As you may know I’m currently working on a book about the Canadian/American Indian monster known as the wendigo. I'm very interested in finding modern accounts (20th Century/21st Century) of the creature.
I recall reading an account in one of Elliott O'Donnell's ghost books of an encounter with a creature that sounds very like a wendigo, though it is not referred to in the text. The story is set in one of the northern states, but I can't recall which one. The witness saw the creature one night near an abandoned mine that had a reputation for being haunted. The thing had grey skin and was about ten feet tall. It had an emaciated, skull-like face. This sounds very like some of the descriptions of the wendigo.
Does anyone know where I can find this account? I can't recall which of O'Donnell's many books it is in. Someone on the Fortean Times message board said it was in A Casebook of Ghosts but a look through that book revealed nothing.
Anyone familiar with this?
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In November Sahar Dimus, our guide on four CFZ Sumatra expeditions, died of liver failure leaving a widow Lucy and four Children. On the 2nd November, Dezyama D. Sangma, wife of our friend and colleague Dipu Marak, our collaborator on the 2010 Indian expedition died, leaving her grieving husband and two small children.
4 comments:
Hi,
Sounds like a book I want to read! I have about 40 O' Donnell titles at home, all 1st editions, beginning with his very first one, going all the way to the 1950's... contact me through mail and I will start digging for you.
Any leads as to which possible title or year would be greatly appreciated, of course:) For instance, where was this mine located?
Jon has my e-mail address.
Kind regards,
Theo Paijmans
Just a suggestion, Jon, but I wonder if what you're looking for is from O'Donnell's book "Werwolves." Methuen. London. 1912. pp.65-67
Hi Kithra,
Just checked your reference in Werwolves, but the part you are referring to is in Montenegro, involves a haunted valley (not a mine), and describes how a local named Kniaz turns into a werewolf - not an extremely tall, greyish creature with a skull like face, but rather: 'a thing with a man's body and an animal's head...' - with no emphasis on any special size (page 66).
Earlier on, on page 63, Kniaz explains that the haunted valley is '... under the spell of grey ghosts...'
I doubt though that this is the haunted mine acount.
Sincere regards,
Theo
Sorry, Theo. I tracked down the info that I posted from doing a Google search, and finding that in some places a Werewolf is called (or is very similar to) a Wendigo.
The title, and pages, I mentioned were what I found on a site about O'Donnell's books. But I visit so many sites each day that I can't now recall which one I found it on :)
Anyway, I hope the "hunt" goes well, and the information that Jon is looking for does turn up.
Best wishes,
Liz
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