Talk:Wendigo

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Wendigo article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Archives: Index, 1: 3 months

Indigenous peoples of North America: Anishinaabe Mid‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Indigenous peoples of North America, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Native Americans, Indigenous peoples in Canada, and related indigenous peoples of North America on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Indigenous peoples of North AmericaWikipedia:WikiProject Indigenous peoples of North AmericaTemplate:WikiProject Indigenous peoples of North AmericaIndigenous peoples of North America
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.
	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Anishinaabe, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the Anishinaabe peoples on Wikipedia.

Mythology Mid‑importance

	Mythology portal This article is supported by WikiProject Mythology. This project provides a central approach to Mythology-related subjects on Wikipedia. Please participate by editing the article, and help us assess and improve articles to good and 1.0 standards, or visit the WikiProject page for more details.MythologyWikipedia:WikiProject MythologyTemplate:WikiProject MythologyMythology
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Folklore Mid‑importance

	This article falls within the scope of WikiProject Folklore, a WikiProject dedicated to improving Wikipedia's coverage of the topics of folklore and folklore studies. If you would like to participate, you may edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project's page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to discussion.FolkloreWikipedia:WikiProject FolkloreTemplate:WikiProject FolkloreFolklore
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Canada: Ontario / Quebec / Manitoba / Saskatchewan / Alberta Low‑importance

	Canada portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Canada, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Canada on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.CanadaWikipedia:WikiProject CanadaTemplate:WikiProject CanadaCanada-related
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
	Ontario portal This article is supported by WikiProject Ontario.
	This article is supported by WikiProject Quebec.
	This article is supported by WikiProject Manitoba.
	This article is supported by WikiProject Saskatchewan.
	This article is supported by WikiProject Alberta.

United States Mid‑importance

	United States portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject United States, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of topics relating to the United States of America on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the ongoing discussions. Template Usage Articles Requested! Become a Member Project Talk Alerts United StatesWikipedia:WikiProject United StatesTemplate:WikiProject United StatesUnited States
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Michigan Mid‑importance

	Michigan portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Michigan, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the U.S. state of Michigan on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.MichiganWikipedia:WikiProject MichiganTemplate:WikiProject MichiganMichigan
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Horror

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Horror, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to fictional horror in film, literature and other media on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit one of the articles mentioned below, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and contribute to the general Project discussion to talk over new ideas and suggestions.HorrorWikipedia:WikiProject HorrorTemplate:WikiProject Horrorhorror
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.

Minnesota Mid‑importance

	Minnesota portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Minnesota, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of articles related to Minnesota on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.MinnesotaWikipedia:WikiProject MinnesotaTemplate:WikiProject MinnesotaMinnesota
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Montana Mid‑importance

	Montana portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Montana, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the U.S. state of Montana on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.MontanaWikipedia:WikiProject MontanaTemplate:WikiProject MontanaMontana
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

It is requested that an image or photograph of Wendigo be included in this article to improve its quality. Please replace this template with a more specific media request template where possible.
The Free Image Search Tool or Openverse Creative Commons Search may be able to locate suitable images on Flickr and other web sites.

Upload

Course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 11 January 2022 and 29 April 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Peer reviewers: Lauralim13, Comfort06. — Preceding unsigned comment added by User:Comfort06 (talk • contribs) 10:32, 11 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Error?

The article states that a Wendigo is "a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform". Should this not be "a malevolent cannibalistic spirit which could transform into humans", or according to the legend could humans actually transform into this spirit? --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 13:22, 31 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's the humans that transform into the wendigo, or that are possessed, usually. That's the point of the taboo - if you resort to cannibalism, you'll become a wendigo.--Cúchullain ^t/c 13:32, 31 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

No 70.176.41.103 (talk) 20:11, 8 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Name Taboo?

I've noticed a few trending posts on social media from Algonquin, etc., folks claiming that saying the name is taboo for fear of attracting it (much like the etymology for "bear"), to the point where some refuse to write out the name fully (replacing letters with asterisks, etc.). Is anyone aware of any sources that may or may not back this claim up? Noir LeSable (talk) 14:26, 25 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Response by SteveBenassi (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · page moves · block user · block log) moved to user talk due to issues with WP:OR, WP:RS and WP:FORUM.- CorbieVreccan ^☊ ☼ 20:15, 21 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I really think members of indigenous groups that actually claim the Wendigo are an authoritative source in of themselves. Stopchewingyourcuticles (talk) 12:55, 4 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Our usual standards for reliable sources still apply. Somebody writing something on social media is not usually reliable. Gawaon (talk) 10:09, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Info box image change

I think its completely disrespectful that the first image this article opens with is a genAI image and not only that, that it was added by the "author" of it. It's inaccurate to descriptions of the creature and, as an encyclopedia, it feels disingenuous to present a genAI image in a context where genAI is not relevant, not to mention that it could bring copyright troubles. This image should either be removed or replaced. 2806:370:9766:99BD:B973:63BF:8F97:50CF (talk) 18:54, 20 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think there could be copyright concerns, but the image seems of limited relevance. I have removed it from the article, replacing it with the image that was used there before. (Also some user's own creation, but that's a different topic.) Gawaon (talk) 09:36, 21 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I hope I wasn't making a mountain out of a molehill but at least I feel like the replacement is a bit more appropriate. 200.68.187.10 (talk) 19:15, 21 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The current article image is really not great

Even though the caption (correctly) identifies the drawing as being a depiction of the (white, settler) conception of the video game monster trope called "Wendigo", it really has nothing to do with the actual mythological entity and is arguably disrespectful to indigenous peoples from cultures with Wendigo mythology and taboos. It's also just not a very helpful or illustrative image, it adds nothing to the article in terms of educational or informative value. I really think it should be removed. Stopchewingyourcuticles (talk) 12:58, 4 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Every article should have a top image. Please suggest a better one if you can find one. The problem, however, seems to be a lack of suitable candidates. Gawaon (talk) 10:10, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Gawaon Firstly, there's no guideline that says every article has to have an image. Secondly, given there wasn't ever a consistent physical depiction of a Wendigo in Algonquin folklore, I don't think this article needs one. I'll be removing it. Arcade Wise (they/them) (talk) 19:01, 18 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Until Dawn in Pop Culture.

Arguably, Until Dawn is one of the most well known and accurate depictions of the Wendigo in pop culture. I feel like it should be mentioned. BIade001 (talk) 18:27, 25 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]