Abductor of Souls

 

Many of the myths and legends found throughout Inuit culture either tell or relate some form of morale and /or serve a useful purpose for the people. One such legend is the Abductor of Souls told to the children.

Parents would tell of a hideously old woman, her hair matted and dirty like that of a musk ox, one eye bigger then the other to see deeply within your mind, claw like hands with fingernails, long and sharp like the claws of the polar bear. This woman was called the Abductor of Souls and if you were not careful, she would catch you and steal you away.

During the different seasons, she lived in different areas, in the spring she lived just underneath the flow edge of the ice, and if, you the child ventured too close, her hand with snake like swiftness would snatch you and drag you under into the cold black water. Never again would you see your family, for you would be hers forever.

In the light of summer, she could be found in places of water, where you must not venture too far when the tide is out. For she will sing you a song, and in the heat of the day you will feel drowsy, wanting to rest upon a rock and doze in the summer's heat. And as you slept, in would rush the water, and with her hair covered in seaweed, she would entangle you, drag you down, and have you in her amoutique.

In spring and fall, she would roam the land, often disguised as a bear or a hungry wolf, and if you ventured too far from camp, her breath like the wind would confuse you, directions would be lost and you would wander into her clutches. These are the dangers so beware, for the Abductor of Souls roams the land looking for small unwary children.

As you can see, like a bogeyman, this apparition served a useful purpose, ensuring the children were rightfully scared of certain dangerous situations encountered throughout the seasons in Canada's north.