Sedna – Göttin des Meeres

Sedna is the goddess of the sea and sea creatures, especially seals, whales and fish – in other words, all the animals that the Inuit traditionally live off. She is often depicted as the ruler of the underwater world and is a kind of creator or guardian of marine life.

Sedna’s Helpers by Ida Karpik

“Once upon a time, there was a young girl called Sedna who lived with her father in a small village on the edge of the ice. Many men wanted to marry her, but she rejected every one of them. Some said she was proud. Others whispered that she was different.

One day a stranger came, dressed in fine furs. He promised her warmth, food and a life far from the cold. Sedna agreed and went with him. But when they arrived at his island, she realized the deception: the man was not human, but a petrel, and his home was barren and cold.

Sedna cried, and her lament summoned her father. Full of guilt and fear, he brought her back in his kayak. But the petrel was angry and caused the sea to roar. The waves grew higher and the sky turned black. The father, terrified of death, pushed Sedna overboard. She clung to the kayak, begging and screaming. To save himself, her father cut off her fingers, one by one. Each finger turned into an animal in the water: seal, whale, walrus.

Sedna sank into the depths – full of pain, full of anger. Down there in the dark water, she built herself a realm of cold and silence. She has lived there ever since, with flowing hair and no hands. The animals of the sea belong to her.”

Out of the Sea by Pitaloosie Saila

And when the people above forget her or break her rules, she holds the animals back. Then a shaman must travel to her, in a trance, through darkness and water, and comb her hair, which she can no longer care for herself. Only then does she forgive – and allow the hunt to resume.