Joe’s sociology class seemed to be exploring darker and darker subjects.
His constant questions were certainly a major impetus behind the trend but he could not take sole responsibility for it. They’d begun by talking about Indian folklore and the subject of the Wendigo had come up.
‘Both the Chippewa and Ojibwa tribes tell a similar story of a fierce warrior who would cut off a piece of his enemy’s flesh after defeating him in battle and eat it to gain strength. This warrior soon developed a taste for human flesh and began to prey on his own tribe. He began to prey on his own tribe. He ceased to hunt animals and sustained himself solely on other humans. So the Master Of Life, the Great Spirit, decreed that if he chose to live as a savage beast then he would forever appear as a monster and transformed him into the Wendigo. Now he is said to prowl the forests and frozen wastelands of North America, starving for human flesh.
‘They say that anyone who commits the sin of cannibalism will likewise be cursed with the spirit of the Wendigo, becoming a monster that must now eat other humans to survive.’
The students were silent as kids sitting around a campfire listening to a really good ghost story. They seemed to be waiting for the traditional shock ending. Most of them were looking at Joe as if expecting him to suddenly grow hair and fangs.
‘Once you become one of these monsters, how do you reverse it? Does it say how they’re cured?’ Joe asked. The professor shook his head in exasperation and sighed deeply.
‘They aren’t cured, Joseph. Once they cross that line and become cannibals, they remain monsters forever.’
‘But that can’t be! There has to be a cure!’
‘Settle down. It’s only mythology. No need to get yourself all worked up.’
Prudence was not one of Joe’s strong points and he had once again drawn the snickers and stares of his peers. He lowered his head and crossed his arms over his chest as he settled back into his chair.
The professor continued. ‘Well, then. Normally in Native American folklore, the ability to take on the shape of animals was used for purposes of spiritual enlightenment, healing, and personal growth. Even evil shape-shifters didn’t generally attack and eat humans. This horrific trait was solely that of the Wendigo, and the legend of this creature appears to have been used to warn against the practice of cannibalism.’
‘Was there any truth to the legends? I mean, did anyone claim to have actually seen one?’
The professor closed his eyes and cupped his forehead in his hands, trying to maintain his composure.
‘It’s an old legend. And though I’m sure there were a great many who believed in it a century or two ago.”
‘Well, maybe they should,’ Joe replied.
He fell silent, his eyes daring the professor to inquire further. The professor stared back with the unasked question lying flat on his tongue.
Did you kill that woman?
Suddenly Joe felt claustrophobic in the little classroom. He stood quickly, nearly flipping his chair over as he snatched up his backpack and made for the door. The professor flinched when the huge sophomore stormed past.
‘That’s a very disturbed kid,’ he whispered as Joe left the room and the door shut slowly behind him. “I’d be surprised if anyone gives it much credibility nowadays.’
