#wendigo psychosis

[wendigo-psychosis-official]

Loose more or less Official Line up

Things are subject to change but we'll see when I make actual refs

[issybettyx]

ALASTOR THEORY/HEADCANON

Content warning; cannibalism, death, gore? Not visual anywho

I got bored today and since I found Hazbin Hotel at the start of Feb I’ve found Alastor’s character very interesting. So, I decided to look into the mythology of the Wendigo, which if you don’t know is what inspired Alastor’s full demonic form that we see when he’s taking down the loan sharks in ep 5 and at the end of ep 8

First I read through the wikipedia page and got a general idea of what the Wendigo is. For those who don’t know, it is essentially a mythological cannibalistic creature that is often depicted as a deer in modern pop culture. As well as it being viewed as a literal, malevolent, cannibalistic creature, it can also serve as a metaphor for the covetous and self-interested parts of humanity, and how greed can make someone into the worst version of themselves.

However, and this is where my theory starts to form, on the wikipedia page I also found something called ‘Wendigo Psychosis’, the definition being; an overwhelming belief and delusion that individuals are transforming into Wendigos, malevolent spirits driven by an insatiable desire for human flesh. In other words, the fear of becoming cannibalistic due to the need or want to indulge in human flesh. Now, the reason for my sudden research into wendigos was to figure out a reason as to why this was chosen to inspire Alastor’s demonic form (I am new to the fandom, there might already be a reason, if so take this as a headcanon idk), so I decided to look further and watched a youtube video.

This youtube video was mostly fiction, as it was describing the biology behind wendigos. But also in this video it described how a wendigo could be formed according to indigenous stories surrounding them. If one is put in a life or death situation with a loved one, where their loved one is already dead and they have to decide between eating them or dying, the person is faced with the decision of death or loss of humanity. If they choose to eat the flesh, it is believed this is the trigger that turns a human into a wendigo.

So, hear me out. This is a bit farfetched but I think it’s interesting to entertain. What if Alastor was put in such a situation with his mother. What if this situation jumpstarted the loss of his humanity, drove him to a life of serial killing, because he became the metaphorical embodiment of a wendigo. On top of this, people also believed that once they gave in to such a heinous act, they would crave more.

The Wendigo “exemplifies human nature’s tendency to indulge its self-interests, which, once indulged, demand even greater indulgence and ultimately result in the extreme — the erosion of principles and values” - Basil H. Johnston.

If even one person read this, thank you for coming to my TED talk, I am off to go write a dead dove; don’t eat with this concept

———————

Wikipedia page; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo

Youtube video; https://youtu.be/AswP2pxRToM?si=t_p6cHpzNMHv3InL

[waywardvamp]

So...what even is a wendigo?

Thanks in advance :)

Hello, kind stranger.

According to the lore presented in Supernatural 1x02, a Wendigo is:

"Wendigo" is a Cree Indian word. It means "evil that devours." They're hundreds of years old. Each was once a man, sometimes an Indian or other times a frontiersman or a miner or hunter.[...]During some harsh Winter, a person finds themself starving, cut off from supplies or help -- becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp. Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities -- speed, strength, immortality. If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less-than-human thing. You're always hungry.”— Sam and Dean describe the Wendigos

But I am guessing that is not the kind of answer you are looking for when asking an anthropologist about a creature, is it? So let's dig deeper. But, beforehand, let's lay a few ground rules about the interactions in this post: everything explained here is seen through the lense of academic agnosticism. I am aware that several communities belive in the existence of wendigos and, as such, eveyone should be respectful. But respect doesn't equal an incapacity for discussion. And yes, I am fully aware that some people prefer the name of this creature to be censored on online discussion in order not to attract the creature, but I won't do so as I find word censorship to be innefectual in communication.

Now, let's lay down a term that is going to be very useful in this answer: cultural syndrome. A cultural syndrome is, as defined in the realm of medical anthropology, a psychosomatic syndrome that affects the member of an specific culture. Most cultures have this kind of syndromes. Hispanics and Mediterraneans on this audience (and many others) will be able to identify, for example, the evil eye. Or maybe the Italian tarantela. I also need to aknowledge here that I am in no way an expert in medical anthropology and my knowledge of this syndrome is nowhere near that of some of my colleges, so I want to recommend to anyone interested in the topic to do further reading and I am more than willing to give you a list of academic publications you can consult.

And now that we have this few ground rules (I am sorry, kind stranger, this is so long already), let's talk about Wendigo Psychosis.

