In the

Inuit religion Inuit religion is the shared spiritual beliefs and practices of the Inuit, an indigenous people from Alaska, northern Canada, parts of Siberia and Greenland. Their religion shares many similarities with some Alaska Native religions. Traditional I ...

, Torngarsuk (or Torngasak) is a sky god, one of the more important deities in the

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

pantheon. He is said to be the leader of the Tornat, a group of protective gods. Torngarsuk is listed as a demon or spirit in the ''

Dictionnaire Infernal The ''Dictionnaire infernal'' ( en, "Infernal Dictionary") is a book on demonology, describing demons organised in hierarchies. It was written by Jacques Collin de Plancy and first published in 1818. There were several editions of the book; pe ...

'' - a.k.a. Tornatik, Torngarsoak, Torngasoak, Tungrangayak, Tornasuk etc. is a mischievous demon/spirit worshiped by offering in

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

and the northeastern regions of Canada.

Description

Torngarsuk is the master of whales and seals and most powerful supernatural being in Greenland. He appears in the form of a bear, or a one-armed man, or as a grand human creature like one of the fingers of a hand. He is considered to be invisible to everyone but the '' angakkuit'' (the medicine men or shaman among

peoples). These conflicting descriptions leave us unsure as to his form, but as a grand spirit or demon Torngarsuk is invoked by fishermen and by the when one falls ill. There are other spirits invisible to everyone but the angakkuq, who teach men how to be happy. They see Torngarsuk as their benefactor; when the Anguekkok call upon him, they ask that if he does not come that he leave them "in the land of plenty".

Familiar

Each angakkuq keeps a

familiar spirit In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to ...

in a leather bottle which he evokes and consults like an oracle. This familiar spirit seeks Torngarsuk in a cave and brings good fortune as well as healing power.

Popular culture

*In popular culture, the term or phrase ''Tornasuk'' and ''angekok'' are best known from a simple and short reference to this part of

mythology and ideology by H. P. Lovecraft in his famous short-story "

The Call of Cthulhu "The Call of Cthulhu" is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in February 1928. Inspiration The first seed of the story's first chapter '' ...

", where these ideas are portrayed as part of an "Eskimo diabolist" cult who revere Cthulhu as an avatar or tangible form of Torngarsuk. *In

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

, Torngarsuk is conflated with elements of

Anguta Anguta is the father of the sea goddess Sedna in the Inuit religion. In certain myths of the Greenlandic Inuit, Anguta (also called "His Father," Anigut, or Aguta) is considered the creator god and is the supreme being among Inuit. In other myth ...

& Tulugaak as Hodiak; chief deity of the northern gods and divine grandfather of

Alpha Flight Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member W ...

member

Snowbird Snowbird is a common name for the dark-eyed junco (''Junco hyemalis''). Snowbird may also refer to: Places *Snowbird, Utah, an unincorporated area and associated ski resort *Snowbird Lake, a lake in the Northwest Territories, Canada *Snowbird ...

References

External links

Deliriums Realm
* * {{Inuit religion Inuit gods Sky and weather gods Demons Supernatural legends Inuit mythology