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.

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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 went out to search for his son

A father sets out to find his missing son, encountering dangerous giants, man-eaters, and deceptive creatures. Using his wizardry and calling on killer whale spirits, he overcomes each peril. He discovers his son was killed by a stranger, who had stretched out his son’s kayak skin. Enraged, the father crushes the man-eater to death and returns home, completing his grim quest.

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

► Themes of the story

Quest: The father’s journey to find his missing son embodies a classic quest, filled with challenges and driven by a personal mission.

Supernatural Beings: Throughout his journey, the father encounters giants, man-eaters, and deceptive creatures, highlighting interactions with supernatural entities.

Revenge and Justice: Upon discovering his son’s fate, the father exacts justice by killing the man-eater responsible, underscoring themes of retribution and the restoration of order.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Once in the days of our forefathers, a man went out along the coasts, making search for his son. For that son had gone out in his kayak and had not returned.

One day he saw a giant beside a great glacier, and rowed up to him then. When he had entered the house, the giant drew forth a drum, a beautiful drum with a skin that had been taken from the belly of a man. Now the giant was about to give him this drum, but at the same time he felt such a violent desire to eat him up, that he trembled all over.

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Just then some great salmon began dropping down through a hole in the roof, and the man was so frightened at this that he could scarcely eat. And he could not get out of the place.

But he was himself a great wizard, and now he began calling upon his helping spirits. And they were great.

“Killer whales, killer whales — come forth, my helping spirits and show yourselves, for here is one who desires to eat me up.”

And they came forth, and the house was crushed and the giant was killed, and the man set out again in search of his own.

Then he met another big man, and this man did nothing but eat men, and their kayaks he threw down into a great ravine. The man rowed up to this giant. And when he reached him, the man-eater said: “Come here and look,” and led him to the deep ravine. And when the man looked down, the giant tried to thrust him backwards down into the depth.

But the man caught hold of the giant’s legs and cast him down instead. And then he went on again.

And as he was rowing on, he heard the bone of a seal calling to him: “Take away the moss which has stopped up the hole that goes through me.” And he did so, and went on again.

Another time he heard a mussel at the bottom of the sea crying: “Here is a mussel that wishes to see you; come down to the bottom; row your kayak straight down through the water — this way!”

That mussel wanted to eat him. But he did not heed it.

Then at last one day he saw an old woman, and rowed towards her, and came up to her. And she said: “Let me dry your boots.” And she took them and hung them up so high that he could not reach them. The man would have slept, but he could not sleep for fear.

“Give me my boots,” he said. For it was now revealed that she was a man-eater. And so he got hold of his boots and fled down to his kayak, and the woman ran after him.

“If only I could catch him, and cut him up,” she said. And as she spoke, the kayak nearly upset.

“If only I could send a bird dart through her,” said the man. And as he spoke, the woman fell down on her back and broke her knife.

And then he rowed on his way. And on his way he met a man, and rowed up to him.

“See what a skin I have stretched out here,” said the stranger. And he knew at once it was his son’s kayak. The stranger had eaten his son, and there was his skin stretched out. The man therefore went up on land and trampled that man-eater to death, so that all his bones were crushed.

And then he went home again.

The man who avenged the widows

In ancient times, skilled kayakers braved calmer seas. A great sickness wiped out elders, leading to the loss of kayak-building knowledge. Angusinanguaq, a man envied for his beautiful wife, was abandoned on an island by jealous hunters. As a powerful wizard, he magically returned, ensuring his safety. Later, he avenged his village by defeating fierce islanders, earning gratitude from the widows of slain hunters.

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

► Themes of the story

Trickster: Angusinanguaq, a powerful wizard, uses his cunning and magical abilities to outsmart those who abandoned him, showcasing the classic trickster archetype.

Revenge and Justice: The narrative centers on Angusinanguaq’s quest to avenge the wrongs done to him and his fellow villagers, highlighting themes of retribution and the restoration of order.

