Giant mentor of Kagssagssuk

Overview

The neglected Kagssagssuk calls to a huge hunter for food. His voice is so faint that the giant thinks a dead person is speaking and throws down a small portion. The boy’s helping spirits enlarge it, leaving enough to store. When the supply disappears, the giant admits having taken it because he thought it belonged to someone else.

Taking pity on him, the giant proposes a game with stones. At first Kagssagssuk falls backward; repeated effort with successively larger rocks brings him strength equal to his teacher’s. The giant then promises three bears to replace the lost food. They duly approach the village, where the boy kills and carries them, publicly revealing his new strength.

The story later follows the pupil into revenge and, eventually, violent misuse of his power against children, for which other villagers kill him. Those final choices are Kagssagssuk’s; the giant’s stated role is compensatory help. No personal name is supplied for this mentor in Worster’s selected Smith Sound account, so a name from another regional version is not substituted here.

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 Kagssagssuk, the homeless boy who became a strong man narrative and source-list attribution were inspected, including the final outcome. It begins on printed p. 117.

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

   Kagssagssuk, the homeless boy who became a strong man, begins printed p. 117.

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: Kagssagssuk, the homeless boy who became a strong manResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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