Quikinna'qu or Kutkinnaku is a chief deity of the
Koryak mythology, part of the wider
Siberian mythology. Quikinna'qu is depicted as a
shapeshifting
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...
god or spirit that taught humans to hunt, fish and make fire.
Name
Quikinna'qu and Kutkinnaku are terms of the
Koryak language
Koryak () is a Chukotko-Kamchatkan language spoken by about 1,700 people as of 2010 in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in Koryak Okrug. It is mostly spoken by Koryaks. Its close relative, the Chukchi language, is spoken by about t ...
, which mean ''big raven''. Quikinna'qu is also known by the names ''Acicenaqu'' which means ''big grandfather'' and ''Tenantomwan'', which means ''creator''.
The name ''Tenantomwan'' is a misnomer, because Quikinna'qu isn't a
creator deity
A creator deity or creator god (often called the Creator) is a deity responsible for the creation of the Earth, world, and universe in human religion and mythology. In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator. A number of monolatr ...
.
Sources
{{reflist
Siberian deities