Qallupilluit/Qalupalik

The Qallupilluit are bogeyman figures from Inuit mythology. They scared children away from sea ice and lurked near patches of broken ice. Steam rising from the water were signs of a Qalupaliik. They hunt on shorelines and near ice flows. They have human forms, green skin, scales, long heads, and long sharp fingernails. They typically wear an amautik (a parka specifically for women with a pouch to carry children in the back.) They are known to hum eerily and knock on the ice underneath people to lure them to more dangerous areas. They specifically target children separated from any adults. Children caught would be put in a sack (or the amautik hood presumably) and pulled under the water. They may devour the children they catch, but they sometimes preserve the child’s life to drain their vitality over a long period of time. These children remain in a half-frozen sleep state. Children who have not been immediately killed could be rescued, or even escape on their own at some point.

Citation:

McElroy, D.R.. Superstitions: A Handbook of Folklore, Myths, and Legends from Around the World. United States, Wellfleet Press, 2020.

Pearce, Q. L.. Native American Mythology. United States, Greenhaven Publishing LLC, 2012.

Williamson, Jenny, and McMenemy, Genn. Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology. United States, Adams Media, 2023.