Illustration from The Ghost Hunter.
The Ghost Hunter
A young man was obsessed with ghosts and stayed awake every night afraid he might see one. He had bows and arrows at the ready in case evil spirits might appear. One night he saw a beautiful woman dressed in fine furs. She asked him to be her husband and go with her to her parents’ igloo. He did, and after a long journey they were welcomed by the woman’s parents and two brothers. The man realized that he had been tricked and the woman and her family were ghosts. Eventually, the man began hunting with his brothers-in-law. The man’s father-in-law warned them that they must stay together and not go on the far side of the mountain.
One day, while he was travelling along with his two companions, the young man said: “I saw something over there on the side of the mountain. It must be a caribou.”
The brothers-in-law replied, “No, we cannot hunt that one. That is the caribou that our father forbids us to kill. We shall leave that one alone. There are plenty of others.” With that the two brothers went hunting elsewhere….
[The young man] made the decision to go after this caribou. He left his companions and set out on his own. He would kill the caribou, this caribou that was so mysteriously protected.
Approaching the mountain with caution, the hunter stalked his victim. He moved in as close as he could and then with deadly aim, let fly his arrow. The caribou fell. Immediately the young man started to skin the animal.
No sooner had the skinning commenced than a fog began to close in around him. Working quickly the hunter tried to finish his task before the fog completely blotted out the trail back to the settlement. When he finished…he set out for home.
Try as he might he could not find the right path. Each time he managed to proceed only a short distance before being confronted by a sharp cliff. He would retrace his steps to the carcass, head himself in another direction and set out once more. The cliff rose from the fog to bar his path again and again. Moreover it seemed that the wall of rocks was closing in on him. He would be crushed!
Fortunately the young man always carried a charm of considerable magic with him. It was a piece of clothing with very short sleeves and was made from the skin of his ancestors. The garment was worn next to his body. Realizing the great danger he was in, the young man now called on the magic powers of his charm. He seized a sleeve and half removing the garment cried out to his ancestor, “Grandmother, I am in great danger!
With this one call, the weather suddenly improved. The fog lifted and the stranded hunter was able to return home.
Illustration from The Blind Boy and the Loon.
The Blind Boy and the Loon
This is the story of a boy who, even at a young age, was a very successful hunter. He lived in a far away land with his mother and sister. His mother grew tired of cleaning and skinning the many animals he brought home, and preparing the meat for storage. Eventually her weariness turned to hatred and she rubbed dirty blubber in his eyes while he slept to make him blind. She fed him only the worst parts of any meat and dirty drinking water, and let his clothes and blankets become filthy.
Four long years went by while the son remained blind. Then one night, as the fluttering of wings and the cries of birds announced the coming of spring, the son heard the call of the red-throated loon. As had been his habit during his blindness he began to crawl on his hands and knees to the lake where he knew the loon would be found.
When he arrived at the water’s edge the bird came close to him and said, “Your mother made you blind by rubbing dirt into your eyes while you slept. If you wish, I can wash your eyes for you. Lie flat on my back and hold me by my neck. I shall carry you.”
The son doubted that such a small bird would be able to perform such a feat, but the loon reassured him.
“Don’t think those thoughts. Climb onto my back. I am going to dive with you into deep water. When you begin to lose your breath shake your body to signal me.”
The young man did as he was told and down into the lake dove the loon with the hunter on his back. As they descended into the water the son could feel the body of the loon growing larger and larger and between his hands the neck seemed to be swelling. When he could hold his breath no longer he shook his body as he had been instructed and the loon brought him up to the surface.
“What can you see?” the loon asked.
“I can see nothing but a great light,” replied the son.
“I shall take you down into the water once more,” said the loon. “When you begin to choke, shake your body a little.”
This time the dive lasted a long time but when they finally surfaced the young man could see clearly. He could distinguish the smallest rocks on the mountains far away. He described what he could see to the loon.
“My blindness is gone! My sight is sharper than before!”
“Your eyesight is too sharp for your own good,” the loon told him. “Come down with me once more and your sight will be restored as it was before your blindness.”
And it was so. When the young man came out of the water for the last time his eyesight was as it had been. Now the hunter could see the loon clearly and he realized that the bird was a large as a kayak.
The boy resumed his successful hunting, and the next spring went whale hunting with his mother. He harpooned a whale, then quickly tied the other end of the line to his mother’s wrist and threw her overboard.
For years to come hunters claimed that the saw her in the waves and heard her song of despair as it was carried far and wide by the winds.
Illustration from The Huntress.
The Huntress
A girl who was a very successful hunter was out hunting with her father one day. A beast from the sea attacked them. The girl threw her harpoon at it and fainted. When she regained consciousness, she found herself on an unknown shore. A man took her to his igloo and made her his wife. Often when her husband was out hunting an orphan boy would visit the girl and she would give him meat. The boy’s grandmother came to see the girl to warn her that her husband was going to kill her. The grandmother was a shaman and helped the girl escape. The girl travelled on and met a man who warned her that in the direction she was travelling were beings that kill people.
“Here,” declared the man, “is a weapon which will save you from danger.”
To teach the young woman how to use it, the man moistened the blade with spittle and lodged its handle in the igloo wall beside him. Despite herself the girl now found herself being drawn irresistibly toward the sharp copper blade. Try as she might she could not stop herself from being drawn into the blade. Having demonstrated its powers, the man took the knife and gave it to her saying, “Here, take this and carry it with you.”
Taking her leave the girl walked on until she arrived at the igloos of the beasts she had been warned of. She was met by the servant of one of the ogres who led her by the arm to the igloo of his master….
At this point the ogre prepared to jump at the girl. She cried out: “Look, I am but a woman and I have not much longer to live.” With that, she pulled the knife from her belt, wet the blade with spittle and stuck the handle in the snow on her side of the igloo. The magic of the knife drew the ogre toward the blade. He stamped his feet and tried to resist but his efforts were wasted. Faster and faster he was drawn to the knife. Despite himself he was thrown upon the weapon. The wound was fatal.
When the news of the ogre’s death was known, the village people came to thank the gbirl for ridding them of this menace.