tupilak

Meaning

Noun

• A monster (either invisible or having a physical form constructed from animal bones, sinew, etc) created in secret by a shaman and sent into the sea to seek and kill a specific enemy.
• A (small) representation of such a monster, often carved from whale bone.

Origin

• From Greenlandic tupilak or Inuktitut ᑐᐱᓚᒃ, ᑐᐱᓚᖅ.