Dr. ian
Laserge
Explore the myths behind Hunting Matthew Nichols.
Explore the myths behind Hunting Matthew Nichols.
Professor Ian Laserge is an anthropologist on the faculty of Vancouver Island University, where he specializes in cultural memory, regional history, and community-based archival research. He has spent more than two decades studying the ways in which local narratives, oral testimony, and environmental context shape the interpretation of historical events. Laserge has frequently consulted on municipal heritage assessments and academic inquiries related to rural and small-town community records on Vancouver Island.
Baba Yaga is a fearsome witch from Slavic folklore who lives in a chicken-legged hut deep in the forest, appearing as both a danger and a reluctant guide. She tests those who seek her out, rewarding the worthy and punishing the selfish, embodying the unpredictable and transformative power of the wild.
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Skinwalkers, in Navajo tradition, are shape-shifters who gain their abilities through forbidden acts and use them for harm. Often taking animal forms, they serve as a warning about misusing spiritual power and crossing sacred boundaries.
Yama-Uba is a Japanese mountain witch who disguises herself as a harmless old woman before revealing a predatory, supernatural nature. Her stories reflect the dangers of isolation, deception, and the unforgiving wilderness.
Hungry Ghosts from Buddhist and Chinese mythology are tormented spirits cursed with endless cravings they can never satisfy. They symbolize the suffering caused by greed, desire, and emotional attachment gone unchecked.
The Wendigo from Algonquian lore is a cannibalistic creature born from starvation or moral corruption, driven by an insatiable hunger. It represents the horror of unchecked consumption and the loss of humanity in times of desperation.
People say that Roy Mackenzie set up his own sort of religious commune in the forest of North Vancouver Island...
Up there, they built cabins and places where hunters could gather their families in shelter and lead expeditions...
And as the story goes, during one particular harsh winter, Roy comes down to the village alone...
There's blood on his clothes, and he's babbling in tongues...
The villagers chase him off. But a couple of them follow him up the trail back to the commune...
When they get there, it's deserted. All the families and hunters are gone...
But one of the cabins has red smoke billowing from the chimney...
Roy steps out of the cabin, scrawny and skinny...
Blood dripping from his mouth...
He looks up to the sky, and he begins to howl.