Wendigo Psychosis is a cultural syndrome that affects the members of Algonquian cultures. But... What is it exactly? Well, in their culture the Wendigo is an spirit. One capable of possesing people (specially men), driving them to an insatiable hunger that eventually end up in cannibalistic desires. Now, and I need you to hear me out very carefully here: people affected by Wendigo Psychosis very rarely end up hurting someone. The person affected is aware of their condition and looks for the help of their culture's ritual and medical expert in order to be cured of the condition. Sometimes, this people end up commiting suicide to avoid harming others. As you can see, the fact that a disorder is cultural, doesn't make it "fake" in any way as people online tend to claim.

Wendigo psychosis often appears in periods were hunger is exacerbated.

As many cultural syndromes do, Wendigo Psychosis makes the person engage in what we call taboo behavious, which entail the breaking of cultural norms and boundaries (in the case of Wendigo psychosis, greed is one of those behaviours).

Now... What has media done with this creature and this syndrome? Well, it has turned it on its head, which many have rightfully called... Mishandling and misappropiation. Media like Supernatural and the horror game Until Dawn make cannibalism the first step instead of the last. In this media is the act of commiting cannibalism which turns the person into a monster (usually survival cannibalism. Yes, there are many forms of cannibalism and I will talk about that some other day if someone is interested). This media take the cultural syndrome and dehumanize it. But that is nothing new, as western cultures have been treating people who engage in cannibalism and both irredeemable and subhuman for centuries (while ignoring their own ritual and medical cannibalism, but that is a story for another day).

Supernatural and Until Dawn turn the victim into the monster.

And now I reiterate my apologies for any mistakes made and encourage anyone with further knowledge to, please, talk. I am eager to learn more on this topic.

I also apologise for any spelling mistakes.

[symmetricalscar]

GoreSkinCoffin - Wendigo Psychosis

[the-dear-skull]

I do find it interesting that the most well known culturally bound syndromes are Wendigo psychosis and Kuru.

Completely different cultures on completely different sides of the world both with a preoccupation with the consumption of human flesh, but in completely different ways.

[moth-doodles-and-what-not]

Wendigo Psychosis thumbnails

[harmonybarmy]

Ben coming back to the cabin to see yet another cannibalistic ritual

[dean-boese-universe]

So this episode is all about the Algonquin legend of the Wendigo. Krysta and Laura correct Dean when he goes to introduce the show talking about Marvel Comics Wendigo. They settle down and get into the show proper while Krysta drops some facts about deer. (Did you know deer will opportunistically eat songbirds and mice? You do now!) We discuss the supposed powers of the Wendigo. We also discuss several stories about the creature and it's role in pop culture. We discuss the Wendigo psychosis as well as the cultural underpinnings of the folklore in this tasty episode of the Family Plot Podcast!

[weepingtalecowboy]

We all know that Speedsters have fast metabolisms but I can’t recall any villain ever putting them into a situation where they would be forced to either starve or resort to cannibalism

Like that would be such a good idea for a comic we have several villains who are capable of trapping speedsters

And if they don’t get free before their metabolism makes them starve then they would have such a difficult decision to make either go and attack somebody or starve

If someone else is also trapped with them then the situation would be much higher stakes than just being surrounded by enemies

Like if Wally and Dick get trapped in some kind of cave or something and then Wally starts starving

We all know that Dick would be ready to let the other have his hand or his whole arm

Like if wally did that then he would have been so guilty about it and feel ashamed about his very existence

But knowing that Wendigo Psychosis is a thing it also would have consequences

Because if you do something like that even once next time it will be much easier to overcome yourself and you will always remember the taste as well

Him living in fear of himself afterwards and then stopping being a hero would have been a great way to introduce The new speedster

Like Wally West could have had such an interesting arc but no he just started killing for some unknown reason

Like people please acknowledge that speedsters are extremely close to demons because of their own metabolism

The amount of situations that could happen when one of your teammates is constantly close to starving

Like that is a safety hazard too the fullest

The fanfiction potential is endless

Like they could starve

They could harm someone else because of that

They are very inefficient

The hazards are everywhere

[unclejenn]

DRAW STANLEY WENDIGO. RIGHT NOW.

Do you see what I see?

Yes, Monster Falls au already has established canons, but damn, the role of Wendigo is very suitable for him!

• Wendigo or windigo is an ogre spirit in Algonquian Initially perceived as a symbol of insatiable hunger and a hungry winter, it later became a warning against any excesses of human behavior.

