Wendigo

"*Scott said that he called himself a wendigo.*
Cannibalistic shape-shifters but I haven't heard of them inBeacon Hills for a long time. Must have been well hidden. *"*

—Derek Hale and Sheriff Stilinski about **Wendigos**

In "Teen Wolf" Wendigos are species of shape-shifting cannibals. Native American lore states that if you eat human flesh you would develop a insatiable craving for more and turn into Wendigo, a creature that required this to live. They are first introduced in Season 4. Wendigos survive from eating human flesh and blood, their urge for human flesh in unmatched and very difficult to control, when they become hungry, they will feed on the nearest potential victim. They are incredibly strong, able to over-power humans with ease. Sean Walcott and his family were the first Wendigos to appear. They kept a large freezer hidden within the walls of their house which contained dead bodies, dozens up dozens of dead bodies, this appeared to be the only thing Wendigos eat.Patrick Clark was another Wendigo seen on screen, he was an escaped inmate of Eichen House feeding on people. Donovan Donati was a Chimera that was some sort of Wendigo hybrid.

## Appearance

   Wendigos appear to be human for the most part but when they shift, they grow multiple rows of sharp fangs on the top and bottom, their eyes glowing white and they also make a strange hissing sound when on the attack. It has not been revealed whether or not there is more to the Wendigo form. They seem to be able to open a second mouth on the palm of their hands, however, this was only displayed by a Wendigo Chimera.

## Nature and Personality

   A wendigo is ruled by their insatiable hunger for human tissue.
When wendigos feed, give themselves over to their cravings, they will very likely abandon any rationality they might have, becoming animalistic, gluttonous, and unpredictable. Once they are satiated, they will regain and reconform to their mental faculties. If hungry enough, a wendigo will instinctively feed on anyone within their grasp despite any morals they might have. Sean Walcott, a teenage wendigo, who was fearing for his life after the Mute killed his family, fled for help instead of fighting back. However after an entire day without feeding, Sean was so overcome with hunger that he indiscriminately killed and fed on a sheriff's deputy without a second thought. He then tried to attack Melissa McCall and Liam Dunbar, trying to kill them and spurned Scott McCall's offers of help.

Despite their notoriety and hunger, wendigos are capable of civility and making moral decisions. The Walcott family are shown to be stable and (mostly) law-abiding citizens who even owned a pet cat. They kept a hidden refrigerated meatlocker stocked with corpses that they used to sustain themselves, supposedly obtained from a morgue or a mortuary. This seemingly indicates that as long as wendigos feed regularly they will be able to keep their cravings in check and coexist peacefully with their neighbors, and blend in with human society like the next mature supernatural though not all of them are of this mindset.

## Habitat

Wendigos are rarely seen out of Minnesota or the north of Michigan. They are hundreds of years old, and they also have hibernation behavior during the long, cold winters they must survive--meaning they must hoard food if it is scarce. In addition, they keep their victims in dark and isolated places, such as caves or abandoned mines.
The Wendigo inhabits the forests of the Great Lakes and Canada. The dreaded Wendigo King lives near the Windigo River in Quebec. Kenora, Ontario is thought to be the “Wendigo Capital of the World” because so many sightings and incidents have taken place there, and it attracted Wendigoes originally because it used to be tribal grounds, with many Native American settlements scattered throughout the area. Most caves, gullies, and canyons in central Canada will provide shelter for the Wendigo.

A Wendigo is rumored to live in the Cave of the Wendigo, near Mameigwass Lake in northern Ontario. Any other area named after the Wendigo, such as Windigo River and Windigo Lake in Ontario, is bound to be inhabited by this monster as well.

The Wendigo’s territory is vast, stretching from the Canadian Rockies and the Arctic Circle in the north, to the Great Lakes regions and the Dakotas. It reigns supreme across the whole of Canada.

## Bestiary Entry

    *These vicious supernatural creatures were an unwelcome discovery among the native people of the new world.*

*They are known to have an uncontrollable appetite for human flesh which leads them to kill despite any better judgment they might possess.*Sneaky creatures, Wendigos can maintain a human appearance while hiding multiple fanged teeth (similar to Kanimas) behind their lips. However, when in their true form, Wendigos’ eyes shimmer with a white glow.

