Hitchhiker's Guide to Religion
Inuit

Nanook

Inuit Pre-contact Inuit tradition; the polar bear hunt and its associated rituals documented by explorers from the 16th century and ethnographers from the 19th century; living tradition in modified form All Arctic Inuit communities where polar bears are found: Hudson Bay, Baffin Island, western Greenland, Arctic Alaska, northern Canada — wherever the sea ice sustains bear populations
Portrait of Nanook
Portrait of Nanook
Period Pre-contact Inuit tradition; the polar bear hunt and its associated rituals documented by explorers from the 16th century and ethnographers from the 19th century; living tradition in modified form
Power COMMON 8

Attributes

ATK
10
DEF
9
SPR
7
SPD
7
INT
5
CHA
—
WIS
—
END
—

Combat Profile

ATK DEF SPR SPD INT CHA WIS END
Special Move

Master of the Hunt

Nanook grants his followers unmatched prowess in tracking and slaying prey, ensuring bountiful harvests from the wilderness.

Passive

Lord of Animals

All beasts within Nanook's domain are subject to his will; he demands respect and proper ritual before any creature may be taken.

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

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Pre-contact Inuit tradition; the polar bear hunt and its associated rituals documented by explorers from the 16th century and ethnographers from the 19th century; living tradition in modified form — See in timeline
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