Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo - Alternative Religions ...

Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo - Title Page
tornarsuk, with the angakut as mediators. Their general aim may be said to be the counteracting and
defeating of witchcraft, at the same time serving to appease and influence the inue of nature, partly for
the purpose of averting the danger p. 51 arising from these powers, especially that of being frightened to
death, partly in order to obtain what may be desired. Moreover, they may be divided into two classes:
first, the general religious means to be used by people in general for certain purposes or in certain cases;
secondly, some peculiar faculties, which are possessed only by certain individuals.
(1.) The General Religious Means.
The general religious means may again be divided into three separate classes, the first consisting of
words to be spokenviz., prayer and invocation; the second, in the possession and application of certain
material objects called amulets; and the third, of certain actions, such as the following out certain rules as
to the mode of life, sacrifices, and different other observances for appeasing the ruling powers and
defeating witchcraft.
In the prayer or serranek, as far as we know, only the desired object is pronounced, without any direct
mention being made of the fulfiller; whereas the invocation (8ernaine8) is merely an appeal for aid to
some special owner of power (8ernarpâ, he invokes him). It is not known whether in any of these cases
words of the pronouncer's own choice could be employed. The general custom, at all events, was to use
distinct spells with peculiar tunes belonging to them. Such a prayer was called serrat (in the tales
translated by spell, magic lay, or song), and might have reference to health, hunting, assistance against
enemies or dangersin short, whatever purpose might be desired within the limits of what was deemed
right and proper. A serrat was supposed to have a power by itself, independent of the person who
happened to know or make use of it. It was therefore considered an object of possession and barter; but it
had also a deeper significance, in so far as a man in using it applied to a certain power, or had his
thoughts fixed upon the fulfiller or the original giver of the spell, these persons p. 52 being generally
identicalviz., the nearest deceased kindred of the user. The serrats were in some cases expressly directed
to the invoker's ancestors, and are also known to have been the hereditary property of the same family. In
the same way, invocations were generally addressed to the souls of the grandparents, and were
principally employed as a preventive against being frightened to death. A serrat had to be originally
acquired by a revelation to some individual who possessed a certain degree of angakok-wisdom, and in
most cases they probably dated from very remote ages. The serranek was chiefly practised by old men,
who, while performing it, partly uncovered the head.
The amulets, or arnuat (plural of arnua8), were small articles which either permanently belonged to the
individual, and in this case were always carried about his person or worn on the body or inserted in his
weapons, or were sometimes only acquired for certain special occurrences. The efficacy of an amulet
depends firstly on the nature of the original thing or matter from whence it has been derived. To serve
this purpose, certain animals or things which had belonged to or been in contact with certain persons or
supernatural beings were chiefly chosen; and sometimes, but more rarely, also objects which merely by
their appearance recalled the effect expected from the amulet, such as figures of various objects.
Undoubtedly the original inua of the objects was believed to be still acting by means of them. Those in
most esteem were objects pretended to have belonged to the ingnersuit and the inuarutligkat. Very
precious amulets were got from the avingak, which in Labrador signifies a kind of weasel, but in
Greenland a fabulous animal, and the application of which in a tale from both countries exhibits a most
striking similarity. It is also said to serve the western Eskimo for amulets. Probably the choice and
appreciation of things most useful and appropriate for amulets was p. 53 akin to their faith in different
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