#wechuge

He is also an shapeshifter based on native american spiritual culture which is the Wechuge spirit (btw wendigo and wechuge often get mixed up so don't feel bad if you get confused of which is which!) but he has good control of it and can change whenever

And he is also part of a "gang"

Wechuge

Some people have seen this post. When I first interpreted these creatures, I had mistaken the Wendigo's appearance for the wechuge's appearance. Wechuge's appearance was mistaken for the Skinwalker appearance and Skinwalkers appearance for the Wendigo's..

If what I said doesn't make sense, know that I based their appearance by name.

Wendigo:

Came from Algonquian folklore.

Mythological creature or evil spirit.

They are the ones that cause the victims to have an insatiable hunger.

Is seen to be the embodiment of gluttony, greed, and excess.

They're depicted as very thin-looking due to starvation.

In some other folklore, they're usually depicted as giants. If the wendigo ate a person, they would grow bigger and continue eating, never being satisfied.

In some other tradition, a person would be overcome by greed and would turn into one. Then other sources say that a person turned into one because they resorted to cannibalism to survive, or they stayed in contact with a wendigo for too long and turned into one.

Wechuge:

Came from the legends of the Athabaskan people.

In Beaver mythology, they said that a person got possessed or overwhelmed by the power of one of the ancient giant spirit animals.

Man-eating creatures from the Athabaskan people.

Believed that if a person broke a taboo, they would become one.

Wechuge was considered to be a curse or punishment.

In one folktale, it was made of ice and was very strong and could only be killed by being thrown on a campfire and kept there overnight until it had melted. (not even joking, this line came from Wikipedia)

Skinwalker:

Came from the Navajo culture.

Type of harmful witch.

yee naaldlooshii translates to "by means of it, it goes on all fours".

the yee naaldlooshii is one of several varieties of skin-walkers, but specifically, they are a type of ánti'įhnii.

It's not really known for non-Navajo people since it's needed for their culture to survive. They allow questions, but this thing, this topic, isn't needed or discussed by outsiders.

In traditional accounts, they were depicted as power sorcerers who, after engaging in various bad acts, would gain the ability to transform into animals at will.

I only researched like half of Wikipedia for Wendigos because it was too long, and I had just finished doing research on a school project, so my brain was mushed and burned.

So summary of all this info I got (ish),

Skinwalkers are evil witches, disguised as animals.

Wechuges is a person who broke a taboo and turned into a destructive and cannibalistic animal.

Wendigos are supernatural creatures/spirits. Very thin looking.

I'll probably make another post for additional info about these three, mostly Wendigo and Wechuge, since the skinwalker isn't the topic I was looking for but I put it in there anyway in case.

I don't typically make posts like these but I feel this one is important information, and something I -- as someone of native American descent who partakes heavily in my culture -- need to clear up here.

Wendigo or Wechuge?

One of the reasons why I hate people talking about Wendigos (aside from the fact that they're not meant to be spoken of at all outside of certain situations) is the fact that you probably aren't even really talking about a Wendigo.

So, what are you talking about?

Wechuge

Despite popular belief (and Google's idiodicy) this is not a Wendigo, this is a Wechuge, an entirely different being from entirely different folklore.

Please correct me if I get any of this wrong, I do not know Athabaskan mythology that well.

The Wechuge is a man eating spirit from Athabaskan culture. They are a person who has been overwhelmed (or "possessed") by one of the giant ancient spirit animals. These spirits were strong, crafty, intelligent, and somehow retained their power after becoming the normal sized animals of present day.

So what is the Wendigo you all have been fooled into thinking you're talking about?

Well, THIS is the Wendigo.

The Wendigo is a native American legend, and it's story varies from tribe to tribe, but the sentiment stays for most; they aren't to be spoken of, and are meant to be respected the same as the dead.

The Wendigo is a "curse" of sorts, a human possessed by a spirit after devouring another human being. The spirit they are possessed by causes insatiable hunger and an intense craving for human flesh, feeding the spirit even when the human it possessed is essentially dead.

So what is the difference?

Well, while they may share many similarities, there are also many differences.

1) Appearance

The Wendigo is a possessed corpse. They look like a human, but twisted and distorted, often smelling of decay with elongated limbs and an anorexic form.

The Wechuge is a human that grew too powerful and was taken over by a spirit, their body being twisted to sport animalistic features such as the iconic deer head and antlers.

2) Nature

The Wendigo is a mindless brute that kills and eats without discrimination, attacking any human that it sees, and having an insatiable hunger that cannot be eased.

The Wechuge is an enlightened being with ancestral insight, and is cunning and intelligent, luring its victims away before devouring them unlike the Wendigo.

3) Transformation

The Wendigo is only created when a human eats another human, whether driven to it by starvation, out of curiosity, or in a moment of madness.

While the Wechuge can also be created by cannibalism, it can also be created when someone displays an act of extreme violence, or obtains high power.

4) Cultural Context

The Wendigo is a warning against cannibalism of any kind.

The Wechuge is a warning of transgressions, power, and the consequences of breaking cultural taboos.

So now you know!