The Wendigo

Story beats

1. 1) In times of famine, a person may turn to cannibalism; the wendigo spirit claims them, stretching their body and craving endlessly.
2. 2) Descriptions vary: skeletal elongated limbs, ice in its heart, mouth dripping blood, voice on the wind.
3. 3) Wendigos stalk forests and frozen lakes, luring with voices of loved ones.
4. 4) Cures involve burning, shattering the ice heart, or calling in shamans for ritual extraction—often fatal.
5. 5) Some tales warn that wealth-hoarding is wendigo-like: the hunger to consume everything and remain hungry.

Context & symbolism

The wendigo expresses taboo, famine trauma, and the danger of insatiable appetite—literal or metaphorical. Colonial accounts sometimes sensationalized it; respecting its roots means centering Indigenous perspectives and experiences of scarcity. It is both monster and moral warning: survival at the cost of humanity leads to spiritual ruin.

Wendigo psychosis appears in colonial psychiatry but is debated; it should not be divorced from cultural context.

Motifs

• Endless hunger tied to winter forests
• Possession via taboo-breaking
• Ice heart that must be shattered
• Voice mimicry to lure
• Greed compared to cannibal appetite

Use it in play

• A famine arc where NPCs risk becoming wendigo-possessed; choices matter.
• Breaking a taboo triggers an icy curse; only communal ritual can save the afflicted.
• A creature mimics loved voices; will PCs ignore cries for help to stay safe?
• Shattering a literal ice heart requires fire or spiritual song.
• A wealthy magnate in-game shows wendigo traits—greed as horror.

Comparative threads

• Hunger spirits: Similar to Buddhist preta (hungry ghosts) and some ghoul tales.
• Voice lures: Echoes sirens and will-o’-wisps calling travelers.
• Taboo monsters: Like werewolves signifying bestial loss of control.

Hooks and campaign seeds

• A winter storm traps the party with an emerging wendigo possession.
• A cure ritual needs ingredients scarce in snowbound forests.
• Village debates sacrifice vs. rescue of an afflicted hunter—moral tension.