The legends of the Wendigo were being passed down from generation to generation long before the Europeans ever stepped foot in what is now the United States. There are nearly as many different versions to the legend, as there are descriptions of the creature itself.

Although there are two key components that seem to be included in every version of the story, number 1 resorting to cannibalism is thought to be the primary way of becoming a Wendigo, and number 2, even though the physical descriptions may vary, the wendigo is almost always described as a very thin, pale skinned creature that reeks of death and will only continue to grow larger after eating the flesh of a human.

The Wendigo stories are said to have first begun during a time of tragedy and misfortune hundreds of years ago. The Algonquin tribes from the northern United States and southern parts of Canada were on the verge of starvation, as natural food sources were running dry.

Becoming desperate, as a last resort some members of the tribes had resorted to cannibalism as a means of survival, and it was at this point that the sightings and the legends of the Wendigo first began.