The wife who lied

Navaranapaluk, from a tribe of man-eaters, married into a peaceful tribe. Deceiving her husband’s people, she incited her kin to slaughter his village’s women. Survivors spurred vengeance, slaying the attackers and reclaiming widows. Navaranapaluk, captured by two men, met a grim fate as her arms were severed, and she died for her deceit. This tale underscores the severe consequences of betrayal and dishonesty.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: Navaranapaluk’s marriage is a foundation for her betrayal, showcasing the fragility of trust within personal relationships.

Revenge and Justice: The villagers’ retaliation against Navaranapaluk demonstrates the pursuit of retribution to restore balance after her deceit.

Conflict with Authority: Her actions bring about a challenge to the established order within her husband’s community, leading to devastating consequences.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Navaranapaluk, men say, came of a tribe of man-eaters, but when she grew up, she was taken to wife by one of a tribe that did not eat men. Once when she was going off on a visit to her own people, she put mittens on her feet instead of boots. And this she did in order to make it appear that her husband’s people had dealt ill by her.

It was midwinter, and her kinsfolk pitied her greatly when they saw her come to them thus. And they agreed to make war against the tribe to which her husband belonged.

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So they set out, and came to that village at a time when all the men were away, and only the women at home; these they took and slew, and only three escaped. One of them had covered herself with the skin which she was dressing when they came, the second had hidden herself in a box used for dog’s meat, and the third had crept into a store shed.

When the men came home, they found all their womenfolk killed, and at once they thought of Navaranapaluk, who had fled away. And they were the more angered, that the slayers had hoisted the bodies of the women on long poles, with the points stuck through them.

They fell to at once making ready for war against those enemies, and prepared arrows in great numbers. The three women who were left alive plaited sinew thread to fix the points of the arrows; and so eagerly did they work that at last no more flesh was left on their fingers, and the naked bone showed through.

When all things were ready, they set out, and coming up behind the houses of their enemies, they hid themselves among great rocks.

The slayers had kept watch since their return, believing that the avengers would not fail to come, and the women took turns at the watching.

And now it is said that one old woman among them had a strange dream. She dreamed that two creatures were fighting above her head. And when she told the others of this, they all agreed that the avengers must be near. They gathered together in one house to ask counsel of the spirits, and when the spirit calling had commenced, then suddenly a dog upon the roof of the house began to bark.

The men dashed out, but their enemies had already surrounded the house, and now set about to take their full revenge, shooting down every man with arrows. At last, when there were no more left, they chose themselves wives from among the widows, and bore them off to their own place.

But two of them took Navaranapaluk and hurried off with her.

And she, thinking that both wished to have her to wife, cried out: “Which is it to be? Which is it to be?”

The men laughed, and made no answer, but ran on with her.

Then suddenly they cut through both her arms with their knives. And soon she fell, and the blood went from her, and she died.

This fate they meted out to her because she lied.

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Nerrivik

A bird, eager to marry a woman, disguised himself as a man with a sealskin coat and walrus-tusk spectacles. After marrying, his wife discovered his true form and fled with her brothers. The bird, a powerful wizard, created a deadly storm in pursuit. Cast into the sea, the woman drowned and became Nerrivik, ruler of marine life, who provides food to humans in exchange for respect.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Nerrivik’s metamorphosis from a human woman into the ruler of marine life illustrates a profound physical and spiritual change, a common motif in mythological narratives.

Divine Intervention: The bird husband’s ability to conjure a storm through his supernatural powers highlights the influence of otherworldly forces in human affairs, a testament to the belief in divine or magical beings affecting mortal lives.

Sacrifice: The woman’s tragic fate—being cast into the sea and losing her hand—underscores the theme of sacrifice. Her transformation into Nerrivik, who provides sustenance to humanity, suggests that her personal loss leads to a greater good for her community.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

A bird once wished to marry a woman. He got himself a fine sealskin coat, and having weak eyes, made spectacles out of a walrus tusk, for he was greatly set upon looking as nice as possible. Then he set off, in the shape of a man, and coming to a village, took a wife, and brought her home.

