Encyclopedia of Horror Lore

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Wendigo

Date of Discovery

While the Wendigo existed in Algonquian oral traditions for many centuries before the Europeans arrived in North America, the first written account of the Wendigo was in a letter from Paul Le Jeune in 1636.

Name

Alternative spellings for the Wendigo are Wiindigoo, Windigo, Weendigo, Windego, Wiindgoo, Windgo, Weendigo, Wiindigoo, Windago, Windiga, Wendego, Windagoo, Widjigo, Wiijigoo, Wijigo, Weejigo, Wìdjigò, Wintigo, Wentigo, Wehndigo, Wentiko, Windgoe, Windgo, Wintsigo. Windigoag is a plural form (also spelled Windegoag, Wiindigooag, or Windikouk.)

In the Native Algonquian language, Wendigo translates to, “evil spirit,” or “cannibal spirit”.

Physical Description

The Wendigo
Artwork by Mary Farnstrom

It’s tough to pinpoint exactly which version of the Wendigo is more authentic–some portrayals of this beast simply call him a formerly human, but now a frozen monster. Artistic depictions of this version generally present an inhuman, gray-sallow skinned creature with a ghastly mouth full of sharp teeth, long jagged claws, as well as a set of large, dark, sunken eyes. Other characterizations of the Wendigo show him as a monstrous malformed buck, whose head is mostly just a skull with bits of fur and flesh rotting and falling off.

Origin

The Wendigo is most famously known as being from the Algonquian Native American tribe, but it’s also known to be in the legends of the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi tribes as well.

Mythology and Lore

Windigo of the Ojibwe First Nation’s People, Retold by S. E. Schlosser

The storm lasted so long that they thought they would starve. Finally, when the wind and swirling snow had died away to just a memory, the father, who was a brave warrior, ventured outside. The next storm was already on the horizon, but if food was not found soon, the family would starve.

Keeping his knife and spear close, he ventured out upon the most-frequently-used game trail, watching intently for some sign, in the newly-fallen snow, of animal footprints or movement of any kind. The forest lay deep and oddly silent under its gleaming coating of ice and snow. Every creature of sense lay deep within its burrow and slept. Still, the warrior hunted, knowing how desperate his family had become.

As he moved through the eerie stillness, broken only by the soft caress of the wind, he heard a strange hissing noise. It came from everywhere and nowhere at once. The warrior stopped, his heart pounding. That was when he saw the blood-soaked footprints appearing on the path in front of him. He gripped his knife tightly, knowing that somewhere, watching him, was a Windigo.

He had learned about the Windigo at his father’s knee. It was a large creature, as tall as a tree, with a lipless mouth and jagged teeth. Its breath was a strange hiss, its footprints full of blood, and it ate any man, woman or child who ventured into its territory. And those were the lucky ones. Sometimes, the Windigo chose to possess a person instead, and then the luckless individual became a Windigo himself, hunting down those he had once loved and feasting upon their flesh.

The warrior knew he would have just one chance to prevail over the Windigo. After that, he would die. Or… the thought was too terrible to complete.

Slowly, he backed away from the bloody footprints, listening to the hissing sound. Was it stronger in one direction? He gripped spear in one hand, knife in the other. Then the snowbank to his left erupted as a creature as tall as a tree leaped out at him. He dove to one side, rolling into the snow so that his clothing was covered and he became hard to see in the gray twilight of the approaching storm

The Windigo whirled its massive frame and the warrior threw the spear. It struck the creature’s chest, but the Windigo just shook it off as if it were a toy. The warrior crouched behind a small tree as the creature searched the torn-up snow for a trace of him. Perhaps one more chance.
The Windigo loomed over his hiding place, its sharp eyes seeing the outline of him against the tree. It bent down, long arms reaching. The warrior leaped forward as if to embrace the creature and thrust his knife into its fathomless black eye. The Windigo howled in pain as the blade of the knife sliced into its brain cavity. It tried to pull him off of its chest, but the warrior clung to the creature, stabbing it again and again in the eyes, the head.

The Windigo collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely, almost crushing the warrior beneath its bulk. He pulled himself loose and stared at the creature, which blended in with its white surroundings so well that he would not have seen it save for the blood pouring from its eyes and ears and scalp. Then the outline of the creature grew misty and it vanished, leaving only a pool of blood to indicate where it had fallen.

Shaken, the warrior, heart pounding with fear and fatigue, turned for home. He was weakened by lack of food but knew that the storm would break soon and he would die if he did not seek shelter.
At the edge of the wood, he found himself face to face with a red fox. It was a fat old creature, its muzzle lined with gray. The creature stood still as if it had been brought to him as a reward for killing the Windigo. With a prayer of thanksgiving, the warrior killed the fox and took it home to his starving family. The meat lasted for many days until the final storm had blown itself out and the warrior could safely hunt once more.

