Isserfik, a girl who favored animals over men, fell in love with an eagle, which carried her inland. A man pursued them, but Isserfik incited the eagle against him. Using an amulet, the man killed the eagle and brought Isserfik home. She bore a half-man, half-eagle child, but eventually lost her sanity and died.
Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875
► Themes of the story
Forbidden Love: Isserfik’s romantic involvement with an eagle signifies a union that defies societal norms, highlighting the complexities and consequences of such relationships.
Transformation: The birth of Isserfik’s child, who is half-human and half-eagle, embodies the theme of transformation, merging human and animal characteristics.
Supernatural Beings: The eagle in the story is not merely a bird but a supernatural entity capable of interacting intimately with humans, reflecting the theme of supernatural beings influencing mortal lives.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Inuit peoples
Abridged version of the story.
A girl named Isserfik preferred animals to men. Lastly, she fell in love with an eagle, that carried her off further inland.
A man went after them to fetch her back; but she excited the eagle against him. The man sought refuge beneath a stone. The eagle began to peck at it with its beak to make a hole in it; but the man sent out his amulet, killed the eagle, and carried Isserfik back to her home, where she gave birth to a child, half man, half eagle.
Finally, she lost her mind and died.
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