Qalupalik
Green-skinned with long hair and claws, the qalupalik lurks beneath ice edges, carrying an amauti (parka pouch) to snatch children who stray near the sea. Its humming lures the curious; obedience keeps kids safe from the freezing water.
Story beats
- 1) Children approach thin ice or steep shorelines despite warnings.
- 2) They hear a low humming from the water; the qalupalik rises, skin green and slimy.
- 3) It snatches them into its amauti and dives, keeping them under the ice until they either escape or are transformed.
- 4) Parents and hunters use harpoons or drum songs to drive it away, reinforcing caution around treacherous waters.
Context & symbolism
The qalupalik teaches safety in Arctic environments—thin ice and tides kill. Its maternal-looking amauti twists care into capture, warning that not all invitations are kind. The hum substitutes for siren songs in a landscape of quiet ice.
Some versions allow rescued children to return wiser; others say they become qalupaliit themselves, a cycle of warning embodied.
Motifs
- Humming under the ice
- Green skin, long hair, clawed hands
- Amauti pouch for carrying captives
- Harpoons and drum songs as wards
Use it in play
- Rescue a child taken beneath shifting ice floes while the qalupalik circles.
- Track strange humming during a blizzard; is it lure or distress call?
- Forge safe crossings by appeasing the spirit with offerings of sealskin or lullabies.
- Reveal that a rash explorer has become a qalupalik, begging for release from the sea.