Canadian Dwarf Mythology

Issitoq

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

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.

Sources

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

Katutayuk

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Tradition: Greenlandic Mythology, Canadian Mythology, Inuit Mythology
Alternative Names: Katutajuit; Katutajuk; Katutayuit
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

The Katutayuk are a strange race of dwarfs with enormous human-like heads carried on tiny legs. Their bodies are extremely small, with some traditions describing them as having no arms or torsos at all, only legs extending directly from beneath their oversized heads. Other accounts say that they have only three toes.

Very little is known about the Katutayuk, but they are associated with misfortune and wandering. Their lives are said to consist of one unfortunate event after another, leaving them doomed to roam the earth without ever finding a permanent home. They wander through the wilderness, appearing in places where strange disturbances have occurred.

Their presence may sometimes be detected without seeing the creatures themselves. The sounds of the Katutayuk moving through the night can be heard in the wilderness, while their wandering may leave behind broken or overturned objects. They are also blamed for strange holes suddenly appearing in the walls of igloos. These disturbances are caused by the Katutayuk as they continue their endless wandering through the land.

Sources

“Katutajuk.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed October 4, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/katutajuk