Supernatural Beings: Angusinanguaq’s wizardry and his ability to perform magical feats play a significant role in the story, emphasizing interactions with supernatural elements.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

This was in the old days, in those times when men were yet skilful rowers in kayaks. You know that there once came a great sickness which carried off all the older men, and the young men who were left alive did not know how to build kayaks, and thus it came about that the manner of hunting in kayaks was long forgotten. But our forefathers were so skilful, that they would cross seas which we no longer dare to venture over. The weather also was in those times less violent than now; the winds came less suddenly, and it is said that the sea was never so rough.

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In those times, there lived a man at Kangarssuk whose name was Angusinanguaq, and he had a very beautiful wife, wherefore all men envied him. And one day, when they were setting out to hunt eider duck on the islands, the other men took counsel, and agreed to leave Angusinanguaq behind on a little lonely island there.

And so they sailed out to those islands, which lie far out at sea, and there they caught eider duck in snares, and gathered eggs, and were soon ready to turn homeward again.

Then they pushed out from the land, without waiting for Angusinanguaq, who was up looking to his snares, and they took his kayak in tow, that he might never more be able to leave that island.

And now they hastened over towards the mainland. And the way was long. But when they came in sight of the tents, they saw a man going from one tent to another, visiting the women whom they left behind at that place. They rowed faster, and came nearer. All the men of that place had gone out together for that hunting, and they could not guess who it might be that was now visiting among the tents.

Then an old man who was steering the boat shaded his eyes with his hand and looked over towards land.

“The man is Angusinanguaq,” he said.

And now it was revealed that Angusinanguaq was a great wizard. When the umiaks had left, and he could not find his kayak, he had wound his body about with strips of hide, bending it into a curve, and then, as is the way of wizards, gathered magic power wherewith to move through the air.

And thus he had come back to that place, long before those who had sought his death.

And from that day onwards, none ever planned again to take his wife. And it was well for them that they left him in peace.

For at that time, people were many, and there were people in all the lands round about. Out on the islands also there were people, and these were a fierce folk whom none might come near. Moreover when a kayak from the mainland came near their village, they would call down a fog upon him, so that he could not see, and in this manner cause him to perish.

But now one day Angusinanguaq planned to avenge his fellow-villagers. He rowed out to those unapproachable ones, and took them by surprise, being a great wizard, and killed many of the men, and cut off their heads and piled them up on the side bench. And having completed his revenge, he rowed away.

There was great joy among the widows of all those dead hunters when they learned that Angusinanguaq had avenged their husbands. And they went into his hut one by one and thanked him.

The boy from the bottom of the sea who frightened the people of the house to death

A tale of resilience and revenge, this story follows a woman fleeing her abusive husband, building a life under the sea, and raising a monstrous child. As the child grows strong, it ventures to the surface, terrifying villagers with its grotesque form. Guided by its mother, it avoids her past haunts, ultimately returning below, leaving death and awe in its wake.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The protagonist undergoes a significant change by moving from the human world to the bottom of the sea, where she builds a new life and gives birth to a child with unique, sea-inspired features.

Revenge and Justice: The story centers on the mother’s escape from her abusive husband and the subsequent actions of her son, who, upon reaching the surface, frightens villagers to death, symbolizing retribution for past wrongs.

Supernatural Beings: The tale features the birth of a child with extraordinary characteristics—eyes like jellyfish, hair of seaweed, and a mouth resembling a mussel—highlighting interactions with beings beyond the natural world.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Well, you see, it was the usual thing: “The Obstinate One” had taken a wife, and of course he beat her, and when he wanted to make it an extra special beating, he took a box, and banged her about with that.

One day, when he had been beating her as usual, she ran away. And she was just about to have a child at that time. She walked straight out into the sea, and was nearly drowned, but suddenly she came to herself again, and found that she was at the bottom of the sea. And there she built herself a house.

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While she was down there, the child was born. And when she went to look at it, she nearly died of fright, it was so ugly. Its eyes were jellyfish, its hair of seaweed, and the mouth was like a mussel.

And now these two lived down there together. The child grew up, and when it was a little grown up, it could hear the children playing on the earth up above, and it said: “I should like to go up and see.”

“When you have grown stronger, then you may go,” said his mother. And then the boy began practising feats of strength, with stones. And at last he was able to pick up stones as big as a chest, and carry them into the house.

