Everyone gets excited during the winter holidays, especially because of Christmas, and while most people are familiar with characters such as the Grinch or Jack Frost, there are many other legends that you might not be familiar with. All over the world, people believe in various myths and frankly, some of the winter monsters from those myths are terrifying. Check out these 5 winter monsters that will definitely terrify you.
5Qiqirn Spirit Dog
In the legends of the Inuit people, Qiqirn is a hound who is almost hairless except for some fur on his tail, paws, and mouth. They are known as spirit dogs and they are especially malicious. In winter, these dogs are said to fellow travelers on their journey and they catch them by surprise.
When the travelers are by themselves in distant lands, Qiqirn will do something incredibly malicious. The legend says that the evil dog will get close to its victim and its magic will make people scream with agony and have long fits that will lead to a horrible death. The only way to survive if the victim shouts out the name Qiqirn, which will send this evil dog away.
4Wendigo Man-Eating Monster
The myth of the Wendigo first started in Algonquian legends but soon spread all over the US, especially the Atlantic coast. These monsters are said to be 15 feet tall and they have a humanlike form but they also have horns, long limbs, and scary eyes.
They have claws on their limbs and are said to be a hybrid of a wolf and a man. They are said to live in the shadows and when an unfortunate soul wanders close to them, they will mimic the human voice and lure their victims. They also have the ability to possess a human. Wendigo has quite an appetite for human flesh and once they lure their victims, they are never seen again.
3Chenoo Ice Giant
Chenoo is another monster from Native American legends and it can look like a human, however, it takes the form of a giant and likes to eat people. According to the legend, Chenoo used to be a human who was possessed by an evil entity and turned into this horrifying being after that.
The reason for this was cannibalism: the human was a cannibal and the evil spirit punished him by freezing his heart and turning him into a monster. The Chenoo can be actually be cured if you swap its heart with another human heart.
2Yuki-onna Snow Woman
The legend of Yuki-onna first appeared in the 1300s in Japan and she is said to be the most stunning and beautiful girl one has ever seen. The legends say that she has pale skin and dark hair and that she moves around by gliding in the snow. She appears mostly during blizzards and finds lost travelers, who quickly become their victims.
She uses their breath to freeze them completely until their deaths. Some stories claim that she uses a baby to lure her victims by asking for help in the storm and that when the human touches the baby, they get completely frozen. Even though her beauty is unmatched, her evil eyes are the only thing that will give away her malicious intentions.
1Ijiraq Shape Shifter
The story of Ijiraq comes from Inuit legends and the creature is fully invisible until it shape-shifts and picks a being they want to look like. They search for children and naive victims and most legends say that they live in the veil between life and death.
When they kidnap the children, they eat them, and in case the Ijiraq doesn’t eat the child, it will free them, but the child will suffer a cruel death because it will be left in the snow and get lost.
