We’ll start with the Wendigo which might be new to you if you’ve never watcher either the X-Files or Supernatural. The Wendigo is the star of many northern bestiaries in both America and Canada. Many tribes including the Algonquin, Ojibwa, and Anishinabe speak of the Wendigo in various forms. The Wendigo is at heart a cannibal and there are two forms it can take, the giant monster and the human turned Wendigo. The giant version of the Wendigo is not only a cannibal but is also associated with natural weather events including ice storms, gales, and tornadoes. Outbreaks of mass hysteria occurred when a Wendigo was thought to be near. Usually male, the monster is said to have a heart of ice, with a huge mouth, foot long claws, and large yellow eyes like that of an owl. Usually the monster is described as extremely noisy. When queries are made of the origin of the Wendigo, it is said that the creature has always existed, like the sky or the water, it is timeless and everlasting. A very part of the fabric of the world. And as such it is treated as a universal answer to mysterious questions. When someone wanders off never to be seen again-they were eaten by a Wendigo. If someone has a mental health issue or begins to lose their faculties-a Wendigo has touched them. Famine, cold snaps, lack of game animals, all blamed on the Wendigo. It is a true boogeyman. Responsible for all the things that happen outside of the norm. Moving into the realm of humans, a person can also be said to be ‘going Wendigo’. This version of the legend parallels more closely stories of demon possession. It is said that if caught early, a person may be cured. But if not, or the treatment fails, then the person must be killed to prevent them from crossing over to cannibalism, an extreme taboo in these cultures. Various causes are attributed to the change. One can be bewitched or can succumb to a gnawing hunger, or one can commit a crime considered comparable to cannibalism such as murder, or even the very thought, on a cold winter night when the stores are depleted, of cannibalism can cause a person to turn into a Wendigo. In fact even having a vision of a Wendigo during a vision quest-without having ever committed even a thought crime, can lead to becoming a monster. Many tribes believe that the giant monsters are in fact doomed human souls who have left their body. Importantly, there is a connection between monster and man that links both to the evil inherent in the act of cannibalism. The Wendigo is not a scapegoat for human wrongs, but rather a reflection of them. Tellingly, Wendigo transformations are most common during famines or in the cold winter months where starvation can set in. In a paper by folklorist Robert Preston this story is quoted:
He [the unlucky hunter] goes out every day, trying to feed his starving family and himself. Their plight becomes desperate. A time comes when one of the party begins to look longingly though slyly at another. This person is tempted to kill, so as to eat. It becomes an obsession with him or her. At last-chance offering, it happens. The person kills and soon he (or she) is eating. He has passed from being a human to beastliness. The rest of the family realizes that they have a Wetikoo to cope with. All they have heard about such monsters comes into their minds. A great dread overwhelms them, the marrow in their bones seems to melt and they have no power to move or fight. (Preston, 1980 via Gilmore, pg 84)
So prominent was this folktale that Wendigo Psychosis was, and may yet be, a viable psychiatric diagnosis. And in researching the topic I found an article from the 1970 American Anthropologist titled “A Nutritional Factor in Windigo Psychosis” the article discusses the fact that nutritional deficits may be the cause of the psychosis and note that the traditional treatment is to give the patient bear or other animal fat. Interestingly there is a related condition among the Inuit called pibloqtoq which bears a striking resemblance to wendigo and is also cured with the consumption of animal fat. It may be that there are vitamins stored in the fat such as Thiamine and Vitamin C which help the body to overcome the sickness and heal. So the Wendigo is definitely a great introduction to the subject of monsters and their roles in both folklore and in pre-scientific ways of explaining the world.
Of course the most famous monster in America is probably the Sasquatch, or Bigfoot. I don’t want to spend too much time talking about Bigfoot because you’re probably rather familiar with this particular tale. I’ll simply restate my position on the existence of the creature. I think it would be extremely amazing to find that there is an extant species of great ape, possibly even one with an advanced intelligence, which has continued to inhabit the wilderness undetected. Great effort and expense have been devoted to finding evidence of this animal and as of yet, unfortunately, no credible evidence has surfaced. Every supposed sighting can be explained by bear or other woodland creature known to exist. Distances can be hard to detect in the woods or at night and something you think is 10 feet tall may only be 5 feet tall. Every picture is either too grainy or blurry to authenticate or else has been debunked. I watched a documentary recently where a print of the famous Patterson movie was enhanced and the creature’s walk isolated from the background. While the ‘bigfoot experts’ on the program felt it made the gait seem even more like an ape or other animal, to me it confirmed the fact that it was clearly a human in a suit. A very well done suit, but a suit nonetheless. Bigfoot is in some ways the holy grail of cryptids. Even people like Jane Goodall hold out hope that it will be discovered. And indeed there is a huge amount of undeveloped wilderness still out there, but until real proof is gathered, until a body or skeleton is recovered and authenticated by neutral researchers, I will continue to file Bigfoot under folklore and not fact.
Another creature, one found right here in Massachusetts, is the Pukwudgee. These creatures are described as small humanlike figures who have their origin in Wampanoag and Algonquin folktales. Pukwudgee are the American equivalent of trolls or pixies. They are said to be able to shapeshift into animal form and to appear and disappear at will. They can be nice or naughty. Most tales favor the latter with stories of Pukwudgees pushing people off cliffs or using poison darts. They are associated with Freetown State Forest and Cape Cod. Apparently if you want to try and spot something paranormal on this side of the Connecticut your best bet is October Mountain near Lee. Apparently there have been sightings of Bigfoot, UFO’s and ghosts on the mountain!