Now he began to go out catching fish, which he called seal, and brought home to his wife. Once it happened that he lost his spectacles, and his wife, seeing his bad eyes, burst out weeping, because he was so ugly.

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But her husband only laughed. “Oho, so you saw my eyes? Hahaha!” And he put on his spectacles again.

Then her brothers, who longed for their sister, came out one day to visit her. And her husband being out hunting, they took her away with them. The husband was greatly distressed when he came home and found her gone, and thinking someone must have carried her off, he set out in pursuit. He swung his wings with mighty force, and raised a violent storm, for he was a great wizard.

When the storm came up, the boat began to take in water, and the wind grew fiercer, as he doubled the beating of his wings. The waves rose white with foam, and the boat was near turning over. And when those in the boat began to suspect that the woman was the cause of the storm, they took her up and cast her into the sea. She tried to grasp the side of the boat, but then her grandfather sprang up and cut off her hand.

And so she was drowned. But at the bottom of the sea, she became Nerrivik, the ruler over all the creatures in the sea. And when men catch no seal, then the wizards go down to Nerrivik. Having but one hand, she cannot comb her hair, and this they do for her, and she, by way of thanks, sends seal and other creatures forth to men.

That is the story of the ruler of the sea. And men call her Nerrivik [“Meat Dish”] because she gives them food.

The thunder spirits

Two sisters, scolded by their father for playing noisily, fled to the mountains with minimal belongings. Over time, they became reclusive and ultimately died of hunger, transforming into thunder spirits. Their powers bring gales, fire, and rain, terrorizing the earth and humans. Known for sparing only a mother and child, they are feared by all, except when confronted by a red dog’s blood, their sole weakness.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The sisters undergo a metamorphosis from humans into thunder spirits, embodying the theme of physical and spiritual change.

Supernatural Beings: Post-transformation, the sisters exist as formidable entities wielding control over natural elements, aligning with the theme of interactions with spirits or gods.

Conflict with Nature: As thunder spirits, the sisters unleash natural forces that terrorize humanity, highlighting the struggle between humans and the formidable powers of nature.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Two sisters, men say, were playing together, and their father could not bear to hear the noise they made, for he had but few children, and was thus not wont to hear any kind of noise. At last he began to scold them, and told them to go farther away with their playing. When the girls grew up, and began to understand things, they desired to run away on account of their father’s scolding. And at last they set out, taking with them only a little dogskin, and a piece of boot skin, and a fire stone. They went up into a high mountain to build themselves a house there.

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Their father and mother made search for them in vain, for the girls kept hiding themselves; they had grown to be true mountain dwellers, keeping far from the places of men. Only the reindeer hunters saw them now and again, but the girls always refused to go back to their kin.

And when at last the time came when they must die of hunger, they turned into evil spirits, and became thunder.

When they shake their dried boot skin, then the gales come up, the south-westerly gales. And great fire is seen in the heavens whenever they strike their fire stone, and the rain pours down whenever they shed tears.

Their father held many spirit callings, hoping to make them return. But this he ceased to do when he found that they were dead.

But men say that after those girls had become spirits, they returned to the places of men, frightening many to death. They came first of all to their father and mother, because of the trouble they had made. The only one they did not kill was a woman bearing a child on her back. And they let her live, that she might tell how terrible they were. And tales are now told of how terrible they were.

When the thunder spirits come, even the earth itself is stricken with terror. And stones, even those which lie on level ground, and not on any slope at all, roll in fear towards men.

Thus the thunder comes with the south-westerly gales; there is a noise and crackling in the air, as of dry skins shaken, and the sky glows from time to time with the fire from their firestone. Great rocks, and everything which stands up high in the air, begin to glow.

