Greenland is house to among the world’s oldest storytelling traditions, relationship again over 4000 years. Greenlandic Inuit tradition is steeped in terrifying tales of monsters, myths and legends – every providing useful life classes about respecting nature and one another.
I keep in mind the primary time I realized about certainly one of Greenland‘s monsters – the Qivittoq, a wandering spirit and mountain walker. I used to be listening to a pleasant Greenlander sharing myths from her house nation as we sat at Copenhagen Airport. Lykke, who’s half Danish, half Greenlandic Inuit, informed me in regards to the terrifying creature as we waited to board a airplane in direction of stated monster. She wasn’t to know that I’ve an irrational concern of zombies.
I used to be terrified.
So, coming throughout Maria Bach Kreutzmann’s work years later as a bonafide ‘monster hunter’, I used to be intrigued. Who would wish to go looking for these legendary creatures by means of historic paperwork, archives, and, extra importantly, in particular person?
‘The rationale I name myself a monster hunter is as a result of it’s a straightforward technique to clarify to individuals what I do,’ Maria laughs once I ask her. ‘I exploit that title once I give talks in colleges. After I inform children I disseminate tradition, they don’t perceive what meaning. However once I inform them I hunt and discover the monsters from our tales like Newt Scamander within the Harry Potter universe, they get it.’
As a author who deep-dives into tradition by means of traditions and way of life, I’ve all the time been fascinated by Greenlandic Inuit storytelling, such because the artwork of Uaajeerneq – masks dancing – which dates again 4000 years. Passing on tales of resilience and survival by means of generations through verbal storytelling typically requires giving these classes a visible type so they’re simple to recollect.
‘As a result of our historical past hasn’t been traditionally written down and we nonetheless go numerous tales down orally, I accumulate tales and speak about mythology in visible methods,’ Maria says. ‘Individuals typically come as much as me to inform me tales and myths they grew up with, and my job as a monster hunter is to gather these tales, doc them, and recount them to others.’
Falling for monsters
Born to an Indigenous Inuk father and Danish mom, Maria grew up in Nuuk, the place her grandfather co-founded Greenland’s Nationwide Museum within the Sixties. And this curiosity and calling to share cultural information appears to run within the household.
When she was little, she was fascinated by monsters, creatures and mythology depicted within the motion pictures she watched. Maria went on to grow to be a educated animator with a background in pc graphics and 3D illustrations, and a self-proclaimed skilled nerd. ‘After residing in London for a number of years and eventually falling homesick, I moved again house to shift my focus again onto the mythology of my very own individuals,’ Maria shares.
In 2017, she based Glaciem Home, which is derived from the Latin phrase for ice. ‘I name it a home of icy curiosities as a result of I do a wide range of issues,’ she provides. ‘I share Greenland’s tradition and historical past. A subset of that tradition is the monstrous mythology.’
Personifying nature
The tales Maria collects emerged out of the necessity to survive in a very harsh setting. ‘Monsters and creatures had been used to elucidate sure issues that would occur to you whenever you’re out in nature,’ Maria explains. This meant Greenlandic Inuit handed down tales of survival by personifying nature. With such a deep symbolic relationship between nature and folks in indigenous tradition, the setting wasn’t seen as separate.
‘Nature turns into its personal entity, its personal particular person, in our tales. The Arctic is without doubt one of the harshest environments wherein to outlive as a result of snow and ice. We invented tales to show us survive by turning nature into its personal entity that we should work together with.’
Encountering legends
Essentially the most iconic is Sassuma Arnaa – Mom of the Sea. Legend says her father reduce off her fingers and threw her into the ocean. Her digits turned sea creatures resembling whales, seals and walruses, and her hair turned the waves. Whereas lately in Qaqortoq, a neighborhood fisherman informed me the explanation he couldn’t catch sufficient lumpfish that season was as a result of Sassuma Arnaa was offended. When individuals throw trash into the ocean, it will get tangled in her hair, and she or he will get irate.
When Maria shares this symbolism with college children, she explains that it’s essential to maintain the ocean clear as a result of we depend on the marine animals that dwell in Sassuma Arnaa’s hair to outlive, and if we pollute the ocean she gained’t launch them to people.
‘Previously, in the event you broke conventional taboo guidelines, she can be the punisher of your individuals,’ provides Maria. ‘Over time, she has shifted from being this actually scary girl into being a consultant of how we deal with mom nature. So, after we speak about international warming and ocean air pollution, we speak about her. International warming has a huge effect not solely on our cultural lifestyle but additionally on our economic system, which depends on the fishing business.’
There’s additionally the story of the Amarok, an enormous magical wolf that stalks and devours individuals at evening. Arctic wolves reside primarily in northeast and jap Greenland. A confused wolf searching for meals may, every now and then, wander to Western Greenland, the place individuals not often encounter wolves. As soon as sighted, it immediately will get labelled a legendary creature. ‘Despite the fact that we have now the Greenlandic sled canine, which is bigger than Siberian huskies, an Arctic wolf is even greater.’
These mythological tales are nonetheless tied to on a regular basis residing in Greenland and have developed to stress the significance of defending nature for the sake of each individuals and wildlife.
Fearsome fables
If there’s one monster that commonly seems in Greenlandic popular culture and flicks, it’s the mountain walker-wandering spirit that I used to be launched to on the airport: the Qivittoq. These are individuals who have left their communities in disgrace, anger or grief, to go and wander and survive within the harsh wilderness on their own – an nearly unimaginable process in Greenland.
Over time, they’ve been elevated into this terrifying, ghostly creature. As a result of they survive by nonetheless being near the neighborhood with out being seen, they’ve grow to be an city legend of types.
”The mountain walker nonetheless scares me,’ Maria confesses. ‘I’m very superstitious, and I’ve been informed tales by individuals who have had run-ins with the Qivittoq… seeing them climbing up the cliffs and leaping from mountain prime to mountain prime.’
Different horrifying creatures embody the Erlaveersiniooq – The Intestine Eater – who seems to hikers out within the wild and invitations them into her hut for respite. She tries to make them chortle, and in the event that they smile again, she slices open their stomachs, which is a lesson in trusting random strangers.
The Ikusik is a limbless zombie-like corpse that hides in darkish areas and lives out within the fjords. It crawls on its elbows at speeds quick sufficient to catch a operating human and eat them alive. ‘We draw parallels on how you’d scare children and educate them to not run away or get lost from the household as a result of a monster might get them – the setting being hostile,’ Maria says. ‘I keep in mind as a toddler, I assumed the Ikusik was the scariest factor on the planet.’
Right now, city legend says there’s an Ikusik that lives in a tunnel below Nuuk, one which lives near an previous church in an deserted settlement, and one other that lives proper below the harbour in Qasigiannguit and snatches individuals who get too near the sting.
The ethical of those tales?
To outlive in life, you could pay attention to your environment, tread fastidiously and above all, respect nature.
Meet Maria and go looking for monsters on the brand new Greenland Expedition, the place she’ll educate you in regards to the nation’s deep storytelling traditions. Discover out what else is new for 2025 with The Items.
