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

Overview

A kayaker helps a much smaller hunter catch a seal and is invited into his fjord community. The visitors struggle to lift and butcher prey that he carries easily; portions small to him are enormous to them. He marries the hunter's daughter, and they have a child. The old man's troubling suggestion that he might have taken his own daughter is retained as character speech in the source, not a cultural rule or an endorsed arrangement.

The family visits the man's home and initially settles comfortably. A dog kills the small child after the grandmother drops it near the entrance. The little people flee, searching repeatedly for a settlement without dogs. During the voyage the old man calms a dangerous sea with his song, yet cannot end his fear of dogs. The narrator does not say where they finally settle. The profile concerns these supernatural narrative people and does not classify real people with dwarfism as creatures.

Small scale changes food and carrying capacityMarriage with a visiting kayakerSea-calming song and fear of dogs
01

Origins & earliest records

The volume's final source list assigns this narrative to South-East Greenland. Knud Rasmussen collected the material; W. Worster edited and translated the1921 English selection. No individual storyteller is named for this episode. Worster explicitly states that he selected clear versions and omitted or edited passages, so this is not an unabridged oral-performance transcript.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete selected narrative and regional source-list entry read. The Dwarfs, begins printed p.60. The introduction's colonial classifications and comparative theories are not adopted as universal descriptions of Inuit cultures.

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

    The Dwarfs, begins printed p.60. Complete selected episode; regional attribution checked against final source list. Historical title retained.

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/Worster1921: The Dwarfs, begins printed p.60.Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

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