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White Eagle Saloon & Hotel – Portland, Oregon

Date of Establishment & Haunting

Established in 1905, the White Eagle Saloon & Hotel has been haunted for nearly a hundred years.

Name

McMenamins White Eagle Saloon & Hotel

Physical Description

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Room 2 of the White Eagle Hotel

A two-story building lacking much in the way of fancy architecture sits as a relic of a different time, yet is not lost in the more modern era, now stands covered in sprawling ivy. With a saloon on the first floor, hotel rooms overlook the street where anyone might spy the famous ghost of Rose.

Origin & Location

Said to be one of the most haunted hotels in Portland, Oregon, the White Eagle Saloon & Hotel is known to have been haunted by the ghost of a prostitute named Rose. Murdered by a jealous lover in the 1920’s she has roamed the halls of the hotel ever since; she’s frequently spotted in room 2 of the hotel.

Mythology and Lore

There’s a lot of history attached to this historically haunted hotel–check out this article to learn more!

Read Articles Relating to The White Eagle Saloon & Hotel

History and Haunting of The White Eagle Saloon in Portland, OR



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Winchester Mansion – San Jose, California

Date of Discovery

The house was initially built in 1884 however it underwent continuous additions and construction for 36 years.

Name

The Winchester Mansion, The Winchester Mystery House

Physical Description

The mansion which was loosely built in the Queen Anne revival style is 7 stories at its peak with 3 elevators, 47 chimneys, and countless stairwells and possibly as many as 160 rooms. The owner Sarah Winchester was obsessed with the number 13 so most windows contained 13 panes of glass, walls with 13 panels, the greenhouse had 13 cupolas, many floors had 13 design sections, several staircases had 13 steps and rooms would often have 13 windows.

Haunted Winchester Mansion Photo

Origin

The story and lore behind the Winchester house are of North American origination.

Mythology and Lore

The lore of haunting in the Winchester Mansion revolves around psychics who have visited who claim to locate spirits and paranormal phenomena within the house. Strange sounds and objects such as windows moving have been reported. Furthermore, employees of the house report walking through unexplained cold spots, moving lights, doorknobs that turn and open doors by themselves.

Although there are no known reports of specific spirits there are speculations that Sarah Winchester’s daughter who died at a young age of marasmus may contribute to the psychic energy within the house or the early loss of her husband Oliver Winchester.

Some speculate the loss of lives to the Winchester Rifles may haunt the grounds as the house was built off of the fortune of those guns.

One thing is for sure and that is Sarah Winchester lived both a blessed and tragedy filled life. Though she inherited a great fortune she spent most of her time after the loss of her child and husband in the house obsessively building and adding onto it. She had a large full-time staff of construction workers for the 36 years she built additions and remodeled obsessing over details such as the number 13 in the construction. It is said that she chose 13 to ward off spirits but the reasoning behind that remains a mystery as does the supernatural activity cited at the house.

Horror Movies Based on True Events

Modern Pop-Culture References

Notable the Winchester Mystery House is now open to the public for tours.

Movies

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Xana

Date of Discovery

While it’s difficult to pin down when the Xana first entered into Asturian mythology, it stands to reason that this fairy creature came to be discovered within the same time that the Kingdom of Asturia was established in 718.

Name

Xana is the mythological equivalent of a water nymph from other cultures.

Physical Description

Said to be a small, slender, and beautiful woman with typically curly long blonde or light brown hair. Within her mythos, she is said to brush her hair with gold or silver combs, “woven from sun or moonbeams.”

An alternative physical description indicates that in the mythology where the xanas enter homes uninvited, they often bite or steal children–in these stories she is depicted as a small, thin, and dark-colored creature, likely to give her a darker and more negative visage.

Origin

While the origin of the name of this particular water nymph is unclear, there are linguistic scholars who believe that it is derived from the Latin name for the goddess Diana. The mythological origins of where Xanas lived are still common in Asturian toponyms–in other words, Xanas apparently appear within the place names of Asturias which is an autonomous community in the northwest part of Spain. The Xana also appear within Eastern Galician and Cantabrian mythology.

