Qalupalik

In Inuit mythology, the Qallupilluit, which are also known as the Qalupalik, are malevolent aquatic beings that reside along Arctic shorelines and beneath treacherous ice floes to kidnap children who stray too far from their families. These creatures are primarily depicted as feminine figures with green, slimy skin, long hair, and webbed hands, and they are famously known for wearing a specialized amautik, or Inuit parka, made of eider duck feathers to conceal the children they steal. The Qallupilluit use an ethereal hum to entice their prey or a high-pitched, paralyzing shriek to immobilize victims before dragging them into the freezing depths, where the children are either devoured or held in stasis to sustain the creature's youth.

Beyond their role as a cautionary tale designed to keep children safe from the environment, these beings are skilled shape-shifters that employ a technique called pilutitaminik, though they can be defeated if a clever hunter tricks them into transforming into a catchable animal like a seal or whale. One famous legend illustrates the desperation of Arctic life by describing a grandmother who surrendered her grandson to a Qallupilluit to save him from famine, only for the boy to be found later tethered to a piece of seaweed and rescued by a brave couple at dawn.