Last year I wrote a blogpost about house spirits to keep you company, highlighting creatures from all kinds of regions and folklores. This time, I want to showcase fantasy creatures that are much closer to home—my home, Alaska! Here are my top six favorite mythological creatures from the Land of the Midnight Sun.
Amikuk
Yupik people have this fascinating mythological creature called the amikuk. Oral legend says this creature has slimy, leathery skin, four human-like arms, and no legs. They are sometimes said to be invisible, but not in all depictions. A really cool feature of these creatures is while they mostly live in water, they can swim through the earth. That’s right. Swim through the earth! In response, the ground will become a quicksand-like substance.
They do attack humans—kayaks mostly to drag the humans underwater—and often eat them. So, if you see one of these creatures…run!
Qalupalik
The legend of the qalupalik comes from the Inuit people of Alaska and northern Canada. It’s said they are human-like creatures who live in the cold, cold Artic waters. They have fins on their heads and limbs, hair that looks like seaweed, and webbed hands and feet. (Kind of like a mermaid!) Their webbed hands have long claws to capture and kill their prey. And yes, humans are on the menu. Most stories say they prefer children, especially ones who don’t heed the cautionary tales their parents and grandparents share.
One interesting thing about the qalupalik is it wears a large pouch on its back like the Inuit parents do—in order to capture kids. Another reason why they prefer children is to use their energy as a battery of sorts, exploiting their energy to remain youthful and strong. So, guard your kids, readers!
Keelut
Also an Inuit myth, the keelut is a giant dog-like chaotic spirit. It’s said the keelut is a spirit of the underworld, and because of that, it eats the dead and is a bringer of death. A mostly hairless creature, it does have fur on the pads of its paws. Why? So its tracks are invisible! Sneaky little spirits.
The keelut does like stalking humans, mostly those who travel alone. The creature simply looks at the human and the human forgets who they are, what they’re doing, gets lost, and eventually dies. Then, the keelut eats the remains. Creepy right? The good thing this mythological beast mostly awakens during the winter months and is highly sensitive to noise. Make lots of noise if you see a keelut!
Adlet
Inuit legends come through again with this wolf-like creature called the adlet. They’re a race of people who have the lower body of a dog and the upper body of a human. This race is also found in Greenland, though they’re called the Erqigdlet. According to legend, they’re taller than humans, run very fast, and if they stumble across a human, it results in a fight. The adlet people are also able to see in the dark and have a keen sense of hearing and smell. Some researchers have actually linked the adlet to werewolves!
Thunderbird
Southeast Alaska and many other Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest have this legend of an enormous bird whose flap of wings sounded like a clap of thunder, a bird who could shoot lightning from its eyes, a bird whose very presence brought rain and storms. The thunderbird! Several tales said the bird was so giant, it could pick up a whale with its talons. Which, while terrifying, is also pretty cool. They live in clouds above the highest mountain and feature bright, colorful feathers. The bird is highly respected and feared. It’s my favorite Alaskan mythological creature.
Tizheruk
A large snake creature that lives in the cold waters of Alaska, the tizheruk is another Inuit myth. It’s basically a giant sea serpent, but curiously its head is nearly half its body length. Whether being propelled by a fishtail or a flipper (legends disagree), this creature is quite fast and highly deadly in the water it lives in.
And speaking of disagreements, legends also argue about what this creature looks like—some say it has transparent skin and flesh while others say it’s covered in thick fur! I appreciate the variety, though, because it makes the creature more terrifying. You don’t know what it looks like until it attacks!
And there you have it, my top six Alaskan-based mythological creatures. What kind of legendary creatures are centered where you live? Do some research; you might be surprised by what you find.
Title image by Tim Muangkeo.
Richard Marpole
Jennie Ivins
That’s a really cool array of monsters! Thanks for this.
Great post. It always amazes me how some of these legends have similarities in different parts of the world. Makes me wonder if these carry over from the early days of peoplekind. Joseph Campell seems to think so. 🙂