Mythology and Lore

A xana is a creature found within Asturian mythology, that always appears as an incredibly beautiful woman and lives within waters; in particular, she is said to inhabit fountains, rivers, waterfalls, and caves as well as regions of forests with pure water. Within these mythologies, they are prone to promising treasure, attacking people, and also stealing their food–if the xana, in particular, is causing too many problems, they can also be disenchanted. Despite the stories in which she is portrayed negatively, it is also said she can be a beneficial spirit, by offering “love water,”–which is a sort of love potion–to travelers; she also rewards those she finds to be worthy with silver or gold. Similar to a siren’s song, their hypnotic voices can be heard at night during the spring and summer, those who do not possess a pure soul will feel like they are being suffocated, or be driven to insanity. Those who do have a pure soul, on the other hand, upon hearing the song of a xana will be filled with a sensation of peace and love.

Xaninos

Another disturbing aspect of xanas, however, is in regard to their children. They can in fact have children, but they cannot care for the children themselves. They find themselves ill-equipt to feed their children, due to their lack of lactation. So instead of dooming their own child to the fate of starvation, they take a human child from their cradle and replace it with their own fairy child. This behavior is reminiscent of changelings in other cultures. Eventually, the human mother will realize that their child has been replaced.

Modern Pop-Culture References

Books & Literature

  • The Island of Eternal Love (2006)
  • Darkness Rising Series (2012-2014)



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Yowie

Date of Discovery

First reported in Sydney by a man in 1790, before being identified as the Yowie, Modern Geography: A Description of the Empires, Kingdoms, States, and Colonies: With the Oceans, Seas, and Isles: In All Parts of the World was published by John Pinkerton in 1804. The Yowie was really only entered into the written record by name in 1875, as used among the Kámilarói people, by Reverend William Ridley in his book, “Kámilarói and Other Australian Languages.” It is clear, however, that like many other oral cultures and traditions, this cryptid was a part of the culture long before it was used withing Ridley’s texts.

Name

The name Yowie, or Yō-wī as the Kámilarói people, is said to translate into, “a spirit that roams over the earth at night,” but it’s unclear when and where this term began to be used to describe unidentified Australian hominids. This creature is also known as the hairy man and Yahoos.

Yowie walking through a mountainous landscape
Artwork by Lizard King

Physical Description

Within Pinkerton’s book, there is a side-comment about a population of Aborigines that shared Sydney Harbor with another “tribe,” but the people of this tribe were not Aborigines themselves–they were described as creatures with flat-noses and wide nostrils, they also had thick eyebrows and sunken eyes. It also said that their mouths were of “prodigious width,” with a prominent jawline and thick lips. The Aborigines of the area considered them as a separate people entirely–here they were called Yahoos or Yowies, which translated to “hairy people.”

Eye-witnesses to the Yowie have created sketches of what they believe they encountered and all of which depicted a strong, large, and hairy, eight-foot-tall man, who has a fairly flat face, large eyes and nostrils, as well as a reddish-brown coat of fur. These creatures possess an aggressive nature when they feel threatened, or when their territory is being encroached upon.

Photographic evidence of their footprints shows that they often have six toes and are near twice the size of an adult male human’s foot in length and width.

The Yowie is essentially the Australian version of the American Bigfoot, Yeti, Sasquatch, or Tornit.

There is actually a second physical account of the Yowie in Australia, which leads many hunters to believe there are actually two separate species of Yowie. The first, which was described above refers to the Gigantopithecus which is between six and ten feet tall, often weighing up to one thousand pounds. The second, smaller species of Yowie is said to be between four and five feet tall, but many people believe that this could be an ancient species of hominid that has somehow avoided extinction.

Origin

The Yowie has roots in Aboriginal oral history and is the folkloric creature of the Outback; the Kuku Yalanji Tribe of the far north Queensland is said to have coexisted with the Yowie for centuries. This is reminiscent of the Inuit tribe and the Tornit of Baffin Bay, Canada, who also have a long oral history of attacks by the Yowie of legend.

Yowie Statue in Yowie Park, Kilcoy, Queensland
Photography by Somersetpedia.paul

Mythology and Lore

Dean Harrison, a famous Yowie hunter believes that over the years there have been thousands of sightings of the Yowie. In particular, the Blue Mountains in New South Wales seems to be a hot zone for Yowie sightings, along with the Sunshine and Gold coasts of Queensland, and most recently the Mandurah area in Western Australia. They tend to prefer thick bush and are excellent at camouflaging themselves, inhabiting the area of the eastern seaboard along the Great Dividing Range.

These creatures can be incredibly far roaming but are said to have a territory that they operate in family units. So why isn’t there any physical evidence of these creatures? It is believed that due to the tendencies of Yowie to live within family units, that they operate as a community, and take care of their dead; this would leave no physical evidence of them to be blatantly evident.

https://youtu.be/BwVo7zb9r2c

Modern Pop-Culture References

Books & Literature

Movies

Podcast Episodes

https://open.spotify.com/episode/78V4DoFwBp11ItUPFdWhS4



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