The Qalupalik is a sea-monster of the arctic regions, although the folklore seems to allude to it being a creature that exists in great numbers, it is only regularly referenced as a single creature. Folklore of the Qalupalik describes this cryptid in a fantastically in-depth manner. This wraith-mermaid inhabits arctic regions, but has no actual origin story. She haunts the depths of frozen waters, with sallow green, scaly skin, her long black hair sticks sickeningly to her dark and sunken face. The main hunting ground of this monster are the shores near native villages, where she can prey upon children wandering on their own in dangerous areas by the sea.
She has long sharp claws that adorn her webbed feet and hands, but it is never reported that she uses these claws to maim or kill her victims. Instead, she lures children onto the ice, or near the icy shore where she kidnaps them and absconds with them to her cavern in the dark reaches of the sea. The children weren’t consumed in a typical fashion—they are slowly drained of their life, which the Qalupalik uses to stay alive, which essentially renders her immortal. Surprisingly, the child does not drown during their capture, as there are stories that suggest the child can be rescued by diligence on the part of the father, or guardian.
The Qalupalik is a cryptid of Inuit folklore, as part of their previously oral culture, it served as a lesson to warn children against wandering away from their parents in dangerous areas. The region in which the Inuit thrived was harsh and unforgiving, so to preserve their numbers they had to resort to these kinds of stories to keep their children from encountering harm, as it was common for children to inadvertently wander towards the rushing water, fall in, and either drown or die of hypothermia.
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