[From Wiki] In Greenlandic Inuit (Kalaallit) traditions, a tupilaq […] was an avenging monster fabricated by a practitioner of witchcraft or shamanism by using various objects such as animal parts (bone, skin, hair, sinew, etc.) and even parts taken from the corpses of children. The creature was given life by ritualistic chants. It was then placed into the sea to seek and destroy a specific enemy.
The use of a tupilaq was risky, however, because if it was sent to destroy someone who had greater magical powers than the one who had formed it, it could be sent back to kill its maker instead, although the maker of tupilaq could escape by public confession of her or his own deed.
You really don’t want to know how the tupilaq is given its magical powers, but now that I said it, that Wiki article is getting an unusual amount of hits from lurking Blogmockrateers, because we like to be knowledgeable, informed and prepared for The Overnight Open Thread.
Tags: Inuit, monsters, Overnight Open Thread, shamanism, weapons, WTF
