Bestiarium Groenlandica By Maria Bach Kreutzmann Milik Publishing

Almost five years in the making, Maria Bach Kreutzmann’s Bestiarium Groelandica convenes seven Greenlandic and Nordic artists to bring to life 67 monsters, ghosts, creatures and ghouls. Here, the author shares the process behind the resulting handbook or bestiary as well as an in-depth look at three monstrous spirits and the stories that inspired them:

I have always been deeply fascinated with monsters and found the creatures of Greenlandic mythos especially thrilling. Growing up in Greenland with tales and lore collected and re-told all around me, the ghosts and monsters looming outside were never far from my thoughts. This publication started as a small passion project and journey to uncover these forgotten creatures. Little did I know that it would grow into a full-fledged handbook.

My team of three researchers and I wanted to explore the creatures and their origins—their appearance, function and, to the extent it was possible, geographic location. Some creatures were described in great detail while others were only mentioned briefly, with more focus on their abilities rather than physical attributes. We managed to comb through almost 15,000 pages of literature in the small amount of time we had, focusing only on the written sources collected in Greenland to narrow down the research. To bring the creatures we discovered to life, I called upon not only Greenlandic artists, but friends in the illustration industry from other Nordic countries. By bringing in other artists, I was able to get many unique interpretations of the creatures that were made largely of their physical descriptions but also any other information on offer. This resulted in a number of interesting takes on traditional monsters such as the inorrooq and the reinvention of certain characters like the kiliffak.

Though the project began with the simple idea of bringing these forgotten creatures to life, it has now evolved into a dream of hopefully inspiring my own people to delve deeper into our mythology and history. And to make new stories while we continue to re-tell the old ones. I knew then, and even more so now, the immense responsibility that comes with talking, writing and making art about my cultural history. These creatures live on whether we tell their stories or not—all they are waiting for is us to make them visible.– Maria Bach Kreutzmann

This publication started as a small passion project and journey to uncover forgotten creatures in Greenlandic mythology.

Illustration of the kiliffak by Agust Kristinsson The kiliffak (the scraper) is a huge, long-haired animal that lives close to or on the inland icecap, where it walks around scraping for food. It is said to have between six to ten legs with huge horns, beautiful fur and a hide so big that it can cover the entire inside of a house. When slaughtered, the meat of the kiliffak will grow back on its bones twice and can feed a whole settlement during a harsh winter. But hunting the kilif fak is not easy, as it can run extremely fast and is said to have a powerful bite.

Illustration of the qivittoq by Maja Lisa Kehlet The qivittoq (the mountain wanderer) is a person who has left their village or settlement in shame and wandered into the mountains. For a qivittoq to gain magical powers, the person has to freeze to death over the course of five days. And, after waking back up from the dead, they never have to fear hunger or the cold again. They also gain the ability to fly. They are often dressed in hare or fox skins with tousled, wild and completely white hair. Occasionally, those who have become qivittut can come back from the wild to rejoin their community.

Illustration of the aajumaaq by Maria Bach Kreutzmann The aajumaaq (the sleeved one) is a simultaneously vengeful and helpful spirit, called upon by an angakkoq (shaman) when he travels to the spirit world. It is described with long, black arms and three fingers on each hand and with the head or skull of a dog. When it arrives, it floats into the room. The creature provides both guidance and protection for the angakkoq, as everything the aajumaaq touches will rot and die.