According to legend, a Baykok is an undead hunter from Chippewa folklore that lurks in the forest surrounding the Great Lakes region and preys on the living. Using either his bow and arrow or a large bludgeoning club, the Baykok is reported to attack lone hunters, rendering them unconscious or paralyzing them before removing and eating their livers. After consuming the liver of its prey, this skeletal figure inserts a rock in its victim’s side and then sews the wound shut with a magical thread. Once the victim has been sewn shut, the thread conceals all traces of the injury. The victim then awakens and returns home but eventually falls ill and slowly wastes away before dying.
The origin of the Baykok varies slightly between the oral traditions of the Chippewa, or Ojibwe, and the Algonquin, but it is generally believed the Baykok was once a revered warrior and hunter. When the hunter was searching for game for his tribe, he came upon a deer and followed it into the woods. However, the hunter was separated from his game and became lost deep in the forest. He wandered for days before collapsing, but he refused to pass on easily. Instead, the revered hunter vowed that he would not leave his body. Despite his attempts to cling to life, he decayed until his flesh was tight on his bones. Years later, the sounds of another clumsy and disrespectful hunter stirred him from sleep, and he became the Baykok when he awoke.
The Baykok is said to be exceptionally strong, and as in life, has extraordinary hunting and tracking skills. The creature can only survive by feasting upon the livers of living warriors and hunters. Its prey is typically a lone warrior or hunter clamoring through the forests, and the Baykok often is reported as inhabiting areas that were once Chippewa homelands. It is thought that the Baykok cannot be killed using traditional iron blades or firearms, but because it is made primarily of bone, it can be scared off with fire. Some report that there is no way to kill a Baykok because it is already undead and can easily rejuvenate, even after multiple wounds. Since the Baykok seemingly avoids groups and small communities, only attacking lone individuals, it is unlikely that the creature can be located by hunting parties attempting to kill it. While some say the creature is indestructible, others report that the only way to permanently disable the Baykok is to tear its skeletal structure apart, then crush the bones, burn them, and scatter the ashes in different areas so the bones cannot reform.
Due to its reputed hunting techniques, many victims of the Baykok cannot describe the physical appearance of their attacker. The Baykok has been described as having either burning, red eyes or, like a skeleton, black hollowed-out pits. The Baykok carries three different weapons on its person. As a stealthy hunter, the Baykok prefers using a bow and arrow to capture its prey. Some believe that the tips of the arrows are dipped in a poison that paralyzes the victim, making it easier for the Baykok to remove the liver. However, if the bow and arrow is not available to the Baykok, it also carries a large bludgeoning club that can strike victims on the head, rendering them unconscious. Once a victim has been captured, the Baykok uses a knife to open the victim’s side to remove the liver. Some believe the blade is laced with poison like the arrows.
It is imperative that the Baykok hunt and feast upon humans. Since it is no longer a living creature, its only form of survival is to take vital organs; the liver is mentioned in most traditions as a perfect source of nourishment for the Baykok. Choice victims are hunters and warriors because, as a revered warrior and hunter, it prefers taking livers from victims that are worthy adversaries. But once the Baykok has chosen a victim and taken the liver, the victim stands no chance of survival. Victims may awaken with no memory of having been attacked. Others are not so lucky and are aware of the fact that their liver has been replaced with a stone. Regardless, victims can live any number of days before falling violently ill. After becoming ill, a victim will begin to slowly waste away, perhaps due to a combination of dehydration and starvation, and will inevitably die.
The Baykok story is used as an instructive fable to keep children and young adults from wandering too far into the forest without a group. However, the story is also used to remind hunters to be aware of their surroundings and to tread lightly in the forest.
Michelle Nicole Boyer
See also Skinwalker; Wendigo; Zombie Legends
Further Reading
Blackman, W. Haden. 1998. The Field Guide to North American Monsters: Everything You Need to Know About Encountering Over 100 Terrifying Creatures in the Wild. New York: Three Rivers Press.
Johnston, Basil. 2001. The Manitous: The Spiritual World of the Ojibway. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Nichols, John D., and Earl Nyholm. 1995. A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.