Creepy Legends And Myths

Kushtaka

Kushtaka are mythical shape-shifting creatures found in the folklore of the Tlingit and Tsimshian peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America.
Kushtaka are shape-shifters capable of assuming human form, the form of an otter and other forms. In some cases, a Kushtaka is able to assume the form of any species of otter; in others, only one. Accounts of their behaviour seem to conflict with one another. In some stories, Kushtaka are cruel creatures who take delight in tricking Tlingit sailors to their deaths. In many stories, the Kushtaka save the lost individual by distracting them with curiously otter-like illusions of their family and friends as they transform their subject into a fellow Kushtaka, thus allowing him to survive in the cold. Naturally, this is counted a mixed blessing. However, Kushtaka legends are not always pleasant. In some legends it is said the Kushtaka will imitate the cries of a baby or the screams of a woman to lure victims to the river. Once there, the Kushtaka either kills the person and tears them to shreds or will turn them into another Kushtaka.

Legends have it Kushtaka can be warded off through copper, urine, dogs, and in some stories, fire.

It is also said that the Kushtaka emit a high pitched, three part whistle in the pattern of low-high-low.
The Tlingit believe that some otters are actually shape-shifters that look like men. These creatures have an evil purpose - to trap their victims souls and prevent them from reincarnating.

The legend goes like this:
As you're walking through your village, or hunting in woods or fishing in the sea, a man or group of men approach you. These men look just like kinsmen, and you don't have a clue that they're really the Kushtaka. In some cases, these malevolent creatures appear when you're lost or injured, and claim that they intend to rescue you. However, they lead you deeper into the wilderness and either tear you into pieces, or turn you into a Kushtaka, which prevents your soul from being able to reincarnate.

The very cuteness of otters is what makes the Kushtaka so dangerous, according to the Tlingit people. Because we're so drawn to their playful nature, it's easy to miss the fact that these shape-shifters really want to consume our souls and condemn us to spend eternity wandering the frozen tundra.