The help from Ingnersuit

An old man befriended an ingnersuak, who promised to provide for him whenever needed. This secret pact brought the man a comfortable life, as the ingnersuak always supplied food. However, when the man hinted to others about the source of his fortune, the ingnersuak withdrew its support, leaving him to fend for himself.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The ingnersuak is a supernatural entity that directly influences the man’s life by providing sustenance, highlighting interactions between humans and otherworldly beings.

Cunning and Deception: The man’s decision to reveal the secret of his fortune, despite the implicit need for discretion, reflects themes of cunning and the consequences of deceit or indiscretion.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts a lesson about the importance of keeping one’s promises and the repercussions of betraying confidences, emphasizing the value of discretion and trustworthiness.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

An old man once met with an ingnersuak, who invited him to his house, and told him that he had watched in order to have some talk with him that no one else might hear. He wanted to let him know that, if ever he was in want, he only had to apply to him for help — the ingnersuak would at any time provide him with food.

The old man from this time had a comfortable life, always supplied with what he required. But at last he began to hint at the source of his riches to other people, and henceforth the ingnersuak declined to assist him further.

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The mother and son as kivigtut

A widow, escaping a suitor’s persecution, raised her son in isolation near a glacier to despise men. They befriended another solitary woman, surviving through reindeer hunting. Her brother, now an angakok, found them and stayed. After the widow’s death, her son repeatedly revived after burial but ultimately died. His ghost, appearing as fire, confronted the brother, revealing his deeply ingrained hatred for men.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on a widow and her son living in isolation, highlighting the complexities of familial relationships and the impact of upbringing on personal beliefs.

Conflict with Authority: The widow’s flight from a persistent suitor underscores a defiance against imposed authority and societal expectations.

Supernatural Beings: The son’s posthumous appearances as a ghostly fire introduce elements of the supernatural, reflecting beliefs in spirits and the afterlife within Inuit culture.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

A widow, greatly harassed by the persecutions of a man who wanted to marry her, fled to the inland with her little son, whom she educated with the view of making him a hater of the male sex. She built her hut near the border of the inland glacier, and made the acquaintance of another woman, who led the same solitary life on a bare hillock emerging from the glacier. When the son had grown up, his reindeer-hunting secured them ample subsistence. Once they were surprised by the visit of one of her brothers, who told them that, from the time they had disappeared, he had devoted himself to the study of angakok science in order to find out her place of retreat; and having attained the powers of an angakok, he instantly discovered her trace, by means of which he had found her out.

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He henceforth remained with them. The sister died from old age, and, later on, her son fell sick and died, but revived three times after his mother’s brother had buried him. The fourth time, however, the latter pulled down the house on the top of him, and then left the place. While passing the night in a cave on his way towards the coast, he was overtaken by the ghost of the deceased appearing in the shape of a fire, with a voice saying, that from childhood he had been fostered up to hate the whole male sex, and had the other not been his mother’s brother, he would certainly have killed him.

The inhabitants of Akilinek

Iviangersook, a traveler, eventually settled in Akilinek, leaving descendants. Years later, northerners crossing the ice encountered a distant crevice and exchanged words with people identifying as Iviangersook’s descendants. Both groups alternated listing the products of their homesteads, fostering a connection despite the separation. This interaction highlights enduring ties across vast distances and the legacy of shared lineage.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Ancestral Spirits: The narrative emphasizes the enduring connection between Iviangersook’s descendants and their ancestors, highlighting the influence of lineage across generations.

Echoes of the Past: The encounter between the northerners and Iviangersook’s descendants underscores how historical deeds and ancestral ties continue to impact and resonate in the present.

Community and Isolation: The story contrasts the separation of the groups by physical distance with their efforts to establish a sense of community through the exchange of information about their homesteads.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

Iviangersook, while travelling far and wide for some time, settled down in Akilinek, leaving descendants there.

Many years after, some people from the farthest north, in crossing the ice, came to a crevice far off the coast, and had some talk with people who appeared on the opposite side and announced themselves as Iviangersook’s descendants in Akilinek.

The countrymen from each side alternately enumerated all the products of their homesteads.

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The grateful bear

A hunter staying in a snow-hut saw what appeared to be his wife running naked outside, only to find her calmly at home upon his return. Driven mad by the vision, he terrified his wife, who fled with their baby. Near starvation, she offered a partridge to a bald-headed bear, who later rewarded her kindness with a steady supply of seals for her survival.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The hunter’s sudden descent into madness represents a profound psychological change, impacting his family’s fate.

Conflict with Nature: The wife’s encounter with the bald-headed bear highlights the tension between humans and the natural world, especially in survival situations.

Sacred Objects: The partridge offered to the bear serves as a pivotal token, symbolizing the exchange that leads to the wife’s subsequent survival.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

A married couple lived on a lonely spot far from other people. When the man was out on his hunting-ground his place of refuge used to be a snow-hut. Once, when he was stopping in it, he saw his wife running about quite naked. Greatly excited, he hastened home, but found his wife inside the house, sitting quietly with her baby, without having stirred. The man now went raving mad; and the wife, frightened at seeing him in such a state, fled from the house with her child. When at the very point of starvation she chanced to catch a partridge, but seeing a terrible bald-headed bear approaching, she threw the bird to him and made her escape. Afterwards, when she had built herself a hut on the shore, she always got an ample supply of newly-killed seals, which used to come drifting in, being gifts from the grateful bear.

