Canadian Mythology

Nanabozho

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Nanabush, ᓇᓇᐳᔓ, Mishaabooz, Gitchii-waabooz, Michabo, Great Hare
Category: Rabbit

The Myth

Nanabozho is a powerful shapeshifting spirit who most often appears as a rabbit or hare, though he can also take the form of other animals or humans. Clever, mischievous, and sometimes greedy, he frequently causes trouble through his tricks and desires. Yet his adventures also teach important lessons about life, relationships, and the consequences of one’s actions. He is the son of a human mother and a spirit father, E-bangishimog, and was sent to Earth by Gitche Manidoo to teach the Ojibwe people.

Nanabozho played an important role in shaping the world and teaching humanity. Among his deeds, he named plants and animals, invented fishing and hieroglyphs, and became associated with the creation of the Earth. He is also considered the founder of the Midewiwin, a spiritual tradition of the Anishinaabe. Through his adventures, Nanabozho learns that greed and manipulation create chaos, while cooperation, respect, and reciprocity help restore balance.

In a more recent story, Nanabozho confronts the legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan in Minnesota, demanding that he stop cutting down the forests. The two fight for forty days and forty nights until Nanabozho strikes Bunyan across the face with a giant walleye fish. Nanabozho then pulls Bunyan by his whiskers until he promises to leave the area. One version says Bunyan falls onto his backside, creating Red Lake. The story also explains why Bunyan’s statue in Lake Bemidji is depicted without a beard and facing west.

Sources

“Peschanyi Zvyak” (Sandy Squink). New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/peschanyi-zvyak

Nimeriarjuaq

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Tradition: Inuit Mythology, Canadian Mythology, Greenlandic Mythology
Alternative Names: The Hairy Worm
Category: Insect

The Myth

Nimeriarjuaq, meaning the Hairy Worm, is a swift, worm-like spirit that moves by writhing its body in sinuous waves. It lives both on land and in the sea and is smaller and narrower than a bearded seal. Its hair grows only along its back and belly, leaving the rest of its body without hair.

Despite its unusual appearance, Nimeriarjuaq is a helpful spirit associated with healing and protection. It can assist in curing the sick and may also serve as a defender, protecting those who call upon it. Its speed and ability to move between land and sea make it a versatile spirit, valued for both its healing powers and its role as a guardian.

Sources

Rasmussen, Knud. Intellectual Culture of the Hudson Bay Eskimos. Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandel, 1930. https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Rasmussen%2C+Knud%2C+1879-1933%22

Wingwak

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Tradition: Algonquian Mythology, American Mythology, Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Wingoc
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Wingwak are tiny supernatural insects that bring sleep to human beings. They appear as somniferous flies or butterflies, gathering above people and overwhelming them with drowsiness. A person is typically visited by around five Wingwak, though larger numbers can gather when sleepiness is especially strong. Their presence turns the ordinary experience of feeling tired into the work of invisible spiritual creatures.

According to an Algonquian story, a man who was playing in the sky once fell through a hole and landed on Earth. There he discovered people sleeping, including one man who slept much more deeply than everyone else. The celestial visitor made himself a small bow and arrows and began shooting at the clouds of flies hovering above the unusually heavy sleeper. After he killed some of the Wingwak and drove the others away, the man finally awoke.

The visitor then shared his wisdom with the Algonquians. Among his warnings was a prophecy about the arrival of bearded men who would bring an end to their people. The encounter with the Wingwak thus forms part of a larger story in which a being from the sky intervenes in human affairs, first by freeing a man from overwhelming sleep and then by delivering a warning about the future.

The Wingwak also appear in expressions used to describe sleepiness. Saying that the Wingwak are killing someone means that the person is overwhelmed by the need to sleep, while remarking that there are many Wingwak conveys that everyone has fallen asleep. These expressions reflect the belief that sleep can be understood as the collective work of small supernatural insects gathering around their human victims.

Sources

“Wingoc.” A Book of Creatures, February 4, 2019. https://abookofcreatures.com/2019/02/04/wingoc/


Tsemaus

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Narhnarem-Tsemaus, Wi’git, Weegyet, Snag, Supernatural Snag
Category: Whale

The Myth

The Tsemaus is a supernatural creature from the folklore of the Pacific Northwest, particularly among the Tsimshian and Haida peoples around the mouth of the Skeena River. It personifies river snags, floating logs, and other hazards of the water. Its appearance varies, but it usually has a snag-like dorsal fin or takes the form of a snag itself. It may resemble a dead log with a swimming tail, a sea lion, a grizzly bear, a frog covered in seaweed, or a hybrid of a bear, raven, and killer whale. Some accounts even describe it as a canoe or schooner.

