The world around us shapes the stories we tell, even in the harshest conditions. So it’s no wonder these legends from Greenland have the power to give us chills.
Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with writing by Alex Robinson, and research by Jamie Vargas.
————————————
Sources:
Abrams, Lesley. “Early Religious Practice in the Greenland Settlement.” Journal of the North Atlantic, 2009, pp.52-65. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26686937?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.
Arctic Alien. “Qivittoq.” Greenland From the Outside In. 6/6/2018. https://arcticalien.net/qivittoq/.
Auger, Emily E. “Les Peuples de L’Arctique et Le Bois / Arctic Peoples and Wood.” Études/Inuit/Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, 2012, pp.213-214. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42870475?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.
Berthelsen, Laali. “Legends, Myths and Storytelling in Greenland.” Guide to Greenland. 6/17/2020. https://guidetogreenland.com/travel-blogs/laali-berthelsen/legends-myths-and-storytelling-in-greenland/?affiliate=120.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Knud Rasmussen.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 4/3/2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Knud-Rasmussen.
“Christianization of Sweden and Greenland.” Berloga Workshop. 6/2/2020. https://berloga-workshop.com/blog/430-christianization-of-sweden-and-greenland.html.
Christopher, Neil, McDermott, Noel, and Flaherty, Louise. Unikkaaqtuat: An Introduction to Traditional Inuit Myths and Legends. Toronto: Inhabit Media Inc., 2011. https://archive.org/details/unikkaaqtuatintr0000unse/page/n3/mode/2up.
“Climate of Greenland.” Wikipedia. Last updated on August 15, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Greenland
Daw, Sonya. “Sculpins.” National Park Service. February 2021. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/sculpins.htm.
Dorph, Arnatsiaq. “Greenland Superstitions.” Tasermiut Camp. https://tasermiutcamp.gl/greenland-superstitions/#:~:text=Ghosts%2C%20reincarnations%2C%20monsters%20under%20the,things%20that%20Greenlanders%20believe%20in..
Ehrlich, Gretel. This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland. London: Fourth Estate, 2002. https://archive.org/details/thiscoldheavense00ehrl/page/n7/mode/2up.
"Fata Morgana Land.” Wikipedia. Last updated on February 5, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_Land
Fox, Aaron. “Ten Ghost Stories Above the Arctic Circle.” Listverse. 1/7/2023. https://listverse.com/2023/01/07/ten-ghost-stories-above-the-arctic-circle/.
“The Greenlandic Tupilak.” Visit Greenland. https://visitgreenland.com/about-greenland/greenlandic-tupilak/.
“Greenland: Migration, Exploration, Colonization and Christianity.” The Truth Source. https://thetruthsource.org/greenland-migration-exploration-colonialization-and-christianity/.
“Greenland 1721-2021.” Greenland National Museum & Archives. 2021. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/95c84ad51e5f404791df2cea92e970a7#.
Grønnow, Bjarne. “Blessings and Horrors of the Interior: Ethno-Historical Studies of Inuit Perceptions Concerning the Inland Region of West Greenland.” Arctic Anthropology. vol, 46, no. ½, 2009, pp.191-201. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40645473?read-now=1#page_scan_tab_contents.
Hallendy, Norman. “Inuksuk (Inukshuk).” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Updated 12/8/2020. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuksuk-inukshuk.
Hansen, Stine Lundberg. “Tupilak—The Language of the Tongue.” Nuuk Kunstmuseum. Nuuk Art Museum. 2016. https://www.nuukkunstmuseum.com/en/behind-the-art/tupilak-the-language-of-the-tongue/.
“History of Greenland.” Wikipedia. Last updated on August 14, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greenland
“The Ijiraat.” Tia and Piujuq Making This Film. https://tiaandpiujuq.com/ijiraat/.
“Ijiraq.” Myth and Folklore Wiki. https://mythus.fandom.com/wiki/Ijiraq.
“Ijiraq.” Mythical Creatures Catalogue. https://www.mythicalcreaturescatalogue.com/post/2017/12/06/ijiraq.
“Ijiraq.” Nathanandersonart. 9/13/2017. https://nathanandersonart.tumblr.com/post/165304990939/name-ijiraq-area-of-origin-inuit-cultures.
“Ijiraq.” They-Hide-In-The-Dark. 9/24/2014. https://they-hide-in-the-dark.tumblr.com/post/98306833995/ijiraq-a-shapeshifter-from-inuit-mythology.
