28mm scale
Even if this wendigo figure from Bears Head Miniatures has more in common with recent horror movie depictions than traditional Anishnaabe legends, it's still a terrifying beast. It lurches through the snow, ravenous mouth forever hungry, its distinctly human forelimbs betraying its origins as an utterly corrupted soul.
In addition to reinforcing taboos against cannibalism, it's not hard to understand why a society living on the land, who relied on each other's cooperation every day, would believe that greed and selfishness could literally make you a monster. The wendigo can also be understood as a symbol for rapacious acquisitiveness that throws an individual out of harmony with their community and environment... probably a metaphor worth paying attention to in our time.
On a technical note, I based this figure on a craft plywood disc covered in Fimo. It's metal so I was able to sculpt the stump and rocks, and bake it, figure and all, before adding the skull and a stick as a taller tree trunk. I used Golden acrylic gel medium mixed with bluish-white paint, sprinkled with baking soda when still wet, as the snow. Hopefully this will avoid it yellowing in the future.
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A more traditional depiction of the wendigo, by Ojibwe artist Norval Morrisseau |
That's a really creepy sculpt, and the paint job really suits it.
ReplyDeleteFunny how bloody mouthed herbivores generate a revulsion as well as fear.
That's... a very interesting point. I'd never thought of that. But you're right.
DeleteTerrifying! Lovely work.
ReplyDeleteExactly my thoughts when I got to read baking soda: the yellowing (now, sounds like a bad horror flix).
ReplyDeleteI've been using it lately to harden CA glue ... Looks good so far. Hope it will age ok.
Nice work on the mini although never heard of a moose-like wendigo. I've skipped last 2 decades' horror movies TBH.
I like to think of it as he was eating strawberries and watermelons hence that mouth.
Random fact: if you flip the "w" you get "Mendigo" which in Spanish means homeless / beggar.
I'm fascinated by how the wendigo's (the one I knew along with Lovecraft's) depiction features an old TV bottom right. 📺
Somehow I haven't asked, you ok? Lately you are all about gore and ninjas... Much like I was back at the 90s.
ReplyDeleteIt's all good as long as you're not combining.
Not sure if I want to see a Shaolin mullet chupacabras.
Thanks for asking! We are, to quote Marcellus Wallace, "pretty fucking far from okay". Two kids climbing the walls (the ninjas symbolize this) and I'm ready to stab myself in the ear (the gore symbolizes this) if I hear "daaaaaaddy when will the viiiirus be ooooover?" one more time :(
DeleteRe: your other comment, I'm confident that the gel medium will not yellow over time. It's a pro quality art product. If the baking soda does, well that'll be an interesting day.
I've never seen these antlered wendigos anywhere outside of fan art and promos for a few films. It's definitely a modern, non-Indigenous take on it. Btw Norval Morrisseau is a modern Native artist so his art might well feature a TV.
How cute. Don't envy kids for they have yet to learn virus aren't even life forms: just a piece of encapsulated information that uses life as factories to replicate. For no reason.
DeleteAh, life. The beauty of chaos.
Worry not: yellow baking soda would make up for a decent 'yellow snow' effect. Just add white snow arround and voilà.
Looks great. Started life as a chaos hound? My kids are noise marines.
ReplyDeleteTHAT is a great looking mini and well painted! I may have to order one of those!
ReplyDeleteDooooooo it :D
DeleteYou talked me into it. Bought that and a few other pieces from the trader.
DeleteMy work here is done :D
DeleteEeeek! That's scary! It's pretty unsettling, looks great. The whole composition is fantastic, you made all the elements come into proper place. It's simply perfect.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a terrifying beast, thanks to your skills.
ReplyDelete