Tradition / Region: Inuit mythology
Category: Helping spirit · Child snatcher
The Myth
Qungiaruvlik appears in Inuit shamanic lore as a dangerous female helping spirit. In the account drawn and told by Anarqåq, she is seen stealing a child, tucking the infant into her amaut, the carrying pouch of a parka. Though she served as a helping spirit to Anarqåq’s father, her actions crossed a fatal boundary.
When Qungiaruvlik abducts the child, she is confronted and killed by two opposing helping spirits, Puksinå and Navagioq, who belong to Anarqåq’s mother. Their intervention restores balance and halts the harm she had begun.
Qungiaruvlik embodies the perilous edge of shamanic power, where aid and danger exist side by side. Her story reflects the Inuit understanding that spirits are not fixed as good or evil, and that even a helping spirit must be watched, restrained, and opposed when balance is threatened.
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
Philosophical Readings
Psychological Readings
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive