Friday the 13th frights: Creepiest mythical monsters living in Canada

Loup-garou - The tale was used as really good leverage to get citizens to comply with community-wide religious or social rites, because if you missed church or planted the wrong crop on the wrong day, you could then be suspected of having made a pact with the devil and being the terrible monster everyone fears.

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Sasquatch - So you've heard of the ape-looking beast who stands three metres high, is covered in shaggy hair, and leaves behind humongous footprints, but did you know it's not actually a predator?

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Sasquatch - Known in America as Bigfoot, the Canadian Sasquatch comes from the Coast Salish Sasq'ets, meaning "wild man" or "hairy man."

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Sasquatch - The mythical monster can run and swim and boulder through all obstacles, but, perhaps similar to a moose, it won't attack unless provoked.

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Sasquatch - Most reports of the Sasquatch come from the forests surrounding the mountains of British Columbia. The legend is such a part of local culture that Sasquatch Days has taken part in Harrison, British Columbia since 1938 and a provincial park was named after the monster.

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The controversy - Everyone from local newspapers to The Canadian Encyclopedia has reported accounts of Sasquatch sightings, but there is no concrete evidence. The best proof is going out and finding that shy, shaggy guy yourself.

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Old Yellow Top - Old Yellow Top is the Sasquatch's blond Ontarian cousin who prefers prairies and forests to mountains.

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Waheela - Another variation on the wolf monster to keep your heart beating on those hikes. Waheelas are huge wolves with wide heads and long white fur, and their favourite activity is decapitating humans.

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Waheela - They are said to linger in the Nahanni Valley in the Northwest Territories, and there's even a sweet nickname for their local hangout, "The Valley of the Headless Men," due to the number of decapitated corpses found there. Start planning your next family vacation!

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Amarok - Amarok is very similar to the Waheela. This gigantic wolf from Inuit mythology is said to find and kill any hunter foolish enough to go into the wilderness alone at night. Seems like fair game.

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Akhlut - Stemming from Inuit mythology, the Akhlut is a vicious wolf-orca hybrid that can hunt you both on land and underwater.

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Mahaha - Another maniacal demon from Inuit mythology, the Mahaha is described as an emaciated sinewy being, ice blue and cold to the touch, with white eyes, stringy hair. Most terrifyingly, it is constantly giggling. Its killer attack: tickling victims to death with sharp nails and bony fingers.

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Kraken - Not just a spiced rum! This giant ocean monster lurks in tempestuous waters, waiting for an unsuspecting ship to sail by so it can wrap its tentacles around the vessel and drag it to the murky depths of the ocean floor.

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Kraken - The monster is said to be found off the coast of Newfoundland, by Portugal Cove. When it drags the ships down, it kills and eats any creature in its path.

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Kraken - Though there are similar tales of sea-monsters in other coastal towns, the Canadian Kraken was snapped on film in 1873. The photo showed a six-metre tentacled beast, and the creature made it into the Illustrated London News.

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Non-believers will say... - Giant squid have been known to wash up on Newfoundland's shores, the biggest of which was nearly 17 m. There is a statue in its image in Glovers Harbour.

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Thetis lake monster - Also known as the Canadian Lizard Man, this lake monster is said to live in Thetis Lake on Vancouver Island, but there has only been one encounter, in which the silver- and blue-scaled creature slashed a teenage boy with a webbed claw.

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Thetis lake monster - It's essentially the character from 'The Shape of Water' without the strange love plot.

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Cadborosaurus - Fondly referred to as Caddy, this big sea beast resembles a plesiosaur, with a long head, small front-flippers, and a powerful tail with a flipper on the end.

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Cadborosaurus - It is named after Cadboro Bay on Vancouver Island, and residents of the area have been reporting sightings for hundreds of years.

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Cadborosaurus - Approximately ten Caddy carcasses have washed up on British Columbia's shores, though the bodies tend to be classified as sharks or small whales.

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Ogopogo - A 25 m long snake-like lake monster with a horse-shaped head and a dark rolling body. This Lake Okanagan, British Columbia monster loves local boaters and little children who have strayed too far from their parents.

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Ogopogo - Very similar to the Loch Ness monster, this particular beast has been called N'ha-a-itk, or "lake devil," by Indigenous tribes, who have historically thrown small animals into the lake as a sacrifice.

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Ogopogo - Canada has a lot of lakes, so it only makes sense that we have a lot of lake monsters.

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Ogopogo - Countless stories have bubbled up about Ogopogo sightings, including home video footage and reports in the Kelowna Courier. The giant lake snake has since become a pop-culture figure, appearing in books, television, and video games, and it's generally loved more than it's feared—aw, happy ending!

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Windigo - Though it sounds like the name of an RV, it's actually an evil spirit in the shape of a human who embodies the darkest parts of humanity like greed, murder, and even cannibalism.

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Windigo - It is said to be tall and skeletal, with yellowed, rotting skin, deep-sunken eyes, and a generally eerie presence, but many different people have different opinions on its shape.

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Loup-garou - This shape-shifting creature was once a man, but he stepped out of line and had a spell cast over him, and now he occasionally turns into a flesh-eating wolf. So, yeah, a werewolf.

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Loup-garou - The loup-garou originates from French folklore influenced by Indigenous stories. There are variations of the myth in Quebec and French Louisiana.

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