When this happens, men use to take out a red dog, and cut its ear until the blood comes, and then lead the beast round about the house, letting the blood drip everywhere, for then the house will not take fire.

A red dog was the only thing they feared, those girls who were turned to thunder.

Artuk, who did all forbidden things

Artuk defied sacred customs after his wife’s burial, mocking traditional prohibitions by cutting frozen meat with a stone axe, shaking his coat, and drinking iceberg water—acts deemed forbidden. Rejecting his community’s beliefs, he took his son unwillingly on a sledge journey. He perished, torn by spirits as punishment, while his son died of fear. The villagers found his remains, confirming the dire consequences of his irreverence.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Divine Punishment: Artuk’s deliberate violations of taboos—such as cutting frozen meat with a stone axe, shaking his coat, and drinking iceberg water—led to his demise, torn apart by spirits as retribution for his irreverence.

Forbidden Knowledge: By rejecting and mocking the traditional prohibitions of his community, Artuk sought to challenge and undermine the established beliefs, leading to dire consequences.

Conflict with Authority: Artuk’s actions represent a direct challenge to the cultural and spiritual authority of his community’s customs and traditions, ultimately resulting in his tragic end.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

A man whose name was Artuk had buried his wife, but refused to remain aloof from doings which those who have been busied with the dead are forbidden to share. He said he did not hold by such old customs.

Some of his fellow-villagers were at work cutting up frozen meat for food. After watching them for a while as they worked at the meat with their knives, he took a stone axe and hacked at the meat, saying: “That is the way to cut up meat.”

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And this he did although it was forbidden.

And on the same day he went out on to the ice and took off his inner coat to shake it, and this he did although it was forbidden.

Also he went up on to an iceberg and drank water which the sun had melted there, knowing well that this was likewise forbidden.

And all these things he did in scorn of that which his fellows believed. For he said it was all lies.

But one day when he was starting out with his sledge, fear came upon him, and he dared not go alone. And as his son would not go with him willingly, he took him, and bound him to the uprights of the sledge, and carried him so.

He never returned alive.

Late in the evening, his daughter heard in the air the mocking laughter of two spirits. And she knew at once that they were laughing so that she might know how her father had been punished for his ill-doing.

On the following day, many sledges went out to search for Artuk. And they found him, far out on the ice, torn to pieces, as is the way with those whom the spirits have punished for refusing to observe the customs of their forefathers. And the son, who was bound to the sledge, had not been touched, but he had died of fright.

The men who changed wives

Talilarssuaq and Navssarssuaq, two men who exchanged wives, faced a dark fate when Talilarssuaq’s reckless pranks led to his murder by Navssarssuaq. Haunted by Talilarssuaq’s avenging spirit, Navssarssuaq struggled with guilt and illness. Though many in their community fell ill, Navssarssuaq succumbed to sickness, evading the spirit’s vengeance but sealing his grim fate, leaving behind a somber tale of mischief, retribution, and mortality.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The story centers on two men, Talilarssuaq and Navssarssuaq, who exchange wives. Talilarssuaq’s reckless behavior leads to betrayal and ultimately his death.

Revenge and Justice: After Talilarssuaq’s murder, his avenging spirit haunts Navssarssuaq, symbolizing the pursuit of retribution and the consequences of one’s actions.

Supernatural Beings: The presence of Talilarssuaq’s spirit haunting Navssarssuaq introduces a supernatural element, highlighting the belief in spirits influencing the mortal realm.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There were once two men, Talilarssuaq and Navssarssuaq, and they changed wives. Talilarssuaq was a mischievous fellow, who was given to frightening people.

One evening, sitting in the house with the other’s wife, whom he had borrowed, he thrust his knife suddenly through the skins of the bench.

Then the woman ran away to her husband and said: “Go in and kill Talilarssuaq; he is playing very dangerous tricks.”