Let’s press ahead though and talk about the Jersey Devil. This is one of my particular favorites because it’s just so weird! One of the more famous versions of the story begins in 1735 with a woman living in the small town of Leeds Point, New Jersey. Leeds Point is in the center of the state in an area referred to as the Pine Barrens. According to this legend, Mrs. Leeds had twelve children and was ready to give birth to the thirteenth. Various versions of the tale are told but in all the results are that this baby turned into a devil with cloven hoofs, a horse’s head, bat’s wings and a serpent’s tail. It’s quite possible that this was a baby born to a real woman which was deformed in some way. It’s also quite possible that the tale is entirely made up. There are multiple versions of the origin story including some that name the woman Mrs. Shrouds instead of Leeds. Several different towns claim to be the birthplace of the Jersey Devil. Interestingly, there are documents which point to the existence of both a Mrs. Leeds and a Mrs. Shrouds who lived in the general area during this time period. The devil was seen (supposedly), in the early 19th century, by some rather famous people. It was spotted by Commodore Stephen Decatur, of navel fame, when he was testing cannon balls. Apparently he fired at the beast but did not fell it. It was also witnessed by Joseph Bonaparte, former king of Spain and brother of Napoleon who witnessed it while hunting. During the week of January 16-23, 1909 the devil was spotted by hundreds if not thousands of people. Prominent among them were Councilman E.P. Weeden of Trenton who claimed to have been awoken by flapping wings outside his bedroom window. Sightings continue into modern times and livestock deaths, often chickens, are regularly attributed to the Jersey Devil.
Early sightings may have been of sand hill cranes which can weigh around 12 lbs, reach 4 feet in height, and have a wingspan of 80 inches. Cranes would also explain the howling or whooping noise associated with the Jersey Devil. Interestingly the Jersey Devil shares some of the lore associated with Mothman. Mothman is described rather similarly and is also known to be a ‘harbinger’. Both creatures are said to make appearances before tragic events. Mothman was said to have predicted the collapse of the Silver Bridge whereas The Jersey Devil is said to make appearances before the outbreak of war. The Jersey Devil seems to be another creature that lurks around the edges of civilization. It is found in an area notorious for mist shrouded swamps and forest. Being a local legend, people attribute whatever strange or unexplained phenomena that occur to the Devil. If something walks across the roof of a house, it must be the Devil. Cries in the night, the Devil. Killed chickens, the Devil. What many fail to realize in this day and age is that many creatures, once banished from the eastern seaboard, such as black bear, coyote, and cougar have returned. These *real* animals most likely account for some of the supposed evidence and I would not doubt that there is a fair amount of teenage hijinks and hoaxes that help keep the tale alive. Another thing to remember is that having a local monster is good for business. Tourists will come from far and wide to catch a glimpse of your monster. I even attended the first annual Jersey Devil Con, a sci-fi and fantasy convention many years ago where I was able to meet the amazing Sir Terry Pratchett.
One cannot forget that monsters are not only found on land. Champ or the monster of Lake Champlain is often referred to as North America’s Lock Ness Monster. Champ even has a P.T. Barnum connection with the famous showman offering huge rewards for its capture between 1873 and 1887. “Few cryptozoologists deny the possibility of Champ’s existence,” states W. Haden Blackman in his The Field Guide to North American Monsters (1998), “and many openly accept the creature,” believing it to be a plesiosaur, zeuglodon, or other unknown or erstwhile extinct creature. Champ seeker Joseph Zarzynski has even given it a name: Belua aquatica champlainiensis (“huge water creature of Lake Champlain”). Champ is a great example of a monster that has been manufactured into a phenomena. The area around Lake Champlain abounds with examples of Champ related shops and restaurants. A signboard in Bulwagga Bay lists six columns of names and dates of sightings! However when pressed, locals will say they weren’t sure exactly what they saw and that it might, just, have been a large sturgeon. Pieces of driftwood have also been located that bared a striking resemblance to the supposed monster. The ‘monster’ was first described by Samuel de Champlain in his journal:
“ . . . [T]here is also a great abundance of many species of fish. Amongst others there is one called by the natives Chaousarou, which is of various lengths; but the largest of them, as these tribes have told me, are from eight to ten feet long. I have seen some five feet long, which were as big as my thigh, and had a head as large as my two fists, with a snout two feet and a half long, and a double row of very sharp, dangerous teeth. Its body has a good deal the shape of the pike; but it is protected by scales of a silvery gray colour and so strong that a dagger could not pierce them.”
Joe Nickell, the professional skeptic has written at length about Champ. He notes that according to the various modern reports “Champ is between ten and 187 feet long, has one to four or more humps or up to five arching coils, and is black, or has a dark head and white body, or is gray, or black and gray, or brown, moss green, reddish bronze, or other colors, possibly being drab or shiny, scaly or smooth—even “slimy.” Moreover, it possesses fins, or a pair of horns, or “moose-like antlers,” or “elephant ears,” or a tan or red mane, or glowing eyes, or “jaws like an alligator”—or again had none of these. Overall it looked like a great snake, “a large Newfoundland dog,” “a steam yacht” (although traveling too fast to be one), a horse, a Florida manatee, a submarine periscope, a whale, etc., etc.” Champ is, one must conclude, entirely fictional. Much like the famed Loch Ness Monster, Lake Champlain is just not big enough to sustain a breeding population of some sort of descendent of an ancient plesiosaur which is what proponents usually cite as the origin of the creature. In addition, the lake is relatively shallow in large areas which would make hiding enormous sea serpents relatively impossible. Champ, again like the Loch Ness Monster must be concluded to be no more than a tourist attraction.
It seems the fate of many modern monsters is to be reduced to tourist attractions. We are closing doors on the unknown and pushing these fables further and further into the realm of fiction. Despite this, there is still a wonderful world of myth and legend that bears reading about and studying. It can tell us much of human nature and the human experience.