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Illustration of Skadegamutc
Original AI-made illustration based on the descriptions in the sources. Not an official design.
File No. 437 of 446

Skadegamutc

Also called: ghost-witch, skudakumooch, skite'kmuj
Folklore and mythUndeadSorcery

The skadegamutc is the undead sorcerer of Wabanaki tradition. By day it is a corpse; at night it rises to kill, eat human flesh and lay curses. Only burning the body ends it. It is one of the clearest Native American examples of a flesh-eating reanimated corpse.1

Battle it
Origin
Wabanaki (Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Abenaki)
USA, Canada
What causes it
Sorcery
An evil magician's power keeps the corpse active after death.
How you become one
An evil shaman dies and refuses to stay dead.
Intelligence
Clever
Weak spots
  • fire, the only thing that destroys it permanently
field notes

What the sources say

1

The name is usually translated 'ghost-witch'1

2

It kills and eats people1

3

It curses those who cross its path1

4

Maliseet and Abenaki stories tell of hunters killed by one1

5

Known among the Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Abenaki1

Sources

  1. Skadegamutc (Ghost-Witch) - Native Languages of the Americas

Every fact on this page comes from these sources, written in our own words. Spotted a mistake? Tell us at [email protected].

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TupilaqGreenlandic InuitHooh-Strah-DoohWyandot (Huron)

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