Ululiernang

Overview

An angakoq visiting the moon is welcomed by its male inhabitant, who warns him about his wife Ululiernang. She enters carrying a vessel containing her knife, sets it spinning and begins a dance. When she turns, the visitor sees that she lacks a back, backbone and intestines, although her heart and lungs remain. The moon man joins the performance; their movements nearly make the guest laugh.

The warning gives laughter a lethal consequence: Ululiernang would open the visitor’s body and feed his intestines to the household’s ermine. On the first visit he escapes before losing control, aided by his bear spirit. On a later visit he masters his laughter, receives hospitality and is shown the household’s deer and seals. The narrative therefore includes both an avoided attack and a successful return. Her hollow body resembles Eχaluqdjung’s in another Boas tale, but she has a different name, household and narrative role.

Origins & earliest records

Boas’s The Central Eskimo (1888) expressly attributes The Flight to the Moon to Oqomiut and Akudnirmiut transmission. No individual narrator is named for that episode.

Records & interpretation

The Flight to the Moon, pp.598–600; complete narrative and two visits.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   The Central Eskimo

   Franz Boas, collector · 1888

   The Flight to the Moon, pp.598–600; complete narrative and two visits.

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 textBoas 1888: The Flight to the Moon, pp.598–600; complete narrative and two visits.Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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