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Then Navssarssuaq rose up without a word, and put on his best clothes, and took his knife, and went out. He went straight up to Talilarssuaq, who was now lying on the bench talking to himself, and pulled him out on the floor and stabbed him.

“You might at least have waited till I had dressed,” said Talilarssuaq. But Navssarssuaq hauled him out through the passage way, cast him on the rubbish heap and went his way, saying nothing.

On the way he met his wife.

“Are you not going to murder me, too?” she asked.

“No,” he answered in a deep voice. “For Pualuna is not yet grown big enough to be without you.” Pualuna was their youngest son.

But some time after that deed he began to perceive that he was haunted by a spirit.

“There is some invisible thing which now and again catches hold of me,” he said to his comrades. And that was the avenging spirit, watching him.

But about this time, many in the place fell sick. And among them was Navssarssuaq. The sickness killed him, and thus the avenging spirit was not able to tear him in pieces.

Patussorssuaq, who killed his uncle

In a tale of vengeance and moral justice, Patussorssuaq murders his uncle, Alataq, out of forbidden desire for his wife. His own wife flees to safety, while Patussorssuaq seizes Alataq’s widow, who soon dies. Haunted by Alataq’s spirit, first in the form of a fox and later a bear, Patussorssuaq is torn apart. The story underscores the inevitability of retribution for wrongdoing.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Revenge and Justice: Patussorssuaq’s heinous act leads to his demise, as Alataq’s spirit returns to exact vengeance, highlighting the inevitability of retribution for wrongdoing.

Forbidden Love: Patussorssuaq’s illicit desire for his uncle’s wife drives him to murder, underscoring the destructive consequences of pursuing forbidden relationships.

Divine Punishment: The supernatural retribution by Alataq’s spirit, manifesting as a fox and later a bear, reflects the theme of higher powers enacting punishment for moral transgressions.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There lived a woman at Kugkat, and she was very beautiful, and Alataq was he who had her to wife. And at the same place lived Patussorssuaq, and Alataq was his uncle. He also had a wife, but was yet fonder of his uncle’s wife than of his own.

But one day in the spring, Alataq was going out on a long hunting journey, and made up his mind to take his wife with him. They were standing at the edge of the ice, ready to start, when Patussorssuaq came down to them.

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“Are you going away?” he asked.

“Yes, both of us,” answered Alataq.

But when Patussorssuaq heard thus, he fell upon his uncle and killed him at once, for he could not bear to see the woman go away.

When Patussorssuaq’s wife saw this, she snatched up her needle and sewing ring, and fled away, following the shadow of the tent, over the hills to the place where her parents lived. She had not even time to put on her skin stockings, and therefore her feet grew sore with treading the hills. On her way up inland she saw people running about with their hoods loose on their heads, as is the manner of the inland folk, but she had no dealings with them, for they fled away.

Then, coming near at last to her own place, she saw an old man, and running up, she found it was her father, who was out in search of birds. And the two went gladly back to his tent.

Now when Patussorssuaq had killed his uncle, he at once went up to his own tent, thinking to kill his own wife, for he was already weary of her. But she had fled away.

Inside the tent sat a boy, and Patussorssuaq fell upon him, crying: “Where is she? Where is she gone?”

“I have seen nothing, for I was asleep,” cried the boy, speaking falsely because of his great fear. And so Patussorssuaq was forced to desist from seeking out his wife.

And now he went down and took Alataq’s wife and lived with her. But after a little time, she died. And thus he had but little joy of the woman he had won by misdeed. And he himself was soon to suffer in another way.

At the beginning of the summer, many people were gathered at Natsivilik, and among them was Patussorssuaq. One day a strange thing happened to him, while he was out hunting: a fox snapped at the fringe of his coat, and he, thinking it to be but a common fox, struck out at it, but did not hit. And afterwards it was revealed that this was the soul of dead Alataq, playing with him a little before killing him outright. For Alataq’s amulet was a fox.

