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.

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“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!

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The giant dog

A man owned a colossal dog capable of swimming seas and hauling narwhals ashore. The dog, controlled by jaw thongs, carried the man and his wife on its back. Gifted with a death-resisting amulet, it grew fierce, devouring people and battling threats. Its exploits spread fear among inland-dwellers, who had their own cruel customs. This legendary dog remains a tale of awe and terror.

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

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The tale features a colossal dog with extraordinary abilities, such as swimming vast seas and hauling large sea creatures like whales and narwhals ashore.

Cunning and Deception: The dog’s owner uses jaw thongs to control the dog, guiding its actions through clever means.

Conflict with Nature: The dog’s fierce behavior leads to confrontations with both humans and other creatures, highlighting the challenges of coexisting with powerful natural forces.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There was once a man who had a giant dog. It could swim in the sea, and was so big that it could haul whale and narwhal to shore. The narwhal it would hook on to its side teeth, and swim with them hanging there.

The man who owned it had cut holes in its jaws, and let in thongs through those holes, so that he could make it turn to either side by pulling at the thongs. And when he and his wife desired to go journeying to any place, they had only to mount on its back.

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The man had long wished to have a son, but as none was born to him, he gave his great dog the amulet which his son should have had. This amulet was a knot of hard wood, and the dog was thus made hard to resist the coming of death.

Once the dog ate a man, and then the owner of the dog was forced to leave that place and take land elsewhere. And while he was living in this new place, there came one day a kayak rowing in towards the land, and the man hastened to take up his dog, lest it should eat the stranger. He led it away far up into the hills, and gave it a great bone, that it might have something to gnaw at, and thus be kept busy.

But one day the dog smelt out the stranger, and came down from the hills, and then the man was forced to hide away the stranger and his kayak in a far place, lest the dog should tear them in pieces, for it was very fierce.

Now because the dog was so big and fierce, the man had many enemies. And once a stranger came driving in a sledge with three dogs as big as bears, to kill the giant dog. The man went out to meet that sledge, and the dog followed behind him. The dog pretended to be afraid at first, but then, when the stranger’s dog set upon it in attack, it turned against them, and crushed the skulls of all three in its teeth.

After a time, the man noticed that his giant dog would go off, now and again, for long journeys in the hills, and would sometimes return with the leg of an inland-dweller. And now he understood that the dog had made it a custom to attack the inland-dwellers and bring back their legs to its master. He could see that the legs were legs of inland-dwellers, for they wore hairy boots.

And it is from this giant dog that the inland-dwellers got their great fear of all dogs. It would always appear suddenly at the window, and drag them out. But it was a good thing that something happened to frighten the inland-dwellers, for they had themselves an evil custom of carrying off lonely folk, especially women, when they had lost their way in the fog.

And that is all I know about the Giant Dog.

Kumagdlak and the living arrows

Kumagdlak, a powerful wizard living in isolation with his wife, defended against a sea-borne enemy attack despite an injured leg. Using enchanted arrows made from human shinbones and a magical childhood pouch, he outmatched his foes. He killed many, plundered their belongings, and summoned a storm that drowned the survivors. The waves scattered the bodies, leaving them stripped by the sea.

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

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: Kumagdlak’s abilities as a wizard and his use of enchanted arrows and magical items highlight interactions with supernatural elements.

Conflict with Authority: The attack by the sea-borne enemies represents a challenge to Kumagdlak’s autonomy, which he confronts using his mystical powers.

Cunning and Deception: Kumagdlak’s strategic use of his magical arrows and pouch to outsmart and overpower his enemies showcases the theme of using wit to achieve goals.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Kumagdlak, men say, lived apart from his fellows. He had a wife, and she was the only living being in the place beside himself.

One day his wife was out looking for stones to build a fireplace, and looking out over the sea, she saw many enemies approaching.

“An umiak and kayaks,” she cried to her husband. And he was ill at ease on hearing this, for he lay in the house with a bad leg.

