The known universe, with its heroes and marvels, but what of the darkness? For centuries, humanity has been haunted and fascinated by creatures that shouldn’t exist, monsters, beings whispered about in the dark, hiding between science and superstition. From the misty mountains of the Pacific Northwest to the deep jungles of South America and beyond, every culture has its monsters — guardians, curses, or cosmic mistakes.

Legends like the Mothman, Mapingauri, and Wendigo aren’t just stories; they’re mirrors of our fears and desires. Cryptids that embody isolation, greed, hunger, and obsession — the things we repress but can’t escape. What fascinates me most isn’t whether these creatures are real, which I do want them to be, but why people keep believing in them. Why monsters tell us more about ourselves than any holy book or history text ever could.

Wendigo

This monster is from Northern Native American folklore, primarily from the Great Lakes region of the Algonquin tribe, depicted as a zombie-like being with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. In some tales, it’s an evil spirit that possesses humans, while in others, a human will transform into a wendigo due to excessive greed or through acts of cannibalism, during times of starvation, mostly in the dead of winter. This creature is very important in terms of taboo because it is brought on through an act of a person, or a malevolent spirit possessing a person, to consume another human, which in most cultures and in society is one of the most looked down upon and uncanny things a person can do

Even in the modern age — where satellites map every inch of the planet — people still swear they’ve seen something watching them from the tree line. Maybe it’s a psychological echo of our ancestors’ survival instinct. Or maybe… it’s something older, something that refuses to die no matter how many times we deny it. Cryptids have evolved into cultural icons, stalking through heavy metal lyrics, indie horror games, and even conspiracy forums.
They may not be real — but they’ve achieved immortality through belief.