The W* (which is how you should refer to it because invoking it’s name is frowned upon) isn’t just some monster horror story. In my tribe and others it is a cannibalistic spirit that may possess you if invoked. That being said there are several tribes where folks do eat their ancestors as a part of their funeral practices.
So in these stories, a person doesn’t “become” the creature but is instead possessed by it? Does doing cannibalism also in some manner attract or invoke it?
Also, you are referring to it in the singular. Is there just one or is it sort of an “uncountable” presence or emanation or something?
There are lots of ways to attract it like being greedy, performing or talking about cannibalism, or saying or thinking it’s name, probably other stuff. Lot of Native kids grow up horrified of it because it’s basically our version of Bloody Mary. Even if I don’t believe in it, it still scares me.
I refer to it in the singular yeah, in most stories if it is a spirit there is only one of that kind. I can’t speak on the monstrous version but I assume that there can be multiple of them. It’s important to remember that there are a lot of different versions of these stories.
This makes sense, thanks. Yeah, I wasn’t asking about the Stephen King version because that’s basically a werewolf with extra steps.
In any case, I always assumed that this was still a species of spirit (such that there could be multiple at a time) rather than an individual spirit. I suppose it’s sort of like what another religion might classify as a lesser deity or a specific, named demon like these.
That one is super frustrating too - they just don’t give a shit about the origins at all, just treat it as a indigenous peoples themed slenderman why not
Yeah its origin is probably closer to an uncanny valley “thing looks human but doesn’t act human and is dangerous.”
There’s usually a kernel of truth in a lot of the old indigenous legends and stories. These become traditions and rituals over time but likely started as practices to guard against actual dangers. Like funerary practices. If you go with exposure you don’t leave the body near where you live. Or you bury the dead. You might do this to “respect the spirits” but it also prevents disease and/or attracting undesired animals to your location.
The W* (which is how you should refer to it because invoking it’s name is frowned upon) isn’t just some monster horror story. In my tribe and others it is a cannibalistic spirit that may possess you if invoked. That being said there are several tribes where folks do eat their ancestors as a part of their funeral practices.
So in these stories, a person doesn’t “become” the creature but is instead possessed by it? Does doing cannibalism also in some manner attract or invoke it?
Also, you are referring to it in the singular. Is there just one or is it sort of an “uncountable” presence or emanation or something?
There are lots of ways to attract it like being greedy, performing or talking about cannibalism, or saying or thinking it’s name, probably other stuff. Lot of Native kids grow up horrified of it because it’s basically our version of Bloody Mary. Even if I don’t believe in it, it still scares me.
I refer to it in the singular yeah, in most stories if it is a spirit there is only one of that kind. I can’t speak on the monstrous version but I assume that there can be multiple of them. It’s important to remember that there are a lot of different versions of these stories.
This makes sense, thanks. Yeah, I wasn’t asking about the Stephen King version because that’s basically a werewolf with extra steps.
In any case, I always assumed that this was still a species of spirit (such that there could be multiple at a time) rather than an individual spirit. I suppose it’s sort of like what another religion might classify as a lesser deity or a specific, named demon like these.
Really wishing it never got picked up by the internet spoopy creepypasta culture and turned into some zombie deer thing.
They did the same thing to skinwalkers, too.
That one is super frustrating too - they just don’t give a shit about the origins at all, just treat it as a indigenous peoples themed slenderman why not
Yeah its origin is probably closer to an uncanny valley “thing looks human but doesn’t act human and is dangerous.”
There’s usually a kernel of truth in a lot of the old indigenous legends and stories. These become traditions and rituals over time but likely started as practices to guard against actual dangers. Like funerary practices. If you go with exposure you don’t leave the body near where you live. Or you bury the dead. You might do this to “respect the spirits” but it also prevents disease and/or attracting undesired animals to your location.
That’s the fault of Stephen King, not creepypastas, but now creepypastas endlessly imitate it just like most other spoopy things King wrote.
Oh fr? I didn’t know he had a story with them, that makes a lot of sense.
Yeah, it’s in multiple books but most notably Pet Semetary.
well possessed by a spirit of unquenchable murderous greed is not an unfair description of our society
That’s the idea behind the film Ravenous (1999), which I can only recommend
I mean fair, but most of these internet depictions aren’t that so much as “big spooky deer what lives in the woods and eats u because”