The Qalupalik are sinister entities believed to inhabit the waters along the Arctic shorelines. They prey upon the lost and the unwary, but have a particular fondness for children who stray too close to the icy water.
Appearance
The Qalupalik is usually depicted as a female water spirit, however does not share the same attributes as the enchanting mermaids of folklore. Far from the allure typically associated with such sea creatures, the Qalupalik is not beautiful but grotesque in appearance. Her skin is a scaly, sickly green, her face framed by long, slimy hair resembling seaweed. Her webbed hands have fingernails as long as talons, poised for attack. She may have fins that jut out from her back, or protrude from her head and her arms.
Attributes
The amauti is a traditional garment worn by mothers to carry their children on their backs, but the Qalupalik wears this for something far more harrowing, using the pouch not for love and protection but for the abduction of children. This creature will lure a child close to the shore with her enchanting melody, typically a sweet humming sound, before snatching the child and disappearing below the waves.
A Qalupalik may also lurk under a deceptive sheet of thin ice, tapping below the surface to encourage a child to come closer until they plunge through the ice and into the waiting arms of the monster.
The Qalupalik’s home may be a concealed cavern, deep under the water, where she holds her victims in a trance. In this place, the Qalupalik will drain the child’s life force until there is nothing left. The more children this creature drains, the more formidable the Qalupalik becomes.
Harsh environments
In some stories, the harshness of conditions in extreme environments lead families to make a heartbreaking sacrifice. Afflicted with starvation and hardship, they surrender to the Qalupalik, offering their children to her because they simply don’t have the means to care for them.
REFERENCES
What is the Qallupilluit in Inuit mythology? | Mythology Planet
Qalupalik — Astonishing Legends
Ethereal Chronicles 
Leave a comment