episodes focused on one of the greatest aspects of myths-in-general: Mythical cvreatures.

More specifically: monsters.

And today: one, terrible, international monster in particular.

But don't worry Thoth, I'll protect you.

Uuhh… as long as you also promise to protect me.

HEY!

WHERE YOU GOING?

NO WE DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT 'SPLIT UP TO COVER MORE GROUND'

INTRO What do we mean by the word “monster”?

Well, quite a lot!

In English we use “monster” to describe something or someone outside the bounds of

acceptable form or behavior.

Monster comes from the Latin word that means “to show,” and we see its root in words

like demonstrate.

But, monsters don't just act monstrously, their monstrosity is usually pretty visible

without much action.

Almost any mythical creature could technically qualify as a monster, but from our studies

you probably get a sense it's trickier than that.

Unicorns, for instance, are way outside normal appearance and behavior... but no one calls

them monsters.

The sphinx provides another way to think through this.

There are actually a number of sphinxes – but most applicable here are the Egyptian Androsphinxes,

with a male head... like the Great Sphinx at Giza, and the Greek Sphinx, with a female

head.

The Egyptian Sphinx was mighty, and powerful - but mostly considered benevolent, guarding

entrances to temples and pyramids.

While the Greek Sphinx was considered FEROCIOUS … and would mercilessly eat those who were

not able to answer her riddle.

So we might ask - in that duo - which is the creature? and which… is the monst er?

Beyond some naturalistic boundary, to get labeled a “monster,” a mythical creature

usually has to transgress some kind of social boundary, as well.

If you consider it from a psychological perspective, particular brands of monstrosity often embody

particular human fears.

Shapeshifters aren't automatically “monstrous” simply because they change forms–think of

Professor McGonagall, or even The Doctor–but because often that ability can be used to

DECEIVE–think Mystique–or lead to UNCONTROLLABLE URGES, like with werewolves.

Vampires are another example: they may be a human-bat combo… but that's not REALLY

why they're monstrous.

Vampires are bad because of their thirst for human blood - which is a pretty serious transgression

of social norms.

Often some naturalistic transgression is simply an outward sign of what makes monsters TRULY

evil: what anthropology professor David Gilmore calls, an “unmotivated wickedness towards

humans.”

This can take ... different forms.

The most common version is: monsters eat people.

But sometimes that wickedness is more complicated, and has more to do with the person who is

afraid than the thing doing the scaring.

But why do monsters even exist?

Well, lots of reasons!

Monsters are often sent by gods to punish humans for some transgression.

One of the most common images of a monster in western art for example, is the sea monster

sent by Poseidon to devour Andromeda.

Why?

Because her mother Cassiopeia had bragged that she was more beautiful than the Nereids.

Humans, just... don't brag when gods are around.

It never goes well.

Luckily, Andromeda was saved by Perseus.

And hey, that's another reason to have some monsters around: you gotta give heroes something

to fight!

Our friend Joseph Campbell, among otshers, has identified the basic pattern of hero vs

monster stories.

It's a three-part, repetitive cycle where the monster mysteriously appears from a dark

shadow world to menace some previously-peaceful locale.

After the monster brings death and destruction, the besieged community calls upon a hero who

saves them.

The community rejoices, only to have the monster, or one of the monster's kin, return and

re-start the cycle.

A classic example of this is Beowulf.

Grendel shows up, Beowulf defeats him, and just when he thinks he's all done, Grendel's

MOM shows up, and Beowulf has to get all heroic all over again.

Today, however, we have a monster even more terrifying than Grendel's super mad momma.

This incredibly frightening monster comes from…

Canada.

Sorry, Thoughtbubble: this one's for you, eh.

Once upon a time in the late 19th century, a first nations group is living in a camp

on the Berens River.

One day, a hunter is driven by hunger and leaves camp to go trapping.

A few days later, people in the camp hear the trapper screaming and howling in the woods.

Everyone knows what's happening.

The trapper has become a Wendigo, a terrifying, man-eating ogre.

But wait.

