:444:300:B070:78DD:C663:1BC4:FBA (talk) 19:30, 12 January 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Photos ... Wendigo Manitou Carvings on Mount Trudee in Tettegouche State Park Minnesota 

message: Hi! I just thought that it would be incredibly relevant to add the video game 'Until Dawn' in the last section. It portrays the Wendigos in almost the exact format of the origin myth and ideas, even including Blackwood and the Crees. The physical attributes of the Wendigos are also human-like with taught skin, and they are also formed upon possession of someone who has turned to cannibalism in Canada. Littlemouserat (talk) 00:15, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. JTP (talk • contribs) 04:58, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 14 February 2024 

message: Hello. Given that the Wendigoes are the main antagonists of Until Dawn - Wikipedia, why are they not mentioned in the popular culture of the article? Wendigo - Wikipedia This is especially baffling given that this is one of the few depictions of them to not be depicted with the antlers, and them being depicted as Indigenous mythology portrays them? I ask that Until Dawn be mentioned in the article. (2607:FEA8:7221:F600:D9AC:8F76:FAF4:45D2 (talk) 21:05, 20 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Until Dawn not mentioned