107 



Elements 

 OF THE Greenland Tales and Traditions. 



Next to the language the folk-lore probably will become the 

 most important source of knowledge that may thiow light on the 

 obscure history of the Eskimo race. Some instruction therefore as 

 to making use of them for this purpose, perhaps may be appropriate 

 here. It is chiefly through the tales or legends that any sort of 

 knowledge, either of religious or what may be considered historical 

 nature, is handed down through generations by the Eskimo. For 

 tliis reason it is not to be wondered at, that certain elements, more 

 or less repeatedly occurring in the tales and partly applied by the 

 story-tellers as interpolations . are frequently met with , and that a 

 discrimination of the traditions on the whole as to the importance 

 of their contents may be found troublesome. The following selection 

 is only made for facilitating the comparison of the Greenland 

 traditions with those which still might be obtained from other 

 Eskimo countries and the neigbouring nations. Consequently it is 

 restricted to what appears to be most popular among the story- 

 tellers and characteristic to their sphere of ideas, comprizing partly 

 some elements, that are repeated in various tales, partly others 

 which are peculiar to some of the most favourite or most widely 

 known tales. The numbers subjoined refer to the headings in the 

 English edition of Eskimo Tales and Traditions (1875). 



Strong and mighty men, first rate seal-hunters. No equals in 

 kayaking far out to sea in all weathers. Thickness of their kayak 

 paddles. Dexterity and strength bearing against the influen(;e of 

 old age. 



Their great fame, strangers coming from afar to offer them a 

 match. Some of them well disposed and modest, others wicked 

 persons and manslayers. The kayakers of the surrounding stations 

 meeting to deliberate on the punishment of the latter (22, 36. 59. 

 60. 66, 67, 70, 85, 98). 



