Kee-wakw

Kee-wakw are a type of a cannibalistic monster from Abenaki folklore that was said to be a monstrous giant that was half-human, half-animal, created from a cursed human whose heart would turn to ice due to a great evil such as cannibalism or letting another starve, transforming them into a Kee-wakw.

The Kee-wawk can be considered a regional variant of the Wendigo and like many monsters of its type served as a way to enforce a taboo on the practice of cannibalism, which often became a severe problem during long and troubled winters. The Kee-wakw can also in many ways be seen as an embodiment of the often brutal lands which the Abenaki and other people in the region had to live off, especially during the freezing winter.