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“My arrows — bring my arrows!” he cried. And his wife saw that all his arrows lay there trembling. And that was because their points were made of the shinbones of men. And they trembled because their master was ill at ease.

Kumagdlak had made himself arrows, and feathered them with birds’ feathers. He was a great wizard, and by breathing with his own breath upon those arrows he could give them life, and cause them to fly towards his enemies and kill them. And when he himself stood unprotected before the weapons of his enemies, he would grasp the thong of the pouch in which his mother had carried him as a child, and strike out with it, and then all arrows aimed at him would fly wide of their mark.

Now all the enemies hauled up on shore, and the eldest among them cried out: “Kumagdlak! It is time for you to go out and taste the water in the land of the dead under the earth — or perhaps you will go up into the sky?”

“That fate is more likely to be yours,” answered Kumagdlak.

And standing at the entrance to his tent, he aimed at them with his bow. If but the first arrow could be sent whirling over the boats, then he knew that none of them would be able to harm him. He shot his arrow, and it flew over the boats. Then he aimed at the old man who had spoken, and that arrow cut through the string of the old man’s bow, and pierced the old man himself. Then he began shooting down the others, his wife handing him the arrows as he shot. The men from the boats shot at him, but all their arrows flew wide. And his enemies grew fewer and fewer, and at last they fled.

And now Kumagdlak took all the bodies down by the shore and plundered them, taking their knives, and when the boats had got well out to sea, he called up a great storm, so that all the others perished.

But the waves washed the bodies this way and that along the coast, until the clothes were worn off them.

The woman with the iron tail

A woman with an iron tail killed sleeping guests by piercing them, but one man outsmarted her. Feigning sleep, he dodged her attack, breaking her tail on a stone. Fleeing to his kayak, their exchange of words revealed magical power. His words caused her to fall, ending her menace. With her tail destroyed, she could no longer harm anyone.

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

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The story features a woman with an iron tail who possesses magical abilities, such as killing guests by piercing them and influencing reality with her words.

Cunning and Deception: The protagonist outsmarts the woman by feigning sleep and dodging her attack, leading to the breaking of her iron tail and ultimately her defeat.

Divine Punishment: The woman’s malevolent actions are thwarted, and she is rendered powerless after her tail is broken, suggesting a form of retribution for her evil deeds.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There was once a woman who had an iron tail. And more than this, she was also an eater of men. When a stranger came to visit her, she would wait until her guest had fallen asleep, and then she would jump up in the air, and fall down upon the sleeping one, who was thus pierced through by her tail. Once there came a man to her house. And he lay down to sleep. And when she thought he had fallen asleep, she jumped up, and coming over the place where he lay, dropped down upon him. But the man was not asleep at all, and he moved aside so that she fell down on a stone and broke her tail.

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The man fled out to his kayak. And she ran after.

When she reached him, she cried: “Oh, if I could only thrust my knife into him.” And as she cried, the man nearly upset — for even her words had power.

“Oh, if only I could send my harpoon through her,” cried the man in return. And so great was the power of his words that she fell down on the spot.

And then the man rowed away, and the woman never killed anyone after that, for her tail was broken.

Asaloq

Asaloq, seeking his lost foster-brother, embarks southward with his wife in a skin-covered umiak. Facing perils like sea-lice and serpents, they arrive at a village of strongmen. Challenged to a wrestling match, Asaloq defeats all opponents, asserting dominance. Fleeing further south, he uses magic to evade pursuers. Ultimately, Asaloq and his wife reach Aluk, where their legacy endures.

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

► Themes of the story

Quest: Asaloq embarks on a perilous journey southward in search of his lost foster-brother, facing numerous challenges along the way.

Supernatural Beings: Throughout his voyage, Asaloq encounters mystical creatures such as sea-lice and sea-serpents, highlighting interactions with the supernatural.

