Eskimomärchen

In this collection of Arctic legends, the world is reshaped by water and ice. A massive flood swallows the land, sparing only a towering mountain and a handful of people who cling to a simple boat, learning to survive on the tide‑pools left behind. When the waters recede, the survivors climb the new peaks, while the returning animals repopulate the valleys, leaving behind strange furrows that become today’s mountains and rivers. A parallel tale from central Inuit tells of an ocean that rises, blankets the peaks with ice, and leaves behind shells and bones of sea creatures that still dot the highlands.

The anthology also opens with a whimsical creation myth featuring the raven Tu‑lu‑kau‑guk. A nameless human bursts from a bean pod, meets a curious raven who can shift between bird and man, and receives the first gifts of berries and water that sustain life. Their encounter sets the stage for a world where the landscape and its inhabitants are constantly born from playful, shape‑shifting interactions.