Saumen Kar
Saumen kar (pronounced shō'men kahr) literally means 'Man of Snow',[1] or 'Snowman', and is the name given by the Inuit people in the settlements of Northern Greenland to a mythological figure similar to the yeti and abominable snowman.[2] It is also known by the name 'Tornit'. It is a hairy Polar creature. Saumen kars appear in many adventure games[3] and a picture by artist Bobby Hernandez can be found in the book Monster Mythos - A Folklore Bestiary published by Tiki Machine, LLC.[4]
Many Inuit in Greenland follow a form of shamanism. As per shamanic culture, 'journeying' and storytelling form a central part of the lives of the saumen kars.[5] The central myth of the saumen kars is that the young saumen kars are so monstrous that the elders need to be very skilled story-tellers because the only thing that can pacify a raging baby saumen kar is to be told a captivating story. All adult saumen kars thereby fulfilling the traditional role of the Shaman in Inuit Shamanic society, where the Shamans filled not only the role of priest, healer and musician but also the village story-teller.[6] Saumen kars were hence revered and not hunted, since they were seen as all having a similar status to a shaman.
Among the Canadian Inuit, the shaman was known as an Angakkuq[7] (Inuktitut) or Angatkuq[8] (Inuvialuktun) (Inuktitut syllabics ᐊᖓᑦᑯᖅ).
References
- ^ LLC Books. Inuit Legendary Creatures: Qiqirn, Akhlut, Ijiraq, Amarok, Saumen Kar, Tizheruk. ISBN 1158650086
- ^ Hephaestus Books. Native American Legendary Creatures, Including: Cipactli, Ahuizotl (Creature), Chaneque, Xelhua, Nagual, Vision Serpent, Huay Chivo, Cadejo, Yahui, Qiqirn, Akhlut, Ijiraq (Mythology), Amarok (Wolf), Tizheruk, Saumen Kar, Bigfoot, Thunderbird (Mythology). ISBN 1244266396
- ^ http://paizo.com/store/blog/v5748dyo5lcqc
- ^ Monster Mythos - A Folklore Bestiary
- ^ Frederic B. Laugrand, Jarich G. Oosten. Inuit Shamanism and Christianity: Transitions and Transformations in the Twentieth Century ISBN 978-0773535909
- ^ Stern Historical Dictionary of the Inuit isbn 0810850583
- ^ "angakkuq". Asuilaak Living Dictionary. http://www.livingdictionary.com/search/viewResults.jsp?resultsId=1195339042046ri. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ "angatkuq". Asuilaak Living Dictionary. http://www.livingdictionary.com/search/viewResults.jsp?resultsId=1195339080952ri. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
External links
Further reading
- LLC Books. Inuit Legendary Creatures: Qiqirn, Akhlut, Ijiraq, Amarok, Saumen Kar, Tizheruk. ISBN 1158650086
- Hephaestus Books. Native American Legendary Creatures, Including: Cipactli, Ahuizotl (Creature), Chaneque, Xelhua, Nagual, Vision Serpent, Huay Chivo, Cadejo, Yahui, Qiqirn, Akhlut, Ijiraq (Mythology), Amarok (Wolf), Tizheruk, Saumen Kar, Bigfoot, Thunderbird (Mythology). ISBN 1244266396
- Hans Ruesch. Top Of The World. ISBN 950-637-164-4 (Hebrew version)
- Gontran De Poncins (1941). Kabloona. ISBN 1-55597-249-7
- Robert Hernandez. Monster Mythos - A Folklore Bestiary
- Rink, Henry (1875). Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo (with a Sketch of their Habits, Religion, Language and other Peculiarities). London. Reduced to HTML by Christopher M. Weimer, April 2003.