And a little time after, he was bitten to death by the ghost of Alataq, coming upon him in the shape of a bear. His daughter, who was outside at that time, heard the cries, and went in to tell of what she had heard, but just as she came into the house, behold, she had quite forgotten all that she wished to say. And this was because that vengeful spirit had by magic means called down forgetfulness upon her.

Afterwards she remembered it, but then it was too late. They found Patussorssuaq torn to pieces, torn limb from limb; he had tried to defend himself with great pieces of ice, as they could see, but all in vain.

Thus punishment falls upon the man who kills.

Papik, who killed his wife’s brother

Papik, a hunter envious of his brother-in-law Ailaq’s success, is accused of murdering him by Ailaq’s mother. To avenge her son, the mother drowns herself, transforming into a vengeful spirit. The monster hunts Papik, killing him brutally. The villagers, terrified, eventually defeat the creature, discovering it was the old woman’s spirit. This tale warns against unjust killings, showcasing consequences through supernatural vengeance.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Revenge and Justice: Papik’s murder of his brother-in-law Ailaq leads to the old woman’s transformation into a vengeful spirit, seeking justice for her son’s death.

Supernatural Beings: The tale features the old woman’s metamorphosis into a monstrous entity, embodying the supernatural elements common in Inuit mythology.

Divine Punishment: Papik faces a dire fate as a consequence of his unjust actions, highlighting the moral lesson that wrongful deeds invite severe repercussions.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There was once a man whose name was Papik, and it was his custom to go out hunting with his wife’s brother, whose name was Ailaq. But whenever those two went out hunting together, it was always Ailaq who came home with seal in tow, while Papik returned empty-handed. And day by day his envy grew.

Then one day it happened that Ailaq did not return at all. And Papik was silent at his home-coming.At last, late in the evening, that old woman who was Ailaq’s mother began to speak.

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“You have killed Ailaq.”

“No, I did not kill him,” answered Papik.

Then the old woman rose up and cried:

“You killed him, and said no word. The day shall yet come when I will eat you alive, for you killed Ailaq, you and no other.”

And now the old woman made ready to die, for it was as a ghost she thought to avenge her son. She took her bearskin coverlet over her, and went and sat down on the shore, close to the water, and let the tide come up and cover her.

For a long time after this, Papik did not go out hunting at all, so greatly did he fear the old woman’s threat. But at last he ceased to think of the matter, and began to go out hunting as before.

One day two men stood out on the ice by the breathing holes. Papik had chosen his place a little farther off, and stood there alone. And then it came. They heard the snow creaking, with the sound of a cry, and the sound moved towards Papik, and a fog came down over the ice. And soon they heard shouts as of one in a fury, and the screaming of one in fear; the monster had fallen upon Papik, to devour him.

And now they fled in towards land, swerving wide to keep away from what was happening there. On their way, they met sledges with hunters setting out; they threw down their gear, and urged the others to return to their own place at once, lest they also should be slain by fear.

When they reached their village, all gathered together in one house. But soon they heard the monster coming nearer over the ice, and then all hurried to the entrance, and crowding together, grew yet more greatly stricken with fear. And pressing thus against each other, they struggled so hard that one fatherless boy was thrust aside and fell into a tub full of blood. When he got up, the blood poured from his clothes, and wherever they went, the snow was marked with blood.

“Now we are already made food for that monster,” they cried, “since that wretched boy marks out the way with a trail of blood.”

“Let us kill him, then,” said one. But the others took pity on him, and let him live.

And now the evil spirit came in sight out on the ice; they could see the tips of its ears over the hummocks as it crept along. When it came up to the houses, not a dog barked, and none dared try to surround it, for it was not a real bear. But at last an old woman began crying to the dogs: “See, there is your cousin — bark at him!” And now the dogs were loosed from the magic that bound them, and when the men saw this, they too dashed forward, and harpooned that thing.