• According to Algonquian mythology, a person can turn into a Wendigo. With the so-called "wendigo" psychosis there is a fear of turning into a man-eating monster, usually against the background of reduced nutrition.

Seriously. Stanley, who has spent his whole life in constant stress, and MOST likely even starving at times from a constant lack (as it seems to him) of money and collectors in the form of a monster that REPRESENTS all this in itself...YEAH BABY!

[deepestchaosphilosopher]

Cannibalism Research I’ve Gathered So Far

Most often men are cannibals rather than women

Schizophrenia can lead to cannibalistic outbursts

It can lead to brain degeneration

Theres diverse forms and meanings behind cannibalism

Wendigo Psychosis and paranoia and anxiety can lead to hallucinations and cannibalistic urges

the Objwa tribe taught children love through acts of sacrifice including cannibalism

Wendigo Psychosis may make people unreceptive to treatment

Cannibalism has been linked to human instincts

Aftermath includes acute stress and flooding of adrenaline and cortisol which leads to a psychological earthquakes and temporary breakdowns of logical thinking

Aftermath also feels like the fabric of reality is unraveling

changes the view on loved ones and makes people view them as prey

often cannibalism is sex related (both ways apparently?)

substance abuse can be a cause

genetic traits can cause cannibalism too

2.5% eat their kin

isolation can be a big factor in cannibalistic urges

theres sexual forms of cannibalism

typical cases are older men and younger victims

usually there is mental issues that cause it, but not always

there are long term psychological issues if the cannibal does not address it

that’s it for now, however I will be continuing my research and in another month at this time, I’ll make an update!

@macabrecleaver I hope you like this, or at least didn’t know some of this 🥲

Side note, ignore any bad grammar and spelling I’m very sleep deprived and if you like this consider reblogging and liking!!

[wendigo-psychosis-official]

Gasp is the artist trying to redesign already?

[gezora]

Coming back to Tumblr to give a list of some of my favourite Wikipedia articles before peacing out indefinitely again. I hope you all enjoy, and feel free to add your own faves for others to read:

Zhang Zongchang, China's "basest warlord."

Tarrare, the closest thing I think there ever was to a real-life demon.

Dyēus, the progenitor deity to Zeus and Týr, among others.

A list of Egyptian pharaohs, many of whom are unnamed and likely never existed.

Elvis sightings. What it says on the tin.

The 2016 clown sightings. Remember that?

The Lost City of Z and Percy H. Fawcett, the loser who went looking for it

Porphyrios, a big asshole of a whale.

Mocha Dick, another big asshole of a whale.

The Demon core, and by extension any article on the Manhattan Project.

The Gombe Chimpanzee War, for when you wanted to be reminded how evil chimps actually are.

Wendigo, particularly the sections on the wendigo as a concept and so-called "wendigo psychosis."

The Man in the Iron Mask, the guy not the movie.

Yahweh and Yahwism, an interesting predecessor to the Abrahamic faiths.

[guglielmofinaue]

Here's a woodland creature inspired by a Wendigo!💫

Wendigo is is a malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural originating from Algonquian folklore, strongly associated with winter, coldness and starvation.

It's seen as the embodiment of gluttony, greed, and excess: never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they are constantly searching for new victims.

Searching for information I also found out that in modern psychiatry, there's a disorder known as "Wendigo psychosis" that is characterized by symptoms such as an intense craving for human flesh and fear of becoming a cannibal!

Ig || kofi || tiktok

[thebiggestwheel]

Bleach Volume 2.5 - "Wendigo Psychosis"

In one of the interviews, Kubo talks about his original idea to write "an episode" focusing on each one of Ichigo's friends, and how he dropped it because he got "bored". This is a Cover I made for that hypothetical Volume that would've focused on Keigo.

You can read what the story could've been about here > What If Ichigos Friends Became Fullbringers

[willothewispwisteriadawn]

Excited about the remaster? Well let me do a shameless plug for my Until Dawn fic.

Psychosis Room Info:

Post-game

Survivors: Sam, Chris, Mike, Jess, Wendigo!Josh

Premise: Josh has stopped his transformation half-way and contacts Sam and Chris from Blackwood.

Other points: many childhood memories because I love imagining Chris and Josh’s friendship, psychoanalyzing Joshua Washington, Chris-centric, rare pair (Chris x Sam), lots of Chrashley angst, Josh x Sam, Mike x Jess, Chris and Josh being huge bros.