One evening, when it was dark, they heard again a calling from above. The children, not content with simply shouting at their play, began crying out: “Iyoi-iyoi-iyoi,” with all their might.

“Now I will go with you,” said the mother. “But you must not go into the houses nearest the shore, for there I often fled in when your father would have beaten me; I have suffered much evil up there. And when you thrust in your head, be sure to look as angry as you can.”

There were two houses on the shore, one a little way above the other. As they went up, the mother suddenly saw that her son was going into the one nearest the shore. And she cried: “Ha-a; Ha-a! When your father beat me, I always ran in there. Go to the one up above.”

And now the boy made his face fierce, and thrust in his head at the doorway, and all those inside fell down dead with fright. He would have beaten his father, but his father had died long since. Then he went down again to the bottom of the sea.

When the day dawned, the people from the house nearest the shore came out and said: “Ai! What footsteps are these, all full of seaweed?”

And seeing that the tracks led up to the house a little way above, they followed there, and found that all inside had died of fright.

Isigaligarssik

Isigaligarssik, a strong but wifeless man, marries a widow’s daughter. A jealous village wizard steals his wife and mocks him repeatedly during spirit-calling ceremonies. Despite warnings, Isigaligarssik confronts the wizard, who attacks him. Using a childhood charm, Isigaligarssik heals and challenges the wizard to a bow duel. Cleverly outmaneuvering the wizard, he fatally shoots him, reclaiming his wife and living happily with her until death.

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

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: Isigaligarssik employs cleverness to outmaneuver the wizard, ultimately reclaiming his wife.

Revenge and Justice: The narrative centers on Isigaligarssik’s quest to avenge the wrongs inflicted upon him by the wizard, culminating in a duel that restores his honor.

Supernatural Beings: The presence of the wizard, with his mystical abilities and spirit-calling ceremonies, introduces elements of the supernatural into the tale.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Isigaligarssik was a wifeless man, and he was very strong. One of the other men in his village was a wizard. Isigaligarssik was taken to live in a house with many brothers, and they were very fond of him.

When the wizard was about to call upon his spirits, it was his custom to call in through the window: “Only the married men may come and hear.” And when they who were to hear the spirit calling went out, a little widow and her daughter and Isigaligarssik always stayed behind together in the house.

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Once, when all had gone out to hear the wizard, as was their custom, these three were thus left alone together. Isigaligarssik sat by the little lamp on the side bench, at work.

Suddenly he heard the widow’s daughter saying something in her mother’s ear, and then her mother turned towards him and said: “This little girl would like to have you.”

Isigaligarssik would also like to have her, and before the others of the house had come back, they were man and wife. Thus when the others of the house had finished and came back, Isigaligarssik had found a wife, and his house-fellows were very glad of this.

Next day, as soon as it was dark, one called, as was the custom: “Let only those who have wives come and hear.” And Isigaligarssik, who had before had no wife, felt now a great desire to go and hear this. But as soon as he had come in, the great wizard said to Isigaligarssik’s wife: “Come here; here.”

When she had sat down, he told her to take off her shoes, and then he put them up on the drying frame. Then they made a spirit calling, and when that was ended, the wizard said to Isigaligarssik: “Go away now; you will never have this dear little wife of yours again.”

And then Isigaligarssik had to go home without a wife. And Isigaligarssik had to live without a wife. And every time there was a spirit calling, and he went in, the wizard would say: “Ho, what are you doing here, you who have no wife?”

But now anger grew up slowly in him at this, and once when he came home, he said: “That wizard in there has mocked me well, but next time he asks me, I shall know what to answer.”

But the others of the village warned him, and said: “No, no; you must not answer him. For if you answer him, then he will kill you.”

But one evening when the bad wizard mocked him as usual Isigaligarssik said: “Ho, and what of you who took my wife away?”

Now the wizard stood up at once, and when Isigaligarssik bent down towards the entrance to creep out, the wizard took a knife, and stabbed him with a great wound.

Isigaligarssik ran quickly home to his house, and said to his wife’s mother: “Go quickly now and take the dress I wore when I was little. [The first dress worn by a child is supposed to act as a charm against wounds if the former wearer can put it on when a grown man.] It is in the chest there.”

