Qiqirn
Sign in to saveQiqirn is a large, bald dog spirit in Inuit mythology, from around the area of Baffin Island. It has hair only on its feet, mouth and the tips of its ears and tail. Its presence will send men and dogs into convulsions, sometimes fatal. However, it is frightened of humans and will run away if an angakkuq sees it. A similar term, also from Inuit mythology, is keelut, a malevolent earth spirit which also appears as a hairless dog.
~1 min read
Encyclopedic overview
3 sectionsContents
- Popular culture
- See also
- References
Qiqirn is a large, bald dog spirit in Inuit mythology, from around the area of Baffin Island. It has hair only on its feet, mouth and the tips of its ears and tail. Its presence will send men and dogs into convulsions, sometimes fatal. However, it is frightened of humans and will run away if an angakkuq sees it. A similar term, also from Inuit mythology, is keelut, a malevolent earth spirit which also appears as a hairless dog.
Daniel Merkur suggested that the fits caused by the qiqirn were allusions to shamanic initiations.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Qiqirn” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.