Ailaq’s mother (bear revenant)

Overview

Papik grows envious because his wife’s brother Ailaq returns with seals while he does not. When Ailaq disappears, his mother accuses Papik and vows revenge. She deliberately dies wearing her bearskin coverlet, intending to return as a ghost. Much later, a creaking and crying presence reaches Papik on the sea ice through fog; nearby hunters hear the attack and flee.

The approaching figure resembles a bear, but dogs are held silent and people hesitate to attack it. One woman calls on the dogs as its kin, breaking their paralysis; the men then harpoon it. Its skin proves to be the mother’s coverlet and its bones human. A later search finds Papik mutilated and the abandoned hunting gear destroyed. The closing teller says the story came from people across the sea, even though the volume’s source list places this telling at Smith Sound. That internal transmission claim is preserved without inventing a named speaker or a more exact overseas location.

Origins & earliest records

The volume’s final source list assigns this narrative to Polar Inuit of Smith Sound. Knud Rasmussen collected the material; W. Worster edited and translated the 1921 English selection. No individual storyteller is named here. Worster states that he selected and edited versions, including omissions; this is not an unabridged performance transcript.

Records & interpretation

The complete Papik, who killed his wife’s brother narrative and its final source-list attribution were inspected. The episode begins on printed p. 104.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Eskimo Folk-Tales

   Knud Rasmussen, collector; W. Worster, editor and English translator · 1921

   Papik, who killed his wife’s brother, begins printed p. 104. Complete narrative and source-list entry.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Primary textRasmussen/Worster 1921: Papik, who killed his wife’s brotherResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.