The Tsemaus uses its dorsal fin to destroy boats and can swim upstream through log jams. When angered, it leaps onto canoes and smashes them apart or creates enormous waves that capsize vessels. It drowns people, who then become killer whales.

The creature is associated with Raven the trickster, and the name Wi’git or Weegyet connects it to one of Raven’s many forms. The creator and trickster Nanki’islas also assumed the form of a Tsemaus. The creature appears as a crest on the totem poles of coastal clans.

Sources

“Tsemaus.” A Book of Creatures, October 16, 2015. https://abookofcreatures.com/2015/10/16/tsemaus/

Manilaq

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Manilaq
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Manilaq is a frightening female supernatural being associated with the pack ice in Inuit Canadian mythology. Her appearance is described as so terrifying that encountering her can cause a person to collapse and lose consciousness. Despite her frightening nature, she can become a helping spirit to those who encounter her.

One hunter met Manilaq during the previous summer while wandering in the mountains. Her dreadful appearance caused him to fall unconscious. He only regained consciousness when his dog licked his navel. Following this encounter, Manilaq became his helping spirit.

Manilaq has a particular ability to assist hunters in obtaining prey. Her speciality is securing quarry through the mother of the sea animal, suggesting a connection to the supernatural forces governing marine animals and hunting success. Although her appearance inspires terror, her role as a helping spirit makes her a valuable ally to the hunter.

Sources

Rasmussen, Knud. Intellectual Culture of the Hudson Bay Eskimos. Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandel, 1930. https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Rasmussen%2C+Knud%2C+1879-1933%22

Dzunuḵ̓wa

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Tradition: Kwakwakaʼwakw, Nuu-chah-nulth Mythology, Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Tsonoqua, Tsonokwa, Basket Ogress
Category: Giant

The Myth

Dzunuḵ̓wa is a fearsome female monster in the mythologies of the Kwakwakaʼwakw and Nuu-chah-nulth peoples of the Pacific Northwest. She is traditionally depicted as a naked, black-skinned old monster with bedraggled hair and long, pendulous breasts. In masks and totem pole carvings, she is recognizable by her bright red, pursed lips, associated with her distinctive cry of “Hu!” According to tradition, the sound of wind blowing through cedar trees is sometimes said to be Dzunuḵ̓wa calling from the forest.

She is especially feared by children because she steals them and carries them away in a large basket to eat. Despite her terrifying reputation, Dzunuḵ̓wa is also associated with wealth and prosperity. She possesses great riches and may bestow them upon those who manage to gain control of her child. She is also regarded as an ancestor of the Namgis clan through her son, Tsilwalagame, giving her an important place in clan tradition.

Dzunuḵ̓wa possesses unusual powers. In some stories, she can return from the dead and regenerate wounds, abilities that allow her to revive her own children. However, she is also described as having poor eyesight and being drowsy and dim-witted, weaknesses that make it possible for people to evade or deceive her.

In one legend, a group of people tricks Dzunuḵ̓wa into falling into a pit of fire. They keep the fire burning for many days until her body is completely destroyed, preventing her from reviving herself. According to the story, the ashes rising from the fire transform into mosquitoes. Her legends therefore combine the frightening image of a child-eating ogress with themes of supernatural resilience, danger, and the possession of great wealth.

Sources

“Dzunukwa.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzunukwa

Kangiqsuarmiukpak

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Tradition: Inuit Mythology, Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Kangiqsuarmiukpak
Category: Giant

The Myth

Kang iqsuarmiukpak is a giant from Inuit mythology, described as a formidable humanoid figure. The creature is depicted as a powerful being with a broad, muscular body, long claws, and a thick covering of fur around its shoulders and upper body. Its appearance suggests an imposing figure adapted to the harsh Arctic environment.

Little additional information about Kangiqsuarmiukpak’s mythology or behavior is provided in the available account. It is identified as a giant in Inuit Eskimo tradition, but no specific legends describing its origins, abilities, or encounters with humans are included.

Sources

“Kangiksuarmiukpak.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/kangiksuarmiukpak

Amayuryuk

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Amayuryuk, Amayuruk, Amayujuk, Amarajuk, Amajurjuk, Amautalik, Amayuq, Amautalik (Amayuryuk)
Category: Giant

The Myth

Amayuryuk is a giant woman in Canadian Inuit folklore who kidnaps children and carries them away in a large pouch on her back. She is described as wearing an amauti, a traditional Inuit woman’s garment designed to carry a child. In some accounts, the pouch is not part of her clothing but is formed from driftwood or driftwood-like material. Her enormous size and fearsome appearance make her a frightening figure in Inuit stories, where she is said to steal children and take them far from their homes.

