These are the most terrifying creatures found in Native American folklore. There are many monsters that haunt our nightmares. We’ve all heard stories about vampires, werewolves, and zombies, but there are so many more creatures out there haunting the dark. Native American stories, for example, are filled with grotesque creatures. In fact, many pop culture monsters have their origins in Native American folklore.

10. Achiyalatopa

The Achiyalatopa is frightening for numerous reasons, not least of all for its size. It is a giant human-bird creature that originates from Zuni legend. The Zuni were a Pueblo tribe mostly based out of New Mexico. Many of their stories revolved around nature and animals and this monster is no different.

According to legend, the Achiyalatopa is a strong and powerful god. It has awful celestial powers that it uses when angered. It also has feathers made from flint knives; these knives can be thrown at people who cross the powerful god. Although the Achiyalatopa is neither definitively good or evil, its monstrous appearance and terrifying powers lead most people to associate it with evil. It is certainly not a creature you would want to anger.

9. Apotamkin

The Apotamkin is a creature found in Maliseet and Passamaquoddy legends. This terrifying monster is often thought to be the basis for modern-day vampire legends.

This creature does have a lot in common with vampires. It has superhuman strength and sustains itself on blood. However, unlike most modern vampires, the Apotmakin can also feed on animals and dead creatures in order to live. It also differs from most vampires of legend because it lives in the water, typically in the Passamaquoddy Bay. According to the legends, it lurks around the shores of the bay and attempts to lure children toward her. When they get close, she drags them into the water and feeds on them.

The appearance of the creature is debatable, but many legends describe it as a serpent-like creature with long red hair and terrifying fangs. Some say it was once a human woman who was mysteriously transformed into a hideous creature.

8. Kee-Wakw

Another creature that strikes fear into the hearts of its victims by its sheer size alone comes from Wabanaki mythology. This creature, known as the Kee-Wakw, may start out the size of a human, but if you anger it, the Kee-Wakw grows rapidly until it is taller than the trees. This creature is perpetually hungry, so it rips its victims to pieces with its terrifying fangs.

Most stories about the Kee-Wakw suggest that it was originally a human. Some say that it was a Wabanaki shaman who learned to transform himself into a horrifying monster. Others say that if a Wabanaki committed a serious crime, their heart turns to ice, transforming them into a Kee-Wakw.

Luckily for the Wabanaki, the Kee-Wakw can be defeated. The ice inside the creature is the source of its power, so if you can make it vomit up the ice or melt it with salt, it becomes powerless. Some say that doing so transforms it back into a human.

7. Culloo

The Culloo is another terrifying Passamaquoddy legend. This creature, however, can also be found in Maliseet and Mikmaq folklore. This creature takes the form of a large, monstrous bird of prey. It is said to be large enough to carry off even the largest of animals in its sharp talons. The Culloo often haunted the dreams of Native Americans because of its propensity to carry off young children.

According to legend, many hunters attempted to defeat the Culloo, but it makes its nest atop a cliff so high and steep that no human can possibly scale it. When one hunter attempted to find the creature, it captured him and attempted to beat him to death on the rocks near its nest, as it typically did with its victims. The hunter, however, had kept his bow beneath him, which kept him from being throttled. When the Culloo left the hunter for dead, he made his escape.

6. Adlet

The Adlet is a terrifying wolf-human hybrid that originates from Inuit folklore. Some believe it might be the basis for popular culture’s werewolves. The Adlet is a tall creature, half wolf and half human with terrifying blue eyes. It is extremely fast and often carries a spear that it uses to hunt humans and eat their flesh.

The story of the Adlet’s origin is one of the more disturbing on this list. According to legend, the Adlet were created when an Inuit woman mated with a wolf, creating 10 hybrid offspring. Horrified by this abomination, the other villagers exiled her and her children to an island. The woman’s father at first felt sorry for her and would give the family a boot full of meat each day that one of the hybrid children would retrieve by swimming back to the mainland. One day, the father decided to fill the boot with rocks, and the creature drowned. The mother was outraged and released the remaining children to murder the entire village.

The Adlet children didn’t stop there, however. They continued on to become a scourge to many other nations.

Continue Reading on Next Page: