Nanook

Spirit | Inuit

The master of polar bears; Inuit hunters pray to Nanook for success and respectfully dispose of bear remains; he embodies the reciprocal relationship between human hunters and the animal world. The polar bear skull must be given a drink of water after the kill and returned to the sea — to honor the bear’s spirit and ensure it will be reborn and hunted again. Nanook is not worshipped as a distant god; he is a partner in the covenant of survival.

Parallels: Bear Mother (various North American traditions), Artemis as mistress of animals (Greek), Cernunnos (Celtic — lord of animals), Pashupati (Hindu — lord of beasts) See also: Sedna, Angakkuq, Sila