But when they came to cut up the bear, they knew its skin for the old woman’s coverlet, and its bones were human bones.

And now the sledges drove out to find the gear they had left behind, and they saw that everything was torn to pieces. And when they found Papik, he was cut about in every part. Eyes, nose and mouth and ears were hacked away, and the scalp torn from his head.

Thus that old woman took vengeance for the killing of her son Ailaq.

And so it was our fathers used to tell: when any man killed his fellow without good cause, a monster would come and strike him dead with fear, and leave no part whole in all his body.

The people of old times thought it an ill thing for men to kill each other.

This story I heard from the men who came to us from the far side of the great sea.

The soul that lived in the bodies of all beasts

Avovang, a mythical figure immune to harm, defied enemies through cunning and supernatural transformations. Despite betrayal during a southern journey, his spirit exacted revenge as a seal and fox, decimating his foes. Embracing lives as various animals, he learned their ways, eventually returning as a man through reincarnation. His tale illustrates resilience, adaptation, and the profound connection between humans and nature in folklore.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Avovang’s ability to change into different animals highlights themes of physical and spiritual metamorphosis.

Revenge and Justice: After being betrayed and left for dead, Avovang’s spirit seeks retribution against his enemies, emphasizing the pursuit of justice.

Supernatural Beings: Avovang’s transformations and his invulnerability to harm underscore interactions with supernatural elements within the narrative.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There was a man whose name was Avovang. And of him it is said that nothing could wound him. And he lived at Kangerdlugssuaq. At that time of the year when it is good to be out, and the days do not close with dark night, and all is nearing the great summer, Avovang’s brother stood one day on the ice near the breathing hole of a seal.

And as he stood there, a sledge came dashing up, and as it reached him, the man who was in it said: “There will come many sledges to kill your brother.”

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The brother now ran into the house to tell what he had heard. And then he ran up a steep rocky slope and hid away.

The sledges drove up before the house, and Avovang went out to meet them, but he took with him the skin of a dog’s neck, which had been used to wrap him in when he was a child. And when then the men fell upon him, he simply placed that piece of skin on the ground and stood on it, and all his enemies could not wound him with their weapons, though they stabbed again and again.

At last he spoke, and said mockingly: “All my body is now like a piece of knotty wood, with the scars of the wounds you gave me, and yet you could not bring about my death.”

And as they could not wound him with their stabbing, they dragged him up to the top of a high cliff, thinking to cast him down. But each time they caught hold of him to cast him down, he changed himself into another man who was not their enemy. And at last they were forced to drive away, without having done what they wished.

It is also told of Avovang, that he once desired to travel to the south, and to the people who lived in the south, to buy wood. This men were wont to do in the old days, but now it is no longer so.

And so they set off, many sledges together, going southward to buy wood. And having done what they wished, they set out for home. On the way, they had made a halt to look for the breathing holes of seal, and while the men had been thus employed, the women had gone on. Avovang had taken a wife on that journey, from among the people of the south.

And while the men stood there looking for seal holes, all of them felt a great desire to possess Avovang’s wife, and therefore they tried to kill him. Qautaq stabbed him in the eyes, and the others caught hold of him and sent him sliding down through a breathing hole into the sea.

When his wife saw this, she was angry, and taking the wood which they had brought from the south, she broke it all into small pieces. So angry was she at thus being made a widow.

Then she went home, after having spoiled the men’s wood. But the sledges drove on.

Suddenly a great seal came up ahead of them, right in their way, where the ice was thin and slippery. And the sledges drove straight at it, but many fell through and were drowned at that hunting. And a little after, they again saw something in their way. It was a fox, and they set off in chase, but driving at furious speed up a mountain of screw-ice, they were dashed down and killed. Only two men escaped, and they made their way onward and told what had come to the rest.

And it was the soul of Avovang, whom nothing could wound, that had changed, first into a seal and then into a fox, and thus brought about the death of his enemies. And afterwards he made up his mind to let himself be born in the shape of every beast on earth, that he might one day tell his fellow-men the manner of their life.