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The Tupilak

Nikook, a former seal-hunter, unintentionally brought home a walrus, inciting jealousy in a brother who secretly created a tupilak to harm him. Discovering the plot, Nikook confronted the brother mid-ritual, causing his sudden death. The brothers destroyed the malevolent creature and sank both it and its maker into the sea. Nikook experienced eerie disturbances for five nights but was left in peace thereafter.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The brother embodies the trickster archetype by secretly creating a tupilak—a malevolent creature—to harm Nikook, using deceit and dark arts to achieve his goal.

Supernatural Beings: The story features the tupilak, a creature brought to life through ritual, representing the intervention of supernatural entities in human affairs.

Revenge and Justice: The narrative unfolds around the brother’s jealousy leading to an act of revenge against Nikook, and ultimately, the restoration of justice when the malevolent creature and its creator are destroyed.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

An old man named Nikook, who had given up seal-hunting, once, entirely by chance, brought home a walrus. The middle one of some brothers with whom he lived grew jealous of him at this, and every morning repaired to the opposite shore of an island, where he secretly worked at a tupilak. Nikook got a suspicion of this, and following him, he surprised the wretch in the act of allowing his own body to be sucked by the monster, at the same time repeating the words, “Thou shalt take Nikook.” But Nikook hurried down, and seized him, crying, “What art thou doing there?” At that moment the man fell down lifeless. Meanwhile the brothers had also reached the island, and on being guided to the place by Nikook, they found the tupilak still sucking the dead. They then killed it with stones, sinking it, as well as the maker of it, into the sea. During five nights Nikook was disturbed by a bubbling sound, but afterwards nothing more was perceived.

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The gifts from the under-world

An envious old bachelor sought his mother’s advice to improve his luck in hunting and love. She guided him to a stone concealing a path to the underworld, where he obtained a magical piece of whale-skin that boosted his fortune. Sharing misleading instructions with a rival, the rival’s luck soured instead. When the old man returned for more, he was unable to move the stone again.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Underworld Journey: The protagonist descends into the underworld, seeking supernatural aid to improve his fortunes.

Cunning and Deception: He deceives a rival by providing false information, leading to the rival’s misfortune.

Divine Punishment: Upon attempting to revisit the underworld for additional benefits, he finds himself unable to move the stone, suggesting a supernatural force preventing his greed, thereby serving as a form of punishment for his deceit.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

An old bachelor, feeling envious of a younger one because of his better luck in hunting and his finding more favour with women, applied to his mother for counsel and aid.

She pointed out to him a certain spot where he would find a large stone, and moving it aside, an opening would appear leading straight to the under-world, where he would come to a lake; and on seeing two boats, he was to let the first one pass, but was to apply to the second.

Acting upon her advice, he received a piece of matak (whale-skin) from the second boat, by eating which he acquired astonishing good-luck in hunting.

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The young man, noticing this change of fortune, questioned him as to the cause of his recent success, when he imparted to him the information he had gained from his mother, only substituting the first boat for the second. The young man in this way also got a piece of matak, by eating which he only secured the worst luck in his hunting. Meanwhile the old man had consumed his piece, and went to fetch more; but when he came to the spot the second time, he found himself quite unable to move the stone.

A girl named Tuagtuanguak

Tuagtuanguak fled from her persecuting brother-in-law, enduring a perilous journey across ice and desolate landscapes. Over five days, she repeatedly swooned, awakening each time with visions of a distant black spot, gaining angakok power along the way. After numerous trials, including supernatural leaps, she reached a northern settlement, married, and received gifts from spirits, only for them to mysteriously return to their owners.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Quest: Tuagtuanguak’s journey across treacherous ice and desolate landscapes in search of safety exemplifies a classic quest narrative, where the protagonist undertakes a challenging journey to achieve a significant goal.

Transformation: Throughout her ordeal, Tuagtuanguak acquires angakok (shamanic) powers, indicating a profound personal transformation as she gains spiritual strength and resilience.

Supernatural Beings: Her interactions with the ingnersuit (spirits) who bestow gifts upon her highlight the involvement of supernatural entities, a common element in mythological tales that underscores the connection between the human and spirit worlds.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

A girl named Tuagtuanguak fled from her brother-in-law, who persecuted her. Running across the ice, she fell through; but having again got up, she ran on and on to the north constantly, viewing a black spot before her. Swooning several times, and again seeing the black spot on awaking, she meanwhile acquired angakok power. Going on in this way for five successive days, she came to a precipice, and setting out from its edge, she leaped across, but was somehow wafted back through the air to the same spot. This process she continued for five days. She then pursued her journey north, and came to an inhabited place, where she took up her abode, and afterwards got married. She visited the ingnersuit, and received presents from them; but while carrying them homewards the gifts were wafted out of her hands, and flew back to their first owners.