Cunning and Deception: Asaloq employs magic and clever tactics to evade his pursuers, demonstrating the use of wit to overcome obstacles.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Asaloq, men say, had a foster-brother. Once when he had come home after having been out in his kayak, his foster-brother had disappeared. He sought for him everywhere, but being unable to find him, he built a big umiak, and when it was built, he covered it with three layers of skins. Then he rowed off southwards with his wife. And while they were rowing, they saw a black ripple on the sea ahead. When they came to the place, they saw that it was the sea-lice. And the outermost layer of skins on the boat was eaten away before they got through them.

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Now they rowed onwards again, and saw once more a black ripple ahead. When they came to the place, they saw that it was the sea-serpents. And once again they slipped through with the loss of one layer of skins.

Having now but one layer of skins left, they went in great fear of what they might chance to meet next. But without seeing anything strange, they rounded a point, and came in sight of a place with many houses. Hardly had they come into land when the strangers caught hold of their boat, and hauled it up, so that Asaloq had no need to help.

And now it was learned that these were folk who had a strong man in their midst. Asaloq had been but a short time in one of the houses, when they heard the sound of one coming from outside and in through the passage way; it was the strong man’s talebearer boy, and to make matters worse, a boy with a squint.

And now the people of the house said: “Now that wretched boy will most certainly tell him you are here.”

And indeed, the boy was just about to run out again, when they caught hold of him and set him up behind the lamp. But hardly had they turned their backs on him for a moment, when he slipped out before any could move, and they heard the sound of his running footsteps in the snow without.

And after a while, the window grew red with a constant filling of faces looking in to say: “We are sent to bid the stranger come.”

And since there was no help for it, Asaloq went up there with them. When he came into the house, it was full of people, and he looked round and saw the strong man far in on the big bench. And at the moment Asaloq caught sight of him, the strong man said in a deep voice: “Let us have a wrestling match.”

And as he spoke, the others drew out a skin from under the bench, and spread it on the floor. And after the skin had been spread out, food was brought in. And Asaloq ate till there was no more left. But as he rose, all that he had eaten fell out of his stomach. And then they began pulling arms. And now Asaloq began mightily pulling the arms of all the men there, until the skin was worn from his arm, leaving the flesh almost bare.

And when he had straightened out all their arms, he went out of that house the strongest of all, and went out to his umiak and rowed away southwards with his wife. And when they had rowed a little way, they came to a little island, and pitched their tent on the sunny side. And when Asaloq then went up on the hillside to look out, he saw many umiaks coming from the northward, and they camped on the shady side.

Then he heard them say: “Now search carefully about.” And others said: “He can hardly be on such a little island.”

And now Asaloq sang magic songs over them from the top of the hill, and at last he heard them say: “We may as well go home again.”

Now Asaloq stood and watched them row away, and not until they were out of sight did he set off again to the southward. At last they reached Aluk, and there their bones still rest.

Here ends this story.

The raven and the goose

The raven’s black color is attributed to its obstinacy in a tale about birds painting each other. The raven painted the goose black with elegant white patterns, which the goose admired. However, when the goose painted a similar pattern on the raven, it grew furious, deeming it ugly. Offended, the goose splashed the raven entirely black—explaining its dull color today.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The tale describes the physical change in the raven’s appearance, resulting in its entirely black color.

Cunning and Deception: The story involves elements of trickery and reactions to perceived deceit during the painting process.

Moral Lessons: The narrative imparts a lesson about the consequences of obstinacy and anger, leading to unintended outcomes.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Do you know why the raven is so black, so dull and black in colour? It is all because of its own obstinacy. Now listen.

It happened in the days when all the birds were getting their colours and the pattern in their coats. And the raven and the goose happened to meet, and they agreed to paint each other.

The raven began, and painted the other black, with a nice white pattern showing between.

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The goose thought that very fine indeed, and began to do the same by the raven, painting it a coat exactly like its own.

But then the raven fell into a rage, and declared the pattern was frightfully ugly, and the goose, offended at all the fuss, simply splashed it black all over.

And now you know why the raven is black.

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.

