Moon Man (southeastern Greenland)

Overview

An obstinate husband forces his wife to sew his kayak covering while she is mourning their child. Her thread begins sounding, and a dog-shaped sea monster appears, asks why she works and attacks the man responsible. The husband kills it. Its owner, the Moon Man, then confronts him but is nearly strangled. Warnings that tides and seal breeding will cease do not persuade the attacker; only the threatened loss of daylight makes him release his grip.

The Moon Man revives his dog and drives away through the air with his sledge team. He permits the husband to visit, warning him to pass a certain rock on its shaded side. The visitor eventually gets his own dogs airborne but deliberately chooses the sunny route. A woman singing and sharpening a knife overpowers him and removes his heart. He survives long enough to reach the Moon Man, who retrieves and restores it.

Through an opening in the lunar floor, the visitor sees his wife sewing and angrily forgets that he had ordered her to violate mourning restrictions. Another opening reveals walruses. Rejecting the host’s offered share and warning, he takes two himself. After returning home, he finally abandons his obstinacy and stops compelling his wife to work during mourning. The Moon Man acts successively as dog-owner, vulnerable opponent, warning host and healer. The text gives him no personal name and does not supply one comprehensive lunar origin story.

Origins & earliest records

The volume’s final source list assigns this narrative to Southeastern Greenland Inuit. 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 The Very Obstinate Man narrative and final regional source list were inspected. The story begins on printed p. 56.

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 Very Obstinate Man, begins printed p. 56.

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: The Very Obstinate ManResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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