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Angakorsiak was very proud of his angakok wisdom

Angakorsiak, an arrogant angakok, sought to outdo others in displays of shamanic prowess, often mocking his rivals. After performing daring feats, he was bested by a northern angakok in both skill and a kayak-race. Overwhelmed by shame after his failure, he transformed into a reindeer, later reverting to human form. This humbling experience led him to abandon his competitive ways.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Angakorsiak’s shame leads him to transform into a reindeer, symbolizing a profound change in identity and self-perception.

Tragic Flaw: His arrogance and competitive nature serve as his downfall, highlighting how personal weaknesses can lead to one’s undoing.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts a lesson on the perils of pride and the value of humility, encouraging self-reflection and personal growth.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

Angakorsiak was very proud of his angakok wisdom, and always roamed about seeking opportunities of emulating other angakut. When he happened to surpass them, he used to mock and ridicule them in a most overbearing manner. Once he visited an angakok far up north, and challenged him to a match, at which, in broad daylight, they were to contend in working the wonders of their art before an assembly.

Angakorsiak began his performance by cutting off his arm near the shoulder, inserting it again and drinking the blood from the wound; after which he swallowed an arrow-point and made it appear again, opened his stomach with a knife, and so on.

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When he had finished, the other angakok repeated the same feats with the utmost perfection, and then remarked, “Well, what we have yet done amounts to nothing; but I should now like to try a kayak-race with thee.” They went down in their kayaks, and the angakok of the place, taking his way to an island, threw his harpoon at a rock with such force as to make it enter the stone and blood to spring from it. Angakorsiak on trying this entirely failed, his harpoon being broken and lost. On their way back to the shore he bent down his head from shame, capsized his kayak, and sank. But directly afterwards a reindeer emerged from the water, and ran up on the beach. Shame having thus transformed him into a reindeer, he afterwards turned a man again, and hastened away, resolved to give up all kind of emulation in future.

An old man lost his only son

An old man mourned his son, who died during a reindeer-hunting trip, by visiting his grave. During one visit, he encountered and killed an inlander he mistook for a threat. Later, another inlander revealed he, too, lost a son while seal-hunting, leading the old man to realize it was the man he had killed. Ashamed, he left in his skiff and never returned.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Loss and Renewal: The narrative centers on the old man’s profound grief following his son’s death, highlighting the universal experience of loss and the subsequent journey toward emotional renewal.

Revenge and Justice: In his sorrow, the old man mistakenly kills an innocent inlander, believing him to be a threat. This act underscores the complexities of seeking justice and the potential for misguided vengeance born from pain.

Ancestral Spirits: The old man’s repeated visits to his son’s grave reflect a deep connection to his lineage, emphasizing the influence of ancestral bonds and the ways in which the departed continue to impact the living.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

An old man lost his only son when they were both reindeer-hunting up the country. After returning home he often used to visit his son’s grave. Kayaking up the firth with this view, he once right before him saw an inlander pulling himself through the water without any kayak (“using the fog as kayak”), and after some angry words, he killed the inlander. Another time, when he was again visiting the grave, he was surprised at the sight of an inlander, who questioned him as to the cause of his grief. “Yonder wretched heap of stones is the only object of my distress,” he answered. The inlander then told him how he also had, some time ago, lost a son who had been seal-hunting. The old man made out that it must have been the one he had killed; on which he pretended to be expected home, pushed off in his skiff, and never more visited the grave of his son.

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A married couple remained childless on account of their both being angakok

A kayaking couple discovers a dying young man in a foreign place. An angakok summons the witch responsible for his illness, confronting her ghost and wounding her with a harpoon. The witch is revealed to be the youth’s aunt, who dies simultaneously. While dining, the couple envies the household’s children, only to learn they are named after men lost to monster-gulls, silencing the gathering.

Source:
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
by Henry Rink
[William Blackwood and Sons]
Edinburgh and London, 1875

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The story involves angakok (shamans) and a witch, highlighting interactions with supernatural entities.

Cunning and Deception: The witch secretly causes the young man’s illness, embodying deceitful actions that harm others.

Family Dynamics: The revelation that the witch is the young man’s aunt introduces complex familial relationships and hidden malice within a family.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

The husband and wife always used to go out kayaking together. Once they happened to come to a foreign place, where a young man was found in an almost dying state.

The angakok-man began a conjuration, summoning the witch who had caused his sickness. He detected the ghost of the witch approaching the sick youth in order to touch him with her black hands.

But the angakok thrust his harpoon at her, hitting her heel; and almost at the same moment the aunt of the sick youth died in the next house, and proved to have been the witch.

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While spending the rest of the evening there, eating and talking in a pleasant way, the visitors noticed the children playing on the floor; and thinking of their own childless state burst out, “That crowd of boys might almost make people envious.” They were answered, “The boys yonder are the namesakes of those whom the monster-gulls carried off as food for their young ones” (viz., who perished in kayaks); whereupon the whole assembly at once became silent.