Cannibal Giants
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Wendigo
The Wendigo is a creature from the Algonquin speaking Native American groups. They are created when a human resorts to cannibalism. They are found in various forms in Canada and the Northeastern United States. Some legends claim the Wendigo is an evil force present in all people waiting to be awoken. Cannibalism awakens this spirit giving them supernatural strength and ferocity. They are described as being twice as tall as a man with glowing eyes, sharp yellow teeth, and a lolling tongue. They have a muscular build covered in coarse hair. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for…
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Rougarou
The Rougarou is a creature that was thought to be a combination of the French Loup Garou and the Algonquin Wendigo. Various Louisiana Native American tribes believed the Attakapa to be a tribe of shapeshifting cannibals. Attakapa even means “man eater” in Choctaw. The story goes that after a difficult period of war, the starving Attakapas gained the ability to shapeshift from dark spirits who possessed them. After being possessed, they would hunt humans as their prey. During the summer they would take human form and live normal lives, only taking constant animal forms during the winter when food was more scarce. Particularly cruel Rougarou however would take animal form…
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Mu Pitz/Piamupits
Mu Pitz is a cannibalistic monster, possibly fitting the category of Cannibal Giant. It comes from the Comanche people, largely from Texas. Sometimes it is seen as a cave dwelling ogre, but other times it is believed to be a giant owl person. It liked to prey on humans and mostly children, and was often seen as an evil spirit who served as a bogeyman figure. It stood twelve feet tall, and was covered in hair and wasn’t actually fully an evil force but rather a big dangerous creature that in a way represented the balance of nature. Citations: Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom,…
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Lofa
The Lofa are from the Chickasaw Native Americans in Mississippi and Oklahoma. They are a form of cannibal giant. They attack camps, killing the men and stealing the women to reproduce with. If one is killed, the others of its pack will do anything to retrieve the body. They are intelligent, hostile, and malicious. They smell so bad that they can kill with their scent alone. They stand ten feet tall, have long arms, and small heads. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Giants and Humanoids in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt…
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Jokao/Stonecoats
The Jokao are creatures from the myths of the Iroquois and Seneca people. They are a form of cannibal giant, whose bodies are covered in stone plates. They are often created in a very harsh winter, most often during famine when people were forced to eat their neighbors to survive. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Giants and Humanoids in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Cherufe
The Cherufe is a creature originating from the myths of the Mapuche and Araucanian people of Chile and Argentina. The Cherufe is thought to inhabit magma pools and active volcanoes, and the body of the Cherufe is thought to be made of the same molten materials. The Cherufe is described in various manners. – Some in cryptozoology believe the Cherufe to be an undiscovered species capable of living in magma pools. Often these are depicted as lizard-like humanoids. – Some stories say that the Cherufe came to earth as cannibalistic giants disguised as comets. Sometimes they’re described like dragons, or giant humanoids with reptilian skin. These Cherufe prey on any who…
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Big Man-Eater
Big Man-Eater is a figure from the myths of the Alabama tribe. He was a man who was really bad at hunting and told his wife to cut off her limbs for him to eat. She ran away and had her brothers kill him. They burned him to ashes, and from his ashes emerged bees, wasps, mosquitos, flies, and crows. Citations: Sullivan, Irene F., and Gill, Sam D.. Dictionary of Native American Mythology. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 1994.
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Äläkwis
The Äläkwis is a form of cannibal giant covered with hair from stories of the Bella Coola people of British Columbia. They once lived like humans on King Island. They had rites like worshiping fire. Most of them were killed from genocide by their neighbors the Bella Bella. Only a few escaped to the lake near the inner section of the island. They were once witnessed fishing in a boat, but when they realized they were being watched, they broke down their boat and ran off into the woods. Citations: Annual Archæological Report. Canada, n.p, 1924. Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2002.
