Torngarsuk
Encyclopedia
In Inuit mythology
, Torngasuk (or Torngasak) is a very powerful sky god, one of the more important deities in the Inuit pantheon.
Torngarsuk is listed as a demon or spirit in the Dictionnaire Infernal
- aka. Tornatik, Torngarsoak, Torngasoak, Tungrangayak etc. is a mischievous demon/spirit worshiped by offering in Greenland
and the northeastern regions of Canada
.
).
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 angakoqs when one falls ill. There are other spirits invisible to everyone but the Anguekkok, who teach men how to be happy see Torngarsuk as their benefactor when the Anguekkok call upon them they ask that if he does not come that he leave them "in the land of plenty".
in a leather bottle which he evokes & consults like an oracle
, this familiar spirit seeks Torngarsuk in a cave and brings good fortune as well as healing power.
Inuit mythology
Inuit mythology has many similarities to the religions of other polar regions. Inuit traditional religious practices could be very briefly summarised as a form of shamanism based on animist principles....
, Torngasuk (or Torngasak) is a very powerful sky god, one of the more important deities in the Inuit pantheon.
Torngarsuk is listed as a demon or spirit in the Dictionnaire Infernal
Dictionnaire Infernal
The Dictionnaire Infernal is a book on demonology, organised in hellish hierarchies. It was written by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy and first published in 1818. There were several editions of the book, but perhaps the most famous is the edition of 1863, in which sixty-nine illustrations...
- aka. Tornatik, Torngarsoak, Torngasoak, Tungrangayak etc. is a mischievous demon/spirit worshiped by offering in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and the northeastern regions of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Description
Torngarsuk is the chief 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 angakoqs (the medicine men or shamans among Eskimo peoplesShamanism among Eskimo peoples
Shamanism among Eskimo peoples refers to those aspects of the various Eskimo cultures that are related to the shamans’ role as a mediator between people and spirits, souls, and mythological beings...
).
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 angakoqs when one falls ill. There are other spirits invisible to everyone but the Anguekkok, who teach men how to be happy see Torngarsuk as their benefactor when the Anguekkok call upon them they ask that if he does not come that he leave them "in the land of plenty".
Familiar
Each Anguekkok keeps a familiar spiritFamiliar spirit
In European folklore and folk-belief of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiar spirits were supernatural entities believed to assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic...
in a leather bottle which he evokes & consults like an oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
, this familiar spirit seeks Torngarsuk in a cave and brings good fortune as well as healing power.