Legend

After a difficult and haunting winter full of strange noises and the disappearance of many of his fellows, Inuit hunter Quannguaviniq sets out one spring day for a walk, only to meet a tuurngaq on his way. Knowing that he cannot defeat this evil spirit through the use of force, our hero feigns death, and is carried home as food by his enemy. Still feigning death, Quannguaviniq waits until the tuurngaq is sleeping, before making his move. But although he decapitates his adversary, the tuurngaq's wife gives chase as he escapes. How can Quannguaviniq defeat her...?

This Inuit pourquoi tale explaining how fog came to be - the tuurngaq's wife is tricked into drinking far more river water than she can hold, before exploding and forming the first mist - is apparently one of a number of similar variants from the Canadian Arctic region. The story, retold by Inuit elder and artist Quanaq Mikkigak and picture-book author Joanne Schwartz, is engaging, highlighting the importance of cunning in a hunter, and delivering an example of the triumph of brain over brawn. Children who enjoy somewhat spooky tales will definitely relish The Legend of the Fog, as will anyone who enjoys folktales. The artwork by Danny Christopher, an illustrator who also teaches art through the Nunavut Arctic College, contributes eerie visuals to the telling. Sometimes I found his figures a little flat, especially when Quannguaviniq is walking at the beginning of the tale, but at other times, as when our hero cautiously opens his eyes in the cave of the tuurngaq, the effect was quite dynamic. I really enjoyed this one, just as I have pretty much every book I have read from Inhabit Media, an Inuit-owned publisher based in Nunavut. I do wish that there was a glossary of Inuit terms included here, as there was in some of their other books. Leaving that quibble aside, this offered an enjoyable insight into Arctic life and culture, and an entertaining tale in its own right. ( )