At one time he was a dog, and lived on meat which he stole from the houses. When he was pressed for food, he would carefully watch the men about the houses, and eat anything they threw away.

But Avovang soon tired of being a dog, on account of the many beatings which fell to his lot in that life. And so he made up his mind to become a reindeer.

At first he found it far from easy, for he could not keep pace with the other reindeer when they ran.

“How do you stretch your hind legs at a gallop?” he asked one day.

“Kick out towards the farthest edge of the sky,” they answered. And he did so, and then he was able to keep pace with them.

But at first he did not know what he should eat, and therefore he asked the others.

“Eat moss and lichen,” they said.

And he soon grew fat, with thick suet on his back.

But one day the herd was attacked by a wolf, and all the reindeer dashed out into the sea, and there they met some kayaks in their flight, and one of the men killed Avovang.

He cut him up, and laid the meat in a cairn of stones. And there he lay, and when the winter came, he longed for the men to come and bring him home. And glad was he one day to hear the stones rattling down, and when they commenced to eat him, and cracked the bones with pieces of rock to get at the marrow, Avovang escaped and changed himself into a wolf.

And now he lived as a wolf, but here as before he found that he could not keep up with his comrades at a run. And they ate all the food, so that he got none.

“Kick up towards the sky,” they told him. And then at once he was able to overtake all the reindeer, and thus get food.

And later he became a walrus, but found himself unable to dive down to the bottom; all he could do was to swim straight ahead through the water.

“Take off as if from the middle of the sky; that is what we do when we dive to the bottom,” said the others. And so he swung his hindquarters up to the sky, and down he went to the bottom. And his comrades taught him what to eat; mussels and little white stones.

Once also he was a raven. “The ravens never lack food,” he said, “but they often feel cold about the feet.”

Thus he lived the life of every beast on earth. And at last he became a seal again. And there he would lie under the ice, watching the men who came to catch him. And being a great wizard, he was able to hide himself away under the nail of a man’s big toe.

But one day there came a man out hunting who had cut off the nail of his big toe. And that man harpooned him. Then they hauled him up on the ice and took him home.

Inside the house, they began cutting him up, and when the man cast the mittens to his wife, Avovang went with them, and crept into the body of the woman. And after a time he was born again, and became once more a man.

The man who stabbed his wife in the leg

Neruvkaq and Navarana lived at Natsivilik, but Neruvkaq’s cruelty drove Navarana to flee to her inland-dwelling brothers. Seeking vengeance, they attacked Neruvkaq, who cleverly evaded death using a magical tunic and decoy tactics. Despite his triumph, Navarana, terrified of her husband, hid and refused to emerge, ultimately dying in her hiding place. This tale reflects themes of betrayal, resilience, and tragic fear.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the relationship between Neruvkaq and his wife Navarana, highlighting domestic abuse and the involvement of Navarana’s brothers in seeking retribution.

Cunning and Deception: Neruvkaq employs clever tactics to evade his attackers, such as disguising his dog to mislead them, demonstrating the use of wit to outsmart adversaries.

Divine Intervention: Neruvkaq’s mother provides him with strength through magical means during the confrontation, indicating the influence of supernatural assistance in human affairs.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There was once a man whose name was Neruvkaq, and his wife was named Navarana, and she was of the tunerssuit, the inland-dwellers. She had many brothers, and was herself their only sister. And they lived at Natsivilik, the place where there is a great stone on which men lay out meat.

But Neruvkaq was cruel to his wife; he would stab her in the leg with an awl, and when the point reached her shinbone, she would snivel with pain.

► Continue reading…

“Do not touch me; I have many brothers,” she said to her husband.

And as he did not cease from ill-treating her, she ran away to those brothers at last. And they were of the tunerssuit, the inland-dwellers.