It gets worse.

A brave group goes to look for the trapper and find his family, all dead.

And hey, worse still, half eaten.

They return and tell their story, and panic runs through the camp.

The people know that soon the Wendigo will come for them, and they don't feel like

being eaten.

So they call a council.

At the council an intrepid young warrior named Rotten Log stands up and volunteers to fight

the Wendigo.

That night they go to the forest and build a fire.

Sure enough, a huge monster arrives, This… is almost certainly the Wendigo.

The Wendigo attacks Rotten Log, trying to slash his throat and eat him, but Rotten Log

has a guardian spirit he calls on to save him.

The spirit gives Rotten Log supernatural strength, and after a long battle, he finally defeats

the Wendigo.

The hunters bring the creature back to the camp and the people rejoice.

But the Wendigo isn't dead.

Not yet.

The only way to kill a Wendigo is to melt its icy heart.

So the peoplethrow him on a raging fire.

The flames heat the beast, his heart defrosts, and the Wendigo finally dies.

Thank you Thoughtbubble.

Yeah, as far as ogres go, I think I prefer Shrek.

As I mentioned that this story was from Canada, but there are countless others.

According to Gilmore, the Wendigo has the distinction of being the monster whose mythology

has the greatest geographical reach in the world.

Wendigo stories, and the hysteria that accompanies them, have been reported all across Canada

and as far south as...North Dakota.

They are common among most of the Algonquian-speaking native tribes, but especially the Ojibwa and

Salteaux Manitoba.

The Wendigo is, in many ways, the quintessential monster.

It's big, it has superhuman strength, and it's really mean to people.

Wendigos are humanoid in appearance, with two legs, but almost everything else about

them is misshapen and grotesque.

Their hands are paws with twelve inch long claws, and their feet, each a yard long, have

a single toe with one long, sharp nail.

Wendigos have huge yellow eyes, like an owl, and a giant mouth and no lips, because their

cannibalistic hunger causes them to devour THEIR own flesh.

Their breath is so powerful and loud that it seems like a windstorm, and their howling

sends those who hear it into a panic.

Think you can hide from a Wendigo?

Maybe in the river?

Nope.

They can walk on water or swim beneath it like a seal.

They can subsist on mushrooms, rotting wood, moss... basically anything you find on the

forest floor.

But their favorite food is people, and THAT… really, is what makes them MONSTERS.

There are both male and female Wendigos and when a male and female meet, they fight until

one of them dies.

But … if male and female Wendigos would rather fight than breed, then where do new

Wendigos come from?

A monster stork maybe?

As the story makes clear, they come from us, the ranks of the desperate and hungry.

Ordinary humans, often driven by hunger, can become possessed by the spirit of the Wendigo

and turn to cannibalism.

These metamorphoses are often brought on by the starvation that can occur in cold winter

months.

In many of the stories, this Wendigo possession is accompanied by incredible physical changes.

A person who has “gone Wendigo” will grow in size and their appearance will become coarse

and wild.

As the Wendigo's heart freezes, the urge to eat human flesh grows, eventually becoming

irresistible.

This idea that anyone can transform into a Wendigo is found in the most typical Wendigo

origin story.

That very first, ancient Wendigo was a Native North American who was transformed into a

monster by overpowering hunger.

This story is so real to many who hear it that it has caused actual Wendigo panics in

Canada up through the twentieth century.

How do we understand the endurance of the Wendigo legend?

Well, I think just about all of us can agree that cannibalism is a pretty terrifying and

taboo thing.

The Wendigo represents a fear of cannibalism and a fear that we might lose control of ourselves

and violate, perhaps violently, some set of social norms, like… not eating your neighbor.

People usually don't grow three-foot monster toes, but they do sometimes lose their grip.

Which is to say, the “monster legend” is alive and well... although maybe more as

a metaphor than as a real yellow-eyed creature.

All humans have the capacity to become monstrous.

Even me... and maybe even...

Thoth.

Thanks for watching.

We'll see you next week… unless this guy sees you first.