Tag: alaska

5 7 A B D F G I K O T U V
In Is

Inuit Spirit of Death: The Keelut

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Featured Horror Books Horror Mystery and Lore Scary Movies and Series

What is the Keelut?

Aggressive Keelut, Inuit Spirit of Death
Photography by Nick Bolton

This creature is an Inuit legend, one who hunts people during the winter, but it’s not actually a predator in the strictest sense–it’s a spirit of the Netherworld. The Keelut (key-loot), also known as the Qiqirn (key-kern) is sometimes referenced as a spirit of death or an evil earth spirit. While it is actually a spirit, it takes the form of what some believe to be a true cryptid. To be honest, it’s hard to say which is a more frightening aspect of this creature, that it’s an immense, malevolent, black, hairless dog with the sole purpose of preying upon humans, or that it’s also a spirit so it doesn’t necessarily abide by the laws of physics. The Keelut’s mythological cousin is the Church Grim or Barguest of Great Britain, who stalks those traveling in the night which results in an untimely death.

The major difference between the Church Grim and the Keelut is the fact that the Keelut doesn’t have any hair, except for on its feet. They say that this makes their tracks in the snow disappear easily, which gives the advantage of stalking prey without being noticed. Aside from their predatory nature, these creatures have other similarities that transcend the separation of culture—both are known to act as a harbinger of death, and otherwise feast upon the dead. In Inuit folklore, the Keelut is known to attack lone travelers, the sight of one would cause disorientation, then eventually hypothermia and death.

Hold the Dark (2018): Bringing Alaskan Horror Legends to Life in a New Way

Hold the Dark Horror book featuring Keelut

This Alaskan creature of terror was made to take the sidelines in William Giraldi’s book Hold the Dark: A Novel (2014) and now a Netflix original film Hold the Dark (2018) when the residents of Keelut, a remote (fictional) Alaskan village, have been the unfortunate targets for a dangerous pack of wolves. These wolves have successfully taken three children before the main story takes place.  It’s certainly a spin to the original tale of the Keelut, but it pays special homage to the Inuit folklore wherein it was born.

While it certainly didn’t get rave reviews from this critic, I have a personal bias when it comes to films that include Alaska and the surrounding culture, even if it’s not terribly accurate.

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Is 30 Days of Night Based On a True Events?

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Scary Movies and Series

Is 30 Days of Night a True Story? Is It Real?

Just before its famous annual 30 days of straight night, vicious vampires intrude and take refuge in the snow surrounding and within the small town of Barrow, Alaska. Alaska has rich and scary lore. The dark and the snow make for a naturally scary environment that is FREEZING. And the blood thirsty intruders of the night absolutely thrive in the snow! What more could a horror fan want? Well, horror fans everywhere also want to know, is the movie 30 Days of Night based upon a real lore or not?

The Real Story Behind the Movie 30 Days of Night

There are many components which make up 30 Days of Night in its polished, released state, that can be  attributed to real-life occurrences and inspirations.  In fact, many elements can be traced to sources of origination that predate the film.  The two most notable realities that help create this feature horror flick are the movie’s setting and the story line itself.

Barrow, Alaska

Barrow is an American town in Alaska located more Northeastern than any other locale in the United States. In fact, it’s only a little more than a thousand miles away from the territory of the North Pole.  This town is unique alongside only a handful of other cities, worldwide, in that it experiences a phenomena known as “polar night.”  During polar night season, Barrow residents experience 60 days of straight nighttime.  That means no sun at all for almost 1500 hours straight!  There is a twilight effect, however, which provides some light and a pretty experience for a few hours each day, gradually decreasing until winter solstice, then increasing until the sun resurfaces.  Even in Barrow’s warmest, it’s still usually under 50 degrees Fahrenheit, making it one of the coldest places to live, ever!

Vampires and Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot’

In 1975 Stephen King wrote a novel about a man who returns to a town in the cold state of Maine to find the residents all becoming vampires. The vampirism is contagious and is spreading faster than it can be contained. There are a lot of similarities in this novel, which later produced television-style movies and traditional feature films.  Probably one of the most notable parallels is the name of the head vampire in Salem’s Lot (Barlow), closely resembling the name of the head vampire in 30 Days of Night (Marlow). The head vampire dies in both films.  Admittedly, however, there is something creepy about the cold and snow at night.

Final Notes: 30 Days of Night

Although the movie is not completely based upon a real story, it is most certainly a very real fear for many people who actually live in the Alaskan town of Barrow.  And the small town most certainty the idea of vampires taking advantage of the polar night. It is also possible that the story got its true inspiration from Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.  Regardless, 30 Days of Night features a stellar cast, an awesome production quality and leaves horror fans scared!

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Is the Adlet the Werewolf of the Far North?

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Horror Mystery and Lore

What is the Adlet?

The Stalker - Adlet, the Werewolf of the North
Artwork by Mary Farnstrom

Not a true werewolf—but they are the closest thing you’ll see to one in Inuit folklore. The Adlet (ah-dlit), also known as the Erqigdlet (urk-kig-dlit) in Greenland, is considered the arctic counterpart of the well-known werewolf and for good reason. Although they are not shapeshifters and the moon has no effect on them, their physical appearance is enough to make anyone believe they’re one and the same. In their own lore, they are considered a ferocious man-eating beast, originating from an unnatural mating between an Inuit woman and a dog. This woman ended up birthing a litter of ten—five of which were dogs, and five that were half-human, half-canine monstrosities which began their history of terrorizing the frozen north.

Many accounts of this murderous race of humanoids, have described them as having a more human upper-half and a fully canine lower-half, but there are more who say that they resemble the more infamous werewolf of European lore. What all of these descriptions have in common though is the details of their monstrosity. The Adlet, in particular, possesses a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, a rusty-red coat, a pronounced canine snout, pointed ears, piercing eyes, and a long, wolf-like tail. Other than the known ability of a werewolf to transition back into a human form after a full moon, they both seem rather similar, don’t they?

Adlet stalking victims in the dark
Photography by Neil Rosenstech

Origin of the Adlet


It would be negligent to speak at length about the Adlet, without giving an explanation of where this creature originated from within the Inuit culture, luckily there are recorded tales from the late nineteenth century that help to fill the gap of our knowledge on this particular cryptid.



Uinigumissuitoq married a dog. One night she was found outside the hut sleeping with the dog. She gave birth to ten children, one half of them dogs, the other Adlet. The children grew up. Every time their grandfather had got a seal, he loaded it upon his kayak and carried it to them. His grandchildren were very voracious. Therefore, he selected an island for their place of abode and carried them over there, his daughter, the dog, and the children.

The Adlet; looking into the eye of the beast
Photography by Virginia Johnson

Their father, the dog, swam every day to the old man’s hut to fetch meat in a pair of boots which he had hung around his neck. One day the grandfather filled them with stones instead of meat and thus drowned the dog. When he was drowned their grandfather continued to send them food.

The mother, however, said to her children, “Watch your grandfather, when he goes out in his kayak, and attack him!” They killed him. Then she searched for her children, and after having cut a sole for herself, she transformed it quickly into a boat, in which she ordered them to travel across the ocean. She sang, “Angnaijaja. When you have arrived on the other side, you will make many little things. Angnaija.”

Excerpt from Journal of American Folklore v. 1-2 (1888-1889): Eskimo Tales and Songs

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