In Inuit accounts recorded in the Kivalliq region, Amayuryuk is also known as Amautalik. She is described as a giantess living inland, sometimes in a large amaut or pouch. According to one account, she places people she has stolen inside this pouch and carries them away. Her immense size is emphasized in stories that describe her as so large that adults can look like small children beside her. Other accounts portray her as a terrifying old woman whose presence frightens children into behaving, warning them that she will take them away if they misbehave.

Although Amayuryuk is said to have once kidnapped children and appeared near human settlements, some traditions hold that such creatures no longer steal children or approach human dwellings. Nevertheless, reports of encounters persisted into modern times. In 1999, a resident of Rankin Inlet in Nunavut reportedly claimed to have seen an enormous woman wearing an amauti made of caribou hide. The account describes her as having a pouch on her back and approaching a person before disappearing. Amayuryuk is sometimes compared with the Qalupalik of Inuit folklore and the Dzunukwa of the mythology of the Canadian Kwakwaka’wakw people, both of whom are associated with taking children.

Sources

“Amajuruq.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/amajurjuk

Dungarvon Whooper

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: The Whooper, Ghost of the Dungarvon River, Ryan Garvon
Category: Ghost, Cat

The Myth

The Dungarvon Whooper is a terrifying ghost associated with the Dungarvon River in central New Brunswick, Canada. It is said to be the spirit of a young cook who was murdered in a lumber camp during the nineteenth century. In many versions of the legend, the victim was an Irishman named Ryan or Ryan Garvon, who had emigrated to Canada during the period of Irish migration following the Great Famine. Some tellings add that he had a sick mother whom he hoped to support. Although the ghost is usually invisible, certain accounts describe it as a wildcat- or puma-like creature capable of knocking down small trees with its powerful movements.

According to the best-known version of the story, the young cook was left alone at a lumber camp with the camp’s boss while the other lumberjacks were away. The boss allegedly murdered him and stole the money kept in his money belt. When the crew returned, they discovered the cook’s lifeless body, and the missing money aroused suspicions of foul play. The boss claimed that the young man had suddenly fallen ill and died before anything could be done. Because heavy snowfall made it impossible to transport the body to a distant graveyard, the lumberjacks buried him in the forest. That night, the camp was filled with terrifying whoops and screams. Believing the place to be haunted, the frightened men resolved to abandon it before dawn.

The ghost’s cries continued to haunt the woods around the young man’s grave, terrifying even the bravest lumberjacks. The supernatural sounds were interpreted as the murdered cook’s spirit protesting the injustice of his death and seeking peace. In some versions, a Roman Catholic priest named Edward Murdoch arrived from Renous and performed an exorcism at the supposed gravesite near Whooper Spring. In Michael Whelan’s celebrated 1912 song, a priest’s prayers finally quiet the haunting, allowing the region to return to peace. The story became a lasting part of New Brunswick’s lumbering folklore, passed down among woodsmen throughout the twentieth century. Although the legend’s precise origins remain uncertain, its central themes are the murder of an innocent worker, the guilt of the perpetrator, and the restless dead demanding justice before they can find peace.

Sources

“Dungarvon Whooper.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungarvon_Whooper

Headless Nun

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Sister Marie Inconnue, The Headless Ghost of French Fort Cove
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Headless Nun is a restless female ghost said to haunt French Fort Cove in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. She is identified as Sister Marie Inconnue, an eighteenth-century resident of the area whose life ended when she was beheaded. Her head was never recovered, and her spirit is believed to wander the surrounding woods and waterways, searching endlessly for the missing part of her body.

The circumstances of her death differ between versions of the legend. In one telling, a mad trapper attacked Sister Marie, severed her head, and fled into the forest carrying it away. In another version, two sailors murdered her after she refused to reveal the location of a hidden treasure. Regardless of the details, her violent death and the disappearance of her head left her unable to rest, condemning her to roam the area as a headless apparition.

The Headless Nun remains one of the best-known ghostly figures associated with French Fort Cove. Her legend gives the quiet cove and its surrounding woodland an eerie reputation, as the spirit is imagined wandering through the place where she met her fate, still searching for the head that was taken from her.

Sources

“Headless Nun.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_Nun