TUPILAQ

TUPILAQ
AKA
ᑐᐱᓚᒃ
"Originally the tupilak was a creature composed of different materials from the natural world – animal, bird and human remains – even parts taken from a child’s corpse. Those who knew about witchcraft gathered these bits and pieces together in a secret, isolated place, tied them together, chanted magic spells over them and allowed them to suck the energy from their own sexual organs. The tupilak was then ready to be put into the sea and sent off to kill an enemy. This way of getting rid of your enemies was, however, not entirely without risk because if the would-be victim had greater powers of wizardry than the initiator, his power could reverse the tupilaks strength and potency like a boomerang. In other words, it was a dangerous game."
Eastgreenland.com

"The tupilaq was a magic animal, created through witchcraft, which everyone could use if you followed the correct instructions and learnt to master magic, says Lange. It was witchcraft, but it was not restricted to people with shamanic powers.To make a tupilaq, you had to collect parts from different animals, bones from both animals and people—preferably from a child. It was also a good idea to add something that had a connection to the person who you wanted to inflict disaster on. Lastly, you would place the tupilaq in the sea to allow it to swim away and find its own way to the victim.But it was a risky business. If the tupilaq were to fail its mission, then it would head straight back to its creator and kill him instead."
Charlotte Price Persson, ScienceNordic

"If magic words had power, nothing in Inuit society was as potent as a tupilait. Some thought them to be living creatures though they were human-made and used to do harm or bring misfortune. They were tiny sculptures made of various substances—a combination of animal parts—seal and dog bones, pieces of skin from seals, bears, and dogs, bits of moss and long pieces of sinew. The shamen or an apprentice would gather the materials, stash them in some secret place
—a cave, or up along a stream, or on the beach at night
—then go to that place before dawn and prepare to create something evil."
Gretel Ehrlich, This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons In Greenland

This first week of my 10 week stint of new monsters will be all magic/witchcraft themed!

The tupilaq was first introduced to the western world in Knud Rasmussen's now classic book E*kimo Folk-Tales from 1913. There are various tupilaq (or tupilak) tales in the book but never a direct description. It's a free-form kinda of magical monster with variations depending on need. If you want your tupilaq to be fast, you give it the legs of a hare, if you want it to fly you give it raven's wings etc. The book is also filled with illustrations by "Native E*kimo Artists". I've included two here that don't get specific credit even though one is clearly signed.

Tupilaq figures are featured in many museum collections and have become something of a tourist collector's item in modern times.

Above are contemporary tupilaq carvings by Soren Pips (left & right) and Ansgar Walk (center).

Above are tupilaq carvings from the collections in The Met (Unknown Artist, 1900, Wood, bone & pigment) and The University Of Cambridge (Anders Kilime).

In popular culture the tupilaq winds up in, Kobold Press' Midgard Heroes Handbook and the kawaii metal band Necronomidol has a song/single named after the creature.



I also found Inuit hip-hop artist Tarrak has a song/single named Tupilak which will be stuck in my head for the next few weeks.