## Powers and Abilities

A wendigo primarily appears in human form. As a shapeshifter, when they transform, they sport double rows of scissor fangs and their eyes glow a simmering white. Likewise, they experience alterations to their voices, which become high and when they feel threatened a wendigo will growl as well as hiss.

A wendigo has enhanced strength, reflexes and endurance that is seemingly level to that of a regular shapeshifter, though superior to that of a human being. Sean Walcott was able to face off, go par-to-par with an alpha werewolf.

Wendigos have heightened senses. Like a werewolf, they have an acute sense of smell that they can track down their prey and determine their location. Donovan Donati was able to track Stiles Stilinski as displayed when the chimera could determined the latter's location and sneaked up on him. Because of their dietary requirements, wendigos have a similarly enhanced sense of taste, that they can differentiate the different flavors present in their victims; even the emotions of their live prey.

Before displaying his strength, however it is notable that Sean Walcott had only just consumed a considerable amount of human tissue. By contrast, Patrick Clark had not yet fed on his victim, and when engaged in melee combat with Alan Deaton, a regular human, he was overpowered then subdued by Deaton's hand-to-hand expertise. This indicates that wendigos can only be as super-strong by supernatural standards right after they've fed, their presumably fuelling their preternatural stamina. Another weakness of a wendigo is that unlike most supernatural creatures, they do not possess a regenerative healing ability. Sean Walcott was besting Scott just when the Mute assassin embedded a tomahawk in his back and he died in moments.

Like other shapeshifters, wendigos can be warded off, imprisoned and weakened by mountain ash.

**Superhuman Strength:** Wendigos are exceptionally strong, even by monster terms, and grow incredibly stronger as the full moon approaches. They can tear humans apart limb from limb without effort, snap necks and carry two people at once and even drag them up a tree with ease.

**Superhuman speed:** Wendigos possess remarkable inhuman speed and reflexes, enough to move so quickly from one place to another in under three seconds that they are able to outrun all of their chosen prey and they cannot be seen by the human eye.

