In the

Inuit religion Inuit religion is the shared spiritual beliefs and practices of the Inuit, an indigenous people from Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, and parts of Siberia. Their religion shares many similarities with some Alaska Native religions. Traditional ...

, Torngarsuk (or Torngasak) is a

sea A sea is a large body of salt water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly refers to the ocean, the interconnected body of seawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular seas are either marginal seas, second-order section ...

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

and underworld god, one of the more important deities in the

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

pantheon. He is said to be the leader of the Tornat, a group of protective gods. Torngarsuk is listed as a demon or spirit in the ''

Dictionnaire Infernal The ''Dictionnaire Infernal'' () is a book on demonology, describing demons organised in hierarchies. It was written by Jacques Collin de Plancy and first published in 1818. There were several editions of the book; perhaps the most famous is th ...

'', a.k.a. Tornatik, Torngarsoak, Torngasoak, Tungrangayak, Tornasuk etc., is a mischievous demon/spirit worshiped by offering in

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

and the northeastern regions of Canada.

Description

Torngarsuk is the master of whales and seals and most powerful supernatural being in Greenland. He appears in the form of a bear, or a one-armed man, or as a grand human creature like one of the fingers of a hand. He is considered to be invisible to everyone but the '' angakkuit'' (the medicine men or shaman among

peoples). These conflicting descriptions leave us unsure as to his form, but as a grand spirit or demon Torngarsuk is invoked by fishermen and by the when one falls ill. There are other spirits invisible to everyone but the angakkuq, who teach men how to be happy. They see Torngarsuk as their benefactor; when the Anguekkok call upon him, they ask that if he does not come that he leave them "in the land of plenty".

Familiar

Each angakkuq keeps a

familiar spirit In European folklore of the Middle Ages, medieval and early modern periods, familiars (strictly familiar spirits, as "familiar" also meant just "close friend" or companion, and may be seen in the scientific name for dog, ''Canis familiaris'') w ...

in a leather bottle which he evokes and consults like an

oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

. This familiar spirit seeks Torngarsuk in a cave and brings good fortune as well as healing power.

Popular culture

*In popular culture, the term or phrase ''Tornasuk'' and ''angekok'' are best known from a simple and short reference to this part of

mythology and ideology by

H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...

in his famous short-story "

The Call of Cthulhu "The Call of Cthulhu" is a cosmic horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in February 1928. The story is a founding document of the Cthul ...

", where these ideas are portrayed as part of an "Eskimo diabolist" cult who revere Cthulhu as an avatar or tangible form of Torngarsuk. *In

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, Torngarsuk is conflated with elements of

Anguta Anguta (also called "His Father," Anigut, or Aguta) is the father of the sea goddess Sedna in the Inuit religion. Status In certain myths of the Greenlandic Inuit, Anguta is considered the creator god and is the supreme being among Inuit. In oth ...

Tulugaak In Inuit mythology, Tulugaak was the creator of light. The meaning of tulugaq is 'raven'; cf. the god Tuluŋigraq In the form of Inuit mythology Inuit religion is the shared spiritual beliefs and practices of the Inuit, an Indigenous peoples of ...

as Hodiak; chief deity of the northern gods and divine grandfather of

Alpha Flight Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member Wolv ...

member Snowbird.

References

External links

Deliriums Realm
* * {{Inuit religion Inuit gods Sea and river gods Underworld gods Death gods Demons Supernatural legends Inuit mythology