I’m Indigenous and I’m actually more afraid of other people in a populated place … you never know what these damned humans will do next.
I have a cabin in the woods with no internet, phone or communications … it’s even out of cell phone range and I feel safer there than anywhere else.
I grew up with stories of Windigo … my parents used to freak us out with campfire stories in the dark and then pat us on the head and tell us to go to bed staring into the dark. My grandmother used to warn us not to make such dirty smoky fires because Windigo might see it from far away and find us.
I spent many nights alone out there and never had a problem … or maybe that is just want Windigo would like you to think.
The stories go hand in hand with stories of cannibalism in my culture. Many of the stories suggest that during times of famine, which regularly occurred before our modern era back about a hundred years ago, people would go mad with hunger. You have to realize that families of about five to ten people lived alone out there alone for months at a time or even years. And when famines occurred, the families would disappear and there would only be one lone survivor and everyone would quickly realize what happened. The legends suggest that over time, those people who had tasted human flesh eventually just started seeing others as prey to be eaten and consumed … they had been taken over by the spirit of Windigo.
And the stories get better because there is no one description of Windigo because it’s a legend that any one who has ever seen very few ever live to tell. One description we were taught as kids is that it is covered in mounds of animal furs and layers of human skin to misshape its human body into a giant monster. The other feature was the teeth and mouth … before it gets to the point of eating actual people, the famished person first starts eating themselves. They start ripping off portions of their lips and mouth to eat. It exposes their teeth and they can no longer close their mouth properly. So now you have this big hulking thing wandering around in the bush and when it looks at you, all you see is human teeth.
This is the Ojibway-Cree version of Windigo in the mushkeg and northern lake lands of Ontario. The descriptions vary from tribe to tribe throughout North America but this is the one I grew up with.
After many years of being in the bush … I’ve yet to see one … but late at night next to my camp fire in the wilderness, I always think of these stories.
I would absolutely sub to a community of stories like this.
This is unsettling, but also incredibly interesting to read. Thank you!
The Germans are known for their terrifying stories used to keep children from misbehaving, but this is on another level.
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I was surprised by how nervous some of the people who visited me from the city were when I lived in a slightly rural area. It wasn’t even that remote - I had a neighbor across the street! Telling people that there were no bears and a lot less crime didn’t convince them to relax.
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A moonless night away from any artificial light is dark. Can’t-see-your-own-feet dark, and also so quiet that you start hearing a lot of noises that you aren’t used to hearing. It’s really unsettling. But of course I just carried a flashlight.
It’s not that dark once your eyes adjust. Use a ranger trick and keep one eye closed as you enter and exit light pollution and your closed eye will stay light adjusted.
Just use an eyepatch YARR
You joke but some actually do tape one closed if it’s towards dusk and things are expected to get spicy.
Rescue or Space?
I trust Chip to the end of the earth, but I don’t know about that Buzz guy.
Army rangers, that’s who taught me.
I grew up in a more rural area than where I live now, and I miss the quiet and the stillness. And of course the space.
The tinnitus though… It’s so quiet I can’t hear anything but ringing.
https://trudenta.com/this-simple-trick-may-help-with-tinnitus/
Good ol’ tinnitus taps might help.
Believe me, I miss it too. I actually grew up in a big city, moved to a rural area for work, and then had to move back to that same big city. Crowding, noise, smells, terrible commutes - all the bad stuff about city living that I just took for granted before bothers me constantly now. I fantasize about being back on my own land with my own house, my own pickup truck, my own trees, and no strangers. All the people I care about are in the big city, they refuse to leave, and ultimately being close to them is more important to me, but I really wish they were country folk.
I feel the same way. Maybe that’ll be a retirement plan for me, if I can’t make it work sooner.
I also worry about stuff like air quality, and studies that show that constant ambient noise isn’t good for you.
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And people wonder why the Founding Fathers wanted the right to bear arms.
They were scared. The spirits of their stolen land knew their sins.
Well, USA was technically built on an Indian burial ground. We all know how that tends to go.
DIY burial ground since Yanks had to put many of the Indians to the ground themself
Fun Fact: the reason the West Was Won was because after the American Civil War America had a whole bunch of army dudes standing around not necessarily ready to go home but not being “useful.”
Including William Tecumseh “Kill All The Buffalo” Sherman.
Two questions:
- How good is the internet there?
- Does it come with the Skulldog/deer thing?
Internet isn’t negotiable because I do have to be able to work from home. The skulldog is cute and would be nice but not an absolute necessity like the internet.
Good internet, but not fiber-optic good.
The wendigo is non-negotiable and will show up when you least expect it.
Good internet, but not fiber-optic good.
Well that’s good, doesn’t need to be fiber good, just enough to do a bit of work with documents and files.
The wendigo is non-negotiable and will show up when you least expect it.
I see, so he just comes and goes whenever he wants? I was kind of hoping he would hang around more, but if he wants to do his own thing that’s fine. I’d just hope he comes back when it’s cold outside, I’d be worried for him if he was stuck out in the snow.
Does fire kill it?
Why do you want to hurt him 😢
Why do you want to hurt the skull dogo?
Yet to be determined. Please report back.
Don’t whistle at night.
How else are you going to see the skull dogo?
Yeah, also it doesn’t seem really fair for him to be stuck out all night.
Does he come when you whistle like for a dog or does he prefer when you whistle a tune?
Depending on where in the country, their can be little to no cell service. As for the skull dogo, he comes with the property.
Damn cityfolk, afraid of their own shadow.
Happiness is hiding from the cops, apparently 😅
Well it does increase your chances of survival.
Leshy gonna roast you.
A couple other forest guardians
how are they all so fuckable
Bad opinion, good comment
o I thought I had heard you say, “based opinion”, of which it undeniably is
Undead bussy/pussy must be otherworldly I guess
That looks like a Jötunn
It had its problems but I really enjoyed this movie. Really cool monster and cult
I feel like that would just get really, really lonely.
I’m surrounded by people everywhere I go and I’m still lonely. Might as well be out in the middle of nowhere. No difference.
It depends on the type of person you are. I’d be perfectly happy out there
You can even leave your doors unlocked and let your guard down.
Even for a minute?
Haha, I genuinely started to put that in the title, but I thought people wouldn’t get it
What’s the reference?
It’s just a quick joke in Futurama. Someone says they’re safe to let their guard down, even for a minute (second?)!
As a play on the common saying about not letting your guard down, even for a minute.
Aah, didn’t really watch all the seasons, plan to do it sometime in the future
