W IS FOR WENDIGO

A Wendigo, in the tradition of the Algonquian Indian peoples is a spirit of pure, insatiable hunger, closely associated with northern winters and biting cold as well as famine. The Wendigo is cannibalistic by nature and can possess human beings, leading them to kill and consume others of their kind. It is not a warm and fuzzy spirit at all.

The Wendigo can never be satisfied. Basil Johnson, a historian and lore gatherer of the Ojibwe people describes Wendi as follows:

"At the same time, Wendigos were embodiments of gluttony, greed, and excess: never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they were constantly searching for new victims. In some traditions, humans who became overpowered by greed could turn into Wendigos."

Most compelling in my view, is the following: 

"Among the Ojibwe, Eastern Cree, Westmain Swampy Cree, Naskapi, and Innu, Wendigos were said to be giants, many times larger than human beings (a characteristic absent from the Wendigo myth in the other Algonquian cultures). Whenever a Wendigo ate another person, it would grow in proportion to the meal it had just eaten, so that it could never be full. Wendigos were therefore simultaneously constantly gorging themselves and emaciated from starvation."

It is therefore obvious that Wendigo's are now running the Federal Government of the United States. Explains a lot, does it not?

Algernon Blackwood's 1910 classic, "The Wendigo" can be read in its entirety, HERE:

Wendigo is also typical of the sort of abbreviated speech that develops over time between people who know each other well. Thus:

Taterhead: "Eddy left for California, did you hear?"

Lucille: "No I didn't. Wendigo?"

I think that's more than enough W for one day, don't you?

The A to Z Bloggery Challenge:  http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/