Edrin Theoril and the Palewood Wendigo
It is a story still echoed amongst the villages that border The Palewood, for these are the folk who had to live day in and day out with the beast. With the threat gone for now hundreds of years, the problem of greed and strife still remain, and variants of the tale arose to address those needs accordingly, as recorded on the Blooms of Elderess Ekla's retelling of the tale.
We'll go without eating tonight. Yes. That's what we'll do tonight.
And you always have to begin that way. Food is the only way to get their [the children's] attention. But right, no more interruptions. I'll speak like you are my own children.
[clears throat]
Yes. We will go without food so that just for the night, you can taste what it must have been like for Atakululipani. He was the first Wendigo, and when the winter came, the snow covered the village, buried it so no one could open their doors. The food stores were seperate from the houses in those days, so he got cold and he got hungry very quickly. He had three daughters and a wife, but my dears, one day he woke up and was so hungry he suddenly had no daughters and had no wife.
He ate them, and was curse for his actions. He was cursed for betraying the love to his family, cursed for thinking his hunger was more important that his cold daughters and cold wife that rattled in his fat belly. He was cursed. And he turned into Atakululipani, the First Wendigo.
It's said when the mists rose over the field, he had come to claim a life. He would eat the person who lived closest to the woods unless a sacrifice was made. In those days, that would mean grandma, grandpa, your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, or... yes... even you. Lucky he only came once a month, aye?
[chatter in the back]
What? ...
Oh yes, the villages bought slaves often to help reduce the damage to the people who lived there. Horrible thing to do, horrible. But those that didn't died out. You don't hear stories of those towns anymore. And we don't tell that to our children.
[chatter]
Right. He only came once a month. And when the Empire was strong, we didn't have to worry. But when the Empire was weak, it would come for us.
Imagine now, that your mother goes missing one night, and then your sister or brother, and then your father. You would go mad, with all that grief and all that hate. That filled many people's hearts so many sought to kill that Wendigo... but it never worked.
It didn't work until Edrin Theoril. He was a warrior, riding over from the empire with golden armor and his magical weapon in hand. He came to the village and sat among the people; he talked to us, he heard us, and for a half a year he stayed with us. We fed him, and watched as six of our friends were taken away--one each month. The empire was weak and couldn't do anything, but we sat with Edrin. We talked to him, we heard him say--on that final month, "I will go up to its lair, and I will slay it, I think. None of you may come with me. Stay here and be safe."
We stayed, and we sat as he went to into that wood. Each night he got closer to that lair.
On the first night he fell asleep, he heard Atakululipani in his dreams. It asked him, "What do you want?" and Edrin Theoril cast him away: "Nothing!" he shouted and walked another day.
On the second night he fell asleep, he heard again Atakululipani in his dreams. It asked him, "Are you going to kill me?" and Edrin Theoril cast him away again: "Yes!" he shouted and walked another day.
On the final and third night he fell asleep, Atakululipani wove him dreams of the glory he would win having killed the Wendigo. People cheered his name, and people thanked him. He was showered in gold and he was loved by all. But... when the dream showed Edrin his face--it was that of the Wendigo, smiling at him. "Is this why you want to kill me?" and Edrin Theoril had become so wrapped up in the dream, he did not awaken until late in the afternoon. Shaken, he rose and walked the rest of the way.
There he bet the beast, a fearsome and cold thing--blue eyes, blue skin, gaunt and long--it's claws were overgrown and unclean fingernails, and there where it's jaw would be were only jagged and chipped teeth. It rose up to meet him and they circled each other before they fought.
Three smites from Edrin's mace would win him the fight, but one swing would best him from Atakululipani.
They met once, and both swung at each other. Edrin hit, but when he would have been struck, a bird flew across his chest and took the blow for him. In shock both looked to the side to see a dead swan. Their eyes met again, and they circled.
A second time, Edrin and the Wendigo met and exchanged blows, and, in hitting the Wendigo, Edrin was careless; he left open to a blow, but yet again, the same swan rose and took this blow for him. The Wendigo spat at Edrin-- "Twice you evade me, but no more. You have the heart like all men and monster do, and no god can save you from that!"
At this third meeting did Edrin and the Wendigo strike true. Edrin's mace knocked the head off of the Wendigo, but in doing so and assuming his bird would save him once more, he felt those cold claws sink into him. He gripped his side and looked upon the Wendigo's smiling face.--"Take me to your people, and leave that weapon behind" it said, "In exchange I will let you live a thousand lifetimes of praise and glory. In your old age, you must want this so--to rest and to finally be made into immortal stone and plaque."
Well, children, what do you think? Did our Hero take the Wendigo up on his offer so that he may live? Or is it possible that the good in him would persevere?
...
Listen close to your hearts, for they will be wild things--they will tell you to do things and to believe in things that simply are not true. Our hero that day made a grave mistake. These are a part of life--and we believe he is still good, no matter how cold his heart become. But to learn and be better people, my children, let us fast.
Interestingly enough, this tale notes that Edrin lost his weapon, The Twelve Arms of Death, in the Palewood. We hope that by exploring other myths in the area, its location as well as other mystical artifacts and monstrous behavior patterns may come to light.
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