18 JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS PSYCHOLOGY 



The &quot;inua&quot; are imperceptible to the ordinary organs of sense, 

 except in rare instances. They manifest themselves to particu 

 larly gifted persons, such as the angakoks, or to animals, that are 

 endowed with a peculiar sense, described by a word meaning 

 literally &quot;not being unconscious of anything.&quot; (53: 43.) Rink 

 says: 



&quot;Strictly speaking, any object, or combination of objects, existing 



either in a physical or spiritual point of view, may be said to have its 



inua, if only, in some way or other, it can be said to form a separate 

 idea.&quot; (53: 37; cf. 43: 225.) 



The angakoks, or magicians, have intercourse with the super 

 natural world by the aid of familiar spirits, called tornaks. 

 There are traces of a rather indefinite belief in a great spirit, 

 who has minor tornaks under his control. He is called Tor- 

 narsuk. Nansen thinks that the identification of this being with 

 the devil by the missionaries has a great deal to do with his 

 exalted position in Eskimo thought. Paul Egede tells of a 

 dispute concerning Tornarsuk s immortality, some saying he 

 cannot die, others holding that he can be killed; special care 

 must be taken during incantations not to cause his death. 

 (43:73, 197.) 



The most conspicuous character in Eskimo mythology is a 

 woman, generally known, from her name among some of the 

 Central tribes, as Sedna. One of the most widespread of Eskimo 

 myths is that of the origin of Sedna. She is said to have refused 

 to marry the man selected for her by her father, so the latter 

 threw her overboard. When she tried to save herself, he cut off 

 her fingers. These became various marine animals. She lives 

 at the bottom of the sea and, to use the words of Boas, &quot;she has 

 supreme sway over the destinies of mankind,&quot; (6: 119) through 

 her control of the offshoots of her hand, which are the Eskimo s 

 principal means of subsistence. (19 : 111 ; 69 : 440 ; 33 : 43 ; 

 30 : 114 ; 52 : 17 ; 5 : 583 ; 43 : 150 ; see Miss Wardle s study of the 

 Sedna cycle, 71:568-580.) 



A large place is held also by the souls of the dead. Honor, 

 must be paid to them and the death-taboos must be observed, for 

 the dead are very powerful. A human being, according to the 

 Eskimo, consists of at least two parts, body and soul. Sometimes 

 a third part is spoken of, identified with the name. Also there 

 is found a belief in several souls. Thus in East Greenland, 



