Ever Heard MN’s Terrifying Legend of Wendigo?

I'm a sucker for a good urban legend, but this one has me freaked. Northern Minnesota may seem like the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday city life...but, it may not be all it's cracked up to be.

There's an old Native American legend that's been told by the locals for years. According to Only In Your State, the legend of Wendigo describes a huge scary monster that hangs out in the woods of Minnesota. But, wait, that's not all.

If you're thinking that this sounds a lot like Bigfoot, you'd be oh so wrong. According to Legends Of America, Wendigo is allegedly 15 feet tall and can't be seen from his side profile because of how skinny he is. Oh, and apparently, Wendigo eats human flesh. So, there's that. He's said to have razor-sharp teeth claws and missing lips. You can hear him screaming in the woods. If you smell a foul odor, you're supposed to take cover because that means he's not far behind you. Yikes, now I'm going to be thinking about this the next time I go camping.

So, where do these Wendigos come from? Apparently, they start out as regular people. Someone can become one of these monsters by eating humans or just dreaming of a Wendigo. Seriously? I could become a Wendigo just by DREAMING about one? What a nightmare.

According to PBS, in 1897 there was a trial involving an Ojibwe man who killed someone he thought to be one of these monsters.

PBS also says the legend is so popular, it's been featured in TV shows like Charmed and even in Marvel comics.

There's gotta be some truth to a legend for it to gain such popularity, right? I hope not. But, just in case the legend is legit, I think I'm going to stay out of the woods by myself.