Kleist Pedersen, Birgit. “A Narrative on Narratives in Contemporary Greenland.” In Collignon B. & Therrien M. (eds). 2009. Orality in the 21st Century”: Inuit Discourse and Practices. Proceedings of the 15th Inuit Studies Conference. Paris: INALCO. http://www.inuitoralityconference.com/art/Kleist02.pdf.
Kreutzmann, Maria. Bestiarium Greenlandica: A Compendium of the Mythical Creatures, Spirits, and Strange Beings of Greenland. Toronto: Eye of Newt Books, 2021.
Kreutzmann, Maria and Engell, Ujammiugaq. “5 Mythical Creatures From Greenland: Mother of the Sea, Tupilak, Qivittoq and More.” Visit Greenland. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc7Cy9NxHmg.
Kristjánsdóttir, Ajaana Olsvig. “Greenlandic Myths and Legends.” Greenland.is. 8/13/2020. https://www.greenland.is/blog/greenlandic-myths-and-legends/.
Laugrand, Frédéric, and Francis Lévesque. “Spotlight on Arctic Animals: Introduction to the Inuit Bestiary.” Études/Inuit/Studies, vol. 41, no. 1/2, 2017, pp.17-28. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45116483?read-now=1#page_scan_tab_contents
“Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen.” Wikipedia. Last updated July 22, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludvig_Mylius-Erichsen
Maldonado, Gabriela Zendejas. “Tupilak—A Souvenir That Protects You.” Guide to Greenland. 6/16/2020. https://guidetogreenland.com/travel-blogs/gabriela-zendejas-maldonado/tupilak-a-souvenir-that-protects-you/.
Plumbley, J.M. “You’re As Cold As Ice: The Ijirait.” JMPlumbley. 1/12/2017. https://www.jmplumbley.com/2017/01/12/youre-as-cold-as-ice-the-ijirait/.
Rasmussen, Knud. Eskimo Folk-Tales. London: Gyldendal, 1921. https://archive.org/details/eskimofolktale00rasm/page/n7/mode/2up.
Romalis, Sheila. “The East Greenland Tupilaq Image: Old and New Visions.” Études/Inuit/Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, 1983, pp. 152-159. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42869372?read-now=1&seq=7#page_scan_tab_contents.
Schultz, Martin. “Tupilait.” Polar Journal. 11/2/2021. https://polarjournal.ch/en/2021/11/02/tupilait/.
“Search in Greenlandic Myths & Stories.” Greenlandic Myths and Stories. Compiled by Birgitte Sonne. Danish Arctic Institute. https://arktiskinstitut.dk/en/knowledge-database/greenlandic-myths-and-stories/search-in-greenlandic-myths-stories.
Sonne, Birgitte. “Who’s Afraid of Kaassassuk? Writing as a Tool in Coping with Changing Cosmology.” Études Inuit Studies. Vol. 34, No. 2, 2010, pp.107-127. https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/etudinuit/2010-v34-n2-etudinuit5000473/1004072ar/.
“The Story Behind the Greenlandic Tupilak.” Polar Quest. 2/23/2023. https://www.polar-quest.com/blog/greenland/the-story-behind-the-greenlandic-tupilak.
“Terrifying Greenland.” Bitter Grounds Magazine. 10/24/2021. https://bittergrounds.com/im-here-for-the-booos/.
“Thule Culture.” Museum of the North. University of Alaska. https://www.uaf.edu/museum/collections/archaeo/online-exhibits/paleo-eskimo-cultures/thule/.
“Tupilak.” Cryptid Wiki. https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Tupliak.
“Tupilak.” Lowe Art Museum. University of Miami. https://emuseum.as.miami.edu/objects/6821/tupilak.
Tulugarjuk, Lucy. “The Ijiraat, as Told by Tia and Piujuq’s Director, Lucy Tulugarjuk.” TiaAndPiujuq.com. https://vimeo.com/259474623.
Vebæk, Mâliâraq. The Southernmost People of Greenland—Dialects and Memories. Meddelelser om Grønland Man & Society, 33. Copenhagen, The Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland, 2006.
Vermillion, Stephanie. “The Best Campfire Stories From Around the World.” Outside. Updated 8/15/2023. https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/global-campfire-stories/.
Whitelaw, Mat. “What is an Inukshuk?” Arctic Kingdom. 9/4/2020. https://resources.arctickingdom.com/what-is-an-inukshuk.