Now all these many brothers moved down to Natsivilik, and when they reached the place, they sprang upon the roof of Neruvkaq’s house and began to trample on it. One of them thrust his foot through the roof, and Neruvkaq’s brother cut it off at the joint.

“He has cut off my leg,” they heard him say. And then he hopped about on one leg until all the blood was gone from him and he died.

But Neruvkaq hastened to put on his tunic, and this was a tunic he had worn as a little child, and it had been made larger from time to time. Also it was covered with pieces of walrus tusk, sewn all about. None could kill him as long as he wore that.

And now he wanted to get out of the house. He put the sealskin coat on his dog, and thrust it out. Those outside thought it was Neruvkaq himself, and stabbed the dog to death.

Neruvkaq came close on the heels of the dog, and jumped up to the great stone that is used to set out meat on. So strongly did he jump that his footmarks are seen on the stone to this day. Then he took his arrows all barbed with walrus tusk, and began shooting his enemies down.

His mother gave him strength by magic means.

Soon there were but few of his enemies left, and these fled away. They fled away to the southward, and fled and fled without stopping until they had gone a great way.

But Navarana, who was now afraid of her husband, crept in under the bench and hid herself there. And as she would not come out again, her husband thrust in a great piece of walrus meat, and she chewed and gnawed at it to her heart’s content.

“Come out, come out, for I will never hurt you any more,” he said. But she had grown so afraid of him that she never came out any more, and so she died where she was at last — the old sneak!

The inland-dwellers of Etah

A sledge near Etah discovered the dwelling of inland-dwellers, shy people terrified of dogs. When an old woman was thrust out in fear, she died upon seeing the animals. The visitors apologized, but the inland-dwellers dismissed her death as inconsequential. Terrified, they fled further inland, leaving behind empty houses. Known for their fear of dogs and swift running abilities, they now live in distant, secluded areas.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Nature: The inland-dwellers’ fear of dogs and their adaptation to a secluded life highlight their struggle to coexist with natural elements and animals introduced by others.

Community and Isolation: The inland-dwellers live in seclusion, avoiding contact with outsiders. Their encounter with the sledge drivers leads them to retreat further inland, emphasizing themes of isolation and the impact of external interactions on a secluded community.

Cultural Heroes: The narrative mentions individuals like Suagaq, who bridge the gap between the inland-dwellers and the coast-folk, reflecting the role of cultural heroes in connecting and influencing different societies.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There came a sledge driving round to the east of Etah, up into the land, near the great lake. Suddenly the dogs scented something, and dashed off inland over a great plain. Then they checked, and sniffed at the ground. And now it was revealed that they were at the entrance to an inland-dweller’s house.

The inland-dwellers screamed aloud with fear when they saw the dogs, and thrust out an old woman, but hurried in themselves to hide. The old woman died of fright when she saw the dogs.

► Continue reading…

Now the man went in, very ill at ease because he had caused the death of the old woman.

“It is a sad thing,” he said, “that I should have caused you to lose that old one.”

“It is nothing,” answered the inland-dwellers; “her skin was already wrinkled; it does not matter at all.”

Then the sledges drove home again, but the inland-dwellers were so terrified that they fled far up into the country.

Since then they have never been seen. The remains of their houses were all that could be found, and when men dug to see if anything else might be there, they found nothing but a single narwhal tusk.

The inland-dwellers are not really dangerous, they are only shy, and very greatly afraid of dogs. There was a woman of the coast-folk, Suagaq, who took a husband from among the inland folk, and when that husband came to visit her brothers, the blood sprang from his eyes at sight of their dogs.

And they train themselves to become swift runners, that they may catch foxes. When an inland-dweller is to become a swift runner, they stuff him into the skin of a ribbon seal, which is filled with worms, leaving only his head free. Then the worms suck all his blood, and this, they say, makes him very light on his feet.

There are still some inland-dwellers left, but they are now gone very far up inland.