Chenoo

Lore & Background

Chenoo are generally described as larger than the average man, getting bigger the hungrier they are. They have sharp fangs which stand out due to their lips having been chewed off. Chenoo used to be human, being corrupted by dark magic and cursed to eat people's flesh. Their bodies become excruciatingly warm, forcing them to live out in the snow. Most stories take the point of view of the Chenoo rather than the humans.

Charles Godfrey Leland describes the Chenoo as having 'something made of devil, man, and beast in their most dreadful forms. It was like a haggard old man, with wolfish eyes; he was stark naked; his shoulders and lips were gnawed away, as if, mad with hunger, he had eaten his own flesh' (233). There are a few ways to kill a Chenoo, usually requiring doing so more than once. Some versions say the only way to ensure they are truly dead is to chop up their bodies into multiple pieces. There is no way of destroying the Chenoo except by destroying their icy heart, either by tricking them into eating salt or forcing them into eating so much that they throw it up.

Legends include 'The Girl and The Chenoo,' where a sister mistakes a Chenoo for her grandfather, and through kindness the Chenoo eventually coughs up its icy heart in a sweat lodge and reverts to human form. Another version by Charles Godfrey Leland adds a Christian element: a Chenoo battles another Chenoo to protect a family, then later is baptized by a priest and dies. A creation myth, 'The Girl-Chenoo,' tells of a woman rejected by a man who turns her into a Chenoo; she forces her family to fire seven arrows into her heart to end the curse.

Reader's Guide

The Chenoo hold significance in Algonquin folklore as a variant of the cannibalistic ice giant, comparable to the Wendigo. Their stories often take the Chenoo's point of view, emphasizing the tragedy of a human corrupted by dark magic. The creature's vulnerability—only through destroying its icy heart—sets it apart from other monsters. The legend 'The Girl and The Chenoo' illustrates the transformative power of kindness, where the Chenoo reverts to human form after being treated as a grandfather. Charles Godfrey Leland's 1884 retelling introduces a Christian conversion narrative, where a Chenoo is baptized before death, reflecting cultural blending. The creation myth 'The Girl-Chenoo' shows the curse as a form of revenge, with the victim choosing to end her own suffering. These stories preserve themes of corruption, redemption, and the harshness of winter, and they remain a notable part of Algonquin oral tradition.

Did You Know?

• Chenoo get bigger the hungrier they are.
• Their lips have been chewed off, exposing sharp fangs.
• In one legend, a Chenoo reverts to human form after coughing up an icy lump in a sweat lodge.

The Form and Curse of the Chenoo

The Chenoo occupy a grim place in Algonquin oral tradition, serving as cannibalistic ice giants often compared to the Wendigo. In their original state these beings were once human, but dark magic twisted them into flesh-eating monsters bound by a terrible curse. Their physical form is horrifying: they tower above ordinary men and continue to swell in size as their hunger deepens. Their lips have been gnawed away entirely, leaving sharp fangs exposed, and their shoulders are similarly ravaged. Leland captured this image in 1884, describing a haggard, naked figure with wolfish eyes who seemed to embody the worst of devil, man, and beast simultaneously. Paradoxically, their bodies burn with excruciating heat, which is why they are condemned to dwell in the snow. Most surviving narratives are told from the Chenoo's own perspective rather than that of the humans they threaten. Killing one is notoriously difficult; some traditions insist the body must be chopped into multiple pieces, while others hold that only the destruction of its icy heart—coaxed out by tricking the creature into consuming salt or overfeeding it until it vomits—can end the threat permanently.

Kindness as a Path to Redemption

One of the most tender narratives in the Chenoo cycle is the tale of a young woman and her brothers who stumble upon mysterious tracks in the forest. The brothers casually dismiss the prints as belonging to a bear, but the sister recognizes something else. She quietly arranges baskets of berries atop a pile of bear skins as a test. When the Chenoo arrives, she pretends to mistake the monstrous figure for her own grandfather. The ruse works; the creature, moved by the pretense of family, begins performing domestic tasks such as chopping wood and hunting game for the household's meat. Eventually the siblings decide it is time to return to their tribe. Before they leave, the Chenoo asks them to construct a sweat lodge for it. Inside the heated structure, the creature coughs up the icy lump that had been lodged in its chest, and in that moment it reverts to its original human form. The story powerfully suggests that compassion and the simple act of treating a monster as a loved one can undo even the most ancient corruption.

Leland's 1884 Retelling and the Baptism Ending

Charles Godfrey Leland included a distinctive version of the Chenoo story in his 1884 volume The Algonquin Legends of New England, which drew on Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot oral traditions. His retelling introduces a dramatic combat element absent from other versions: the male Chenoo must fight off a second, female Chenoo who is described as more vicious and physically powerful. The defending creature ultimately prevails, but only with the assistance of the human family it has been protecting. More significantly, Leland appends a Christian conclusion to the narrative. After returning with the family, the Chenoo is on the verge of death. A priest arrives and finds the being entirely ignorant of religion, comparing its spiritual state to that of a wild beast. The Chenoo initially reacts with anger toward the priest, but gradually listens and experiences a profound change of heart. It asks to be baptized. As the first tear it has ever shed wells up in its eyes, the old man—the restored human beneath the monster—dies. Leland's addition reframes the entire cycle as a story of spiritual salvation.

The Origin of the Curse

The Chenoo cycle also contains a creation myth that explains how a specific individual first became a monster. In the tale known as The Girl-Chenoo, a woman rejects the romantic advances of a man. Rather than accepting her refusal, the rejected suitor seeks vengeance and turns her into a Chenoo. The transformation is immediate; the woman becomes acutely aware of the monstrous changes taking over her body. In a desperate act of self-determination, she forces her own family to fire seven arrows directly into her heart. The arrows strike true, and the curse is effectively broken. This origin story stands in stark contrast to the redemption narratives, as here the Chenoo is not a fallen being seeking forgiveness but a victim of another's malice. The woman's agency in choosing her own death—compelling her family to be the ones who end her—adds a layer of tragic autonomy to the mythology. It also underscores the theme that the Chenoo curse is not an inherent evil but a punishment or weapon imposed by one person upon another.