And when she took it out, it was so small that it did not look like a dress at all, but it was very pretty. And he ordered her then to dip it in the water bucket. When it was wet, he was able to put it on, and when the lacing thong at the bottom touched the wound, it was healed.

Now when his house-fellows came out after the spirit-calling they thought to find him lying dead outside the entrance. They followed the blood spoor, and at last he had gone into the house. When they came in, he had not a single wound, and all were very glad for that he was healed again. And now he said: “Tomorrow I will go bow-shooting with him.”

Then they slept, and awakened, and Isigaligarssik opened his little chest and searched it, and took out a bow that was so small it could hardly be seen in his hands. He strung that bow, and went out, and said: “Come out now and see.”

Then they went out, and he went down to the wizard’s house, and called through the window: “Big man in there; come out now and let us shoot with the bow!” And when he had said this, he went and stood by a little river. When he turned to look round, the wizard was already by the passage of his house, aiming with his bow.

He said: “Come here.” And then Isigaligarssik drew up spittle in his mouth and spat straight down beside his feet.

“Come here,” he said then, to the great wizard. Then he went over to him, and came nearer and nearer, and stopped just before him. Now the wizard aimed with his bow towards him, and when he did this, the house-fellows cried to Isigaligarssik: “Make yourself small!” And he made himself so small that only his head could be seen moving backwards and forwards. The wizard shot and missed. And a second time he shot and missed.

Then Isigaligarssik stood up, and took the arrow, and broke it across and said: “Go home; you cannot hit.” And then the wizard went off, turning many times to look round. At last, when he bent down to get into his house through the passage way, Isigaligarssik aimed and shot at him. And they heard only the sound of his fall. The arrow was very little, and yet for all that it sent him all doubled up through the entrance, so that he fell down in the passage.

In this way Isigaligarssik won his wife again, and he lived with her afterwards until death.

The swimmer, a tale from Labrador

A grieving mother, having lost all her children to enemies, raises her last son to live like a seal in the water. When the enemies return to kill him, she sends him into the sea. The son lures them far out, and the mother summons a storm by whipping the water’s surface, drowning the attackers while her son survives.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The son is raised to adapt to life in the water, embodying a seal’s abilities, which is a significant physical transformation.

Revenge and Justice: The mother’s actions lead to the demise of her enemies, serving as retribution for the loss of her other children.

Supernatural Beings: The mother’s ability to summon a storm by whipping the water’s surface suggests a connection to supernatural powers.

► 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 mother, who lived at a solitary place, successively lost all her children, who were killed by enemies. Finally, she got a son, whom from his babyhood she brought up with the aim of making him fit for dwelling in the water like a seal. The enemies once went to the place with the intention of killing him also. But the mother, seeing the kayakers approach, told him to make his escape through the water. The enemies, who observed him jumping into the water, had no doubt they would get hold of him; but, swimming like a seal, he seduced them far out to sea, when the mother whipped the surface of the water with a string, causing a storm, by which they all perished, her son being the only one saved.

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A tale from East Greenland

Two cousins shared a bond, but envy consumed one when the other excelled in milestones like marriage, fatherhood, and hunting. Driven by resentment, he moved away and trained a vicious dog to kill travelers by feeding it food touched by human bones. However, the cousin and his son bravely confronted the beast and ultimately killed it together.

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 story centers on two cousins whose relationship is strained by envy and competition, highlighting complex familial relationships.

Cunning and Deception: One cousin’s deceitful act of training a dog to attack travelers using human bones exemplifies the use of cunning and deceit to achieve malicious goals.

Revenge and Justice: The narrative concludes with the targeted cousin and his son confronting and killing the dangerous dog, serving as retribution and the restoration of justice.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

Two cousins loved each other, but one of them having a passion for outdoing other people, grew irritated at seeing the other not only getting first married, but also having the first son, and that one catching seals before his own son had got a bird.

He then removed to another place, and his son trained a dog to tear men to pieces, by feeding it with food that had been in contact with human bones.

It had already devoured several travellers when the cousin and his son came and attacked the dangerous animal, and killed it between them.

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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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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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