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

Overview

After losing his parents and sister, Qalaganguase is left with unrelated villagers. He cannot move the lower part of his body. A visiting ghost drinks from the water tub and leaves thanks; later a whole gathering arrives, including his sister. They wrestle, tell stories and laugh. The initially frightened boy comes to enjoy their company, and his strength begins returning.

The visitors tell him to keep their presence secret. When he tells the returning hunters, the recovery stops. The villagers later leave him behind while attending a singing contest. His dead parents come for him, and he agrees to go with them. The ending says that he becomes a woman when changed into a ghost and is never seen by the village again. Disability, kinship and that final change belong to this individual narrative; no general rule for all ghosts is supplied.

Ghostly visitors bring companionshipDisclosure interrupts recoveryJoins dead parents in changed form
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 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.

02

Records & interpretation

The complete Qalaganguase, who passed to the land of Ghosts narrative and source-list attribution were inspected, including the final outcome. It begins on printed p. 46.

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

    Qalaganguase, who passed to the land of Ghosts, begins printed p. 46.

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: Qalaganguase, who passed to the land of GhostsResearch 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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