Turkeyman: Curse of the Wereturkey

The wereturkey is an American beast, born in Plimoth, 1621 during the first Thanksgiving dinner.

When Edward Winslow, leader of the Plimoth Colony was asked by one of the Wampanoag Indians to “Please pass the turkey”, he simply responded, “No thank you.”

It is unclear from what records exist of the first historic feast whether this was meant as an insult, or if Windlow simply misheard the request.  Whatever the case may have been, Winslow’s faux paux angered his Wampanoag guests.

As the legend goes, the Wampanoag men placed a curse on Winslow dooming him to transform into a beast of half man and half turkey – a Wereturkey!

It is said that once transformed, the wereturkey remains in that state until someone calls their given name, or until fed bread crumbs by a person known to them. Wereturkeys as a rule are not aggressive. They will roam around familiar areas, hunting for food, almost never attacking humans, and waiting to be recognized.

Winslow, according to legend,  transformed Thanksgiving night, and remained in beast form nearly 8 weeks until his young daughter found the poor bird-man starving to death and half-frozen. She fed the starving bird some bread crumbs on a cold January morning and within minutes, his feathers were gone and he was back to his old self.

Little is known about the special curse that the Wampanoag used to change Winslow into the turkey beast, what is clear is that he never transformed again.

Since that time, there have been many other reported cases of Wereturkey transformations.  Here is a list compiled by historians of different ways the creature can be created.

There are 7 known causes of Wereturkey transformations:

1. Wearing the Skin of a turkey

2. Drinking rainwater out of the footprint of a turkey.

3. Sleeping outside on Thanksgiving day

4. The Seventh son born after six girls on Thanksgiving day will transform into a wereturkey on his 13th birthday

5. Eating the raw brains of a wild turkey.

6. Survive being pecked by a turkey.

7. Eating food prepared by a wereturkey.

Please be careful this holiday, and everyday, for the danger of the Wereturkey is near.