**Superhuman Agility:** Wendigos can jump from tree to tree without being deterred by the foliage.

* **Invulnerability:** Wendigos are invulnerable to (albeit irritated by) normal knives and guns. Any wounds that are inflicted on the Wendigo’s body are healed very quickly, although wounds caused by silver tend to heal very slowly. It is invulnerable to most conventional weapons, excluding arms incorporating pure silver. The Wendigo thrives in even the harshest climates, immune to extremes of cold.
* **Immortality:** Wendigos can live forever.
	+ **Regeneration:** Wendigo can heal rapidly from any wound that is not caused by fire or by a magical weapon.
* **Stealth:** The Wendigo excels in stealth, and it is said that the Wendigo moves on the wind and breezes in utter silence. It can fill the air with an eerie, haunting siren by forcing the air through its blood-flecked lips. When the freezing winds rise, it is said that the Wendigo’s howls can be distinguished from the moan of the wind, letting people nearby know that a monster lurks in their midst. For its prey, these warnings occur far too late to make any appreciable difference.
* **Superhuman Physiology:** The Wendigo is a supernatural entity of enormous power, the embodiment of insatiable hunger, gluttony, unbridled evil, and the savage predator. Befitting its bestial nature, the Wendigo possesses supernatural strength, speed, endurance, and senses. The Wendigo thrives in even the harshest climates, immune to extremes of cold.
	+ **Claws & Fangs:** Besides sheer strength and animalistic ferocity, the Wendigo have and is armed with formidable array of weaponry: its giant dreaded claws and fangs, both of which they use to hunt or to attack. The beast’s claws have been described as icicles, reflecting its utter dominion over its freezing territory. These talons are designed for ripping through flesh with the slightest touch, and one swipe from the Wendigo’s powerful claws can disembowel or decapitate a human. The beast’s mouth is filled with long, needle-sharp fangs, made for slicing through flesh and sinew, as well as for breaking bones. The Wendigo’s fangs can easily puncture a human skull.
	+ **Empathy:** Wendigo are able to detect feelings of love in humans, often drawing them to devour these people.
	+ **Super Senses:** Wendigos possess enhanced senses of sight, smell, and hearing are greatly enhanced, comparable to those of many predatory animals, making them perfect hunters, they can see perfectly in darkness, and have similarly enhanced hearing. The Wendigo can see clearly in total darkness, and it may have some kind of infrared vision, enabling it to see its prey by detecting its bodily heat emanations. Once the Wendigo has its prey’s scent, it is able to follow it swiftly and precisely, no matter how far away the victim may be. It’s hearing is so keen that it can hear the pounding of its fear-filled victim’s heart, which causes the beast’s own heart to pound with joy and anticipation.
	+ **Super Speed:** Wendigos possess remarkable inhuman speed and reflexes, enough to move so quickly from one place to another in under three seconds that they are able to outrun virtually all of their chosen prey and they cannot be seen by the human eye.
		- **Super Agility:** Wendigos can jump from tree to tree without being deterred by the foliage.
	+ **Super Strength:** Wendigos are exceptionally strong, even by monster terms, and grow incredibly stronger as the full moon approaches. They can tear humans apart limb from limb with little effort, snap necks and carry two people at once and even drag them up a tree with ease.
	+ **Voice Mimicry:** The Wendigo is able to mimic and imitate human voices to lure unsuspecting victims, which are most often cries for help. The beast’s roar is utterly terrifying, and the fear it inspires cuts to the bone.
* **Superhuman Intelligence:** Far from being a stupid beast, the Wendigo has a man’s intelligence and cunning, as well as the predatory instincts of an animal. It is mystically attuned to every single tree, bush, rock, hill, or cave within its territory (which can be considerably vast). The Wendigo uses this advantage to stalk its victims for hours on end, never being seen or heard unless the monster chooses to reveal itself by means of a growl or a shriek. There is no way to hide from the Wendigo, and it will not stop hunting until the victim’s broken, mutilated body lies at its clawed feet.
	+ **Magical Knowledge:** As the Wendigo grows older, its powers over nature increase exponentially. The beast becomes a shaman, extremely adept in the dark arts. With this power, the Wendigo can manipulate the weather, creating storms of terrifying strength, and the beast can summon the midnight darkness hours before sunset. The Wendigo may summon dangerous beasts from the deepest, darkest reaches of the forest and command them to attack its enemies, traverse enormous distances in the blink of an eye, and heal any wounds instantaneously (although injuries inflicted by silver may take longer to heal).

## Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities

Wendigo are virtually impossible to kill. There are few possibilities to defeat a wendigo during the day, but it is next to impossible to defeat them at night, since it is their favorite period to hunt. Despite the beast’s immeasurable amount of power, there are ways to protect oneself from the Wendigo.

* **Fire:** The only known way to kill a Wendigo is to burn them to death. If one is hunting this creature, a fire must be kept burning at all times. This will deter the Wendigo from attacking, but only for so long. If burned, the wounds will quickly heal and will only make the beast angry.
* **Magical Protection:** Any means of mystical protection should be employed (amulets, protective spells, fetishes, and charms), as these things hold power over the Wendigo.
	+ **Anasazi Symbols:** Special Anasazi symbols, drawn in protective circles, will keep a Wendigo away.
* **Headphones:** Headphones or earplugs must be used to block out the beast’s maddening shrieks.
* **Angelic Blade:** The Wendigo can be killed by stabbing them with an angelic blade.
* **Silver:** The Wendigo cannot be hurt or killed by conventional methods or weapons, including blades or firearms. However, silver is lethal to the Wendigo. Silver bullets or a pure silver blade (or silvered steel) can cause the Wendigo great pain and can even kill the beast.

## Trivia

* Wendigos often keep large refrigerated rooms for where they can store their food.
* Wendigos are often referred to as cannibalistic shape-shifters, however, in order to be a cannibal they would have to be of the same species of what they eat, since Wendigos are not human and humans are their prey, the term is incorrect.