Iron-tailed woman (Smith Sound)

Overview

The woman waits until a visitor seems asleep, leaps above him and drops toward his body with her iron tail. This time the guest remains alert and moves aside. She strikes a stone and the tail breaks. He flees toward his kayak while she pursues him.

Her spoken wish to stab him nearly overturns the kayak, showing that the threat extends beyond the broken tail. He replies with a wish to harpoon her, and she falls. He rows away, and the narrator says she kills no one afterward because her tail has broken. The account does not explicitly state that his words killed her; bodily defeat and cessation of attacks are the supported ending.

Origins & earliest records

The volume's final source list assigns this narrative to Smith Sound, northern 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.

Records & interpretation

Complete selected narrative and regional source-list entry read. The Woman with the Iron Tail, begins printed p.83. 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 Woman with the Iron Tail, begins printed p.83. 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 Woman with the Iron Tail, begins printed p.83.Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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