Tradition: Greenlandic Mythology, Canadian Mythology, Inuit Mythology
Alternative Names: Issitoq, “The Giant Eye”
Category: Spirit, Dwarf

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The Myth

Issitoq was a gloomy helping spirit with a strange and unsettling appearance. It had only a head and legs, with short, bristly hair that stood straight upward. Its enormous eyes were each divided into two sections, while its mouth was set vertically and contained one long tooth at the top and two shorter teeth at the sides. In another depiction, Issitoq had hair made from willow twigs.

Issitoq was originally the helping spirit of a fox, but later came into the possession of Anarqåq. It was said to appear to someone who had lost their parents, approaching the grieving person and telling them not to fear it because it too struggled with sad thoughts. Issitoq would then accompany them as a helping spirit. Its particular ability was to find people who had broken a taboo, making it a spirit closely associated with the discovery and punishment of taboo violations.

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Sources

Rasmussen, Knud. Intellectual Culture of the Hudson Bay Eskimos. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1930. 3 vols.

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