Imarasugssuaq, who ate his wives

Misana, married to the cannibalistic Imarasugssuaq, cleverly escapes his deadly tradition of fattening wives for consumption. Feigning immobility, she constructs a dummy, allowing her to flee. When pursued, she invokes her amulet’s power, transforming into wood to evade capture. Seeking refuge with her brothers, she exposes Imarasugssuaq, who is mocked and ultimately killed after Misana’s failed attempts. The story concludes with her triumph and survival.

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

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: Misana’s clever use of a dummy and her transformation into wood highlight the use of wit to outsmart her husband.

Transformation: Misana’s physical change into wood, facilitated by her amulet, underscores themes of metamorphosis and adaptation.

Conflict with Authority: Misana’s rebellion against her oppressive and murderous husband reflects a challenge to tyrannical power.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

It is said that the great Imarasugssuaq was wont to eat his wives. He fattened them up, giving them nothing but salmon to eat, and nothing at all to drink. Once when he had just lost his wife in the usual way, he took to wife the sister of many brothers, and her name was Misana. And after having taken her to wife, he began fattening her up as usual. One day her husband was out in his kayak. And she had grown so fat that she could hardly move, but now she managed with difficulty to tumble down from the bench to the floor, crawled to the entrance, dropped down into the passage way, and began licking the snow which had drifted in.

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She licked and licked at it, and at last she began to feel herself lighter, and better able to move. And in this way she afterwards went out and licked up snow whenever her husband was out in his kayak, and at last she was once more quite able to move about.

One day when her husband was out in his kayak as usual, she took her breeches and tunic, and stuffed them out until the thing looked like a real human being, and then she said to them: “When my husband comes and tells you to come out, answer him with these words: I cannot move because I am grown so fat. And when he then comes in and harpoons you, remember then to shriek as if in pain.”

And after she had said these words, she began digging a hole at the back of the house, and when it was big enough, she crept in.

“Bring up the birds I have caught!”

But the dummy answered: “I can no longer move, for I am grown so fat.”

Now the dummy was sitting behind the lamp. And the husband coming in, harpooned that dummy wife with his great bird-spear. And the thing shrieked as if with pain and fell down. But when he looked closer, there was no blood to be seen, nothing but some stuffed-out clothes. And where was his wife?

And now he began to search for her, and as soon as he had gone out, she crept forth from her hiding-place, and took to flight. And while she was thus making her escape, her husband came after her, and seeing that he came nearer and nearer, at last she said: “Now I remember, my amulet is a piece of wood.”

And hardly had she said these words, when she was changed into a piece of wood, and her husband could not find her. He looked about as hard as ever he could, but could see nothing beyond a piece of wood anywhere. And he stabbed at that once or twice with his knife, but she felt no more than a little stinging pain. Then he went back home to fetch his axe, and then, as soon as he was out of sight, she changed back into a woman again and fled away to her brothers.

When she came to their house, she hid herself behind the skin hangings, and after she had placed herself there, her husband was heard approaching, weeping because he had lost his wife. He stayed there with them, and in the evening, the brothers began singing songs in mockery of him, and turning towards him also, they said: “Men say that Imarasugssuaq eats his wives.”

“Who has said that?”

“Misana has said that.”

“I said it, and I ran away because you tried to kill me,” said she from behind the hangings.

And then the many brothers fell upon Imarasugssuaq and held him fast that his wife might kill him; she took her knife, but each time she tried to strike, the knife only grazed his skin, for her fingers lost their power.

And she was still standing there trying in vain to stab him, when they saw that he was already dead.

Here ends this story.

Nukunguasik, who escaped from the Tupilak

Nukunguasik, a man without a wife, discovers a sinister plot on an unfamiliar island when he encounters a brother crafting a Tupilak, a magical creature instructed to kill him. Startled, Nukunguasik confronts the brother, who dies from fright. Later, Nukunguasik helps the remaining brothers find the body of their sibling, killed by the Tupilak. Afterward, Nukunguasik lives peacefully and dies years later.

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

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The tale features a Tupilak, a magical creature brought to life through dark rituals, embodying the interaction with supernatural entities.

Cunning and Deception: Nukunguasik’s stealthy approach and unexpected confrontation with the brother highlight the use of wit to navigate dangerous situations.

Divine Punishment: The brother’s sudden death upon being discovered suggests a form of immediate retribution for his malevolent actions, reflecting the theme of divine or supernatural punishment.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Nukunguasik, it is said, had land in a place with many brothers. When the brothers made a catch, they gave him meat for the pot; he himself had no wife.

One day he rowed northward in his kayak, and suddenly he took it into his head to row over to a big island which he had never visited before, and now wished to see.

He landed, and went up to look at the land, and it was very beautiful there.

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And here he came upon the middle one of many brothers, busy with something or other down in a hollow, and whispering all the time. So he crawled stealthily towards him, and when he had come closer, he heard him whispering these words: “You are to bite Nukunguasik to death; you are to bite Nukunguasik to death.”

And then it was clear that he was making a Tupilak, and stood there now telling it what to do. But suddenly Nukunguasik slapped him on the side and said: “But where is this Nukunguasik?”

And the man was so frightened at this that he fell down dead.

And then Nukunguasik saw that the man had been letting the Tupilak sniff at his body. And the Tupilak was now alive, and lay there sniffing. But Nukunguasik, being afraid of the Tupilak, went away without trying to harm it.

Now he rowed home, and there the many brothers were waiting in vain for the middle one to return. At last the day dawned, and still he had not come. And daylight came, and then as they were preparing to go out in search of him, the eldest of them said to Nukunguasik: “Nukunguasik, come with us; we must search for him.”

And so Nukunguasik went with them, but as they found nothing, he said: “Would it not be well to go and make search over on that island, where no one ever goes?”

And having gone on to the island, Nukunguasik said: “Now you can go and look on the southern side.”

When the brothers reached the place, he heard them cry out, and the eldest said: “O wretched one! Why did you ever meddle with such a thing as this!”

And they could be heard weeping all together about the dead man.

And now Nukunguasik went up to them, and there lay the Tupilak, still alive, and nibbling at the body of the dead man. But the brothers buried him there, making a mound of stones above him. And then they went home.

Nukunguasik lived there as the oldest in the place, and died at last after many years.

Katigagse

Katigagse, skeptical of the angakut, often disrupted their conjurations. During one ceremony, he tore down the curtain and fled outside, only to encounter a terrifying flame rushing through the air. Shaken, he returned to the hut, clinging to the rafters until exhaustion overcame him. After the ritual ended, Katigagse was found filthy and humiliated, vowing never to attend another angakok ceremony.

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

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: Katigagse’s encounter with the mysterious flame during the angakok (shaman) ceremony highlights interactions with otherworldly forces.

Cunning and Deception: His initial skepticism and disruptive actions during the ritual suggest themes of trickery and the consequences of deceit.

Divine Punishment: The terrifying experience serves as retribution for his irreverence toward sacred practices, leading to his vow never to attend such ceremonies again.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about the Inuit peoples

Abridged version of the story.

Katigagse had no faith in the angakut, and sometimes, when attending their conjurations, he tore away the window-curtain, and thereby dispelled all their doings.

But once when an angakok had begun his conjuration, and announced his tornak to be approaching in the shape of a fire, Katigagse tore away the curtain which covered the entrance, and ran outside.

Suddenly he discovered a great flame rushing through the air, which struck him with terror, and made him re-enter the house, and trembling from head to foot cling to the rafters of the hut, from whence fatigue soon made him fall to the ground.

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When the conjuration had been finished, and the fire kept off, Katigagse was missed. At length they brought him forth from underneath the ledge, all covered with filth, in which state he left the house, never to attend angakok service any more.

This and the following tale are only interesting as showing the deeply-seated fear of, and belief in, the angakut.