Åndemaneren, der fór til månen
Der var engang i længst svundne tider en åndemaner, der forstod at fare gennem luften. En dag fik han lyst til at be­søge månemanden, og så holdt han en åndebesværgelse og for ud i himmelrummet. Månemanden tog vel imod ham og satte mad frem for ham, og da åndemaneren var vel i gang med måltidet, sagde månemanden, at det nu ikke ville vare længe, før troldkvinden, der æder indvolde, ville kom­me ind; derpå tog han fra sin briks en lille tingest, der lig­nede en stump af en dværgpil, og sagde:
”Den skal du bide i, når du får lyst til at le; for hun vil gøre alt for at få dig til at le, og så snart du bare smiler, skærer hun dig op og æder dine indvolde.”
Lidt efter viste der sig pludselig en kødbakke midt på gul­vet, og bakken snurrede rundt, uden at man kunne se noget menneske, og midt i bakken lå en ulo. Månemanden rejste sig op, tog kødbakken og stak den ind under sidebriksen. Så kom der en troldkvinde ind, en troldkvinde, der lo over hele ansigtet, og hun stillede sig op midt på gulvet og begyndte at danse. Og hun dansede og blev ved med at danse, og til sidst så det ud, som om ansigtet voksede ud til begge sider, så at det blev ganske langstrakt. Men da manden stadig ikke gjor­de mine til at smile, begyndte det pludselig at vokse på den anden led og blev så aflangt, at det til sidst næsten kun var en streg. Øjnene var helt nede ved skridtet, så langt nede, at hun kunne se gennem sit eget skridt. Men da manden endnu ik­ke gjorde mine til at smile, blev troldkvinden pludselig al­vorlig og holdt inde, idet hendes ansigt fik sit naturlige udse­ende igen. Men efter et lille ophold gav hun sig atter til at danse glædesdanse, og hun virrede nu voldsomt med hove­det, medens hendes kinder blev ved med at vokse, så at de til sidst klaskede hende på bukselinningerne. Dette så så vanvit­tig grinagtigt ud, at åndemaneren var lige ved at smile. Han fortrak dog ikke en mine, skønt han inderst inde havde stor lyst til at le. Da var der en stemme fra vinduet, som råbte:
”Der smilede han, der smilede han!”
Men da åndemaneren stadig ikke fortrak en mine, blev kællingen så rasende, at hun skyndte sig ud af huset. Et øje­blik efter kom en ung pige ind og sagde:
”Jeg skulle bede om hendes kødbakke!”
Månemanden værdigede hende ikke et svar, skønt hun blev ved med at tale om kødbakken, og til sidst gik hun ud igen. Men et øjeblik efter kom hun grædende ind, helt over­kradset i ansigtet og sagde:
”Jeg skulle bede om hendes kødbakke!”
Men heller ikke denne gang svarede månemanden. Så gik hun igen for atter et øjeblik efter at komme ind, og nu sag­de hun:
”Jeg skulle sige, at hvis hun ikke fik sin kødbakke nu, ville hun rive fjeldene ned.”
Troldkvinden var en af dem, der havde været med til at rejse de støtter, som holder himmelrummet oppe. Denne gang svarede månemanden:
”Lad hende vise os, hvad hun kan, så skal hun få sin kødbakke tilbage!”
Pigen styrtede ud af huset, og da hun kom ind igen, sagde hun:
”Jeg skulle sige, at nu kan I komme ud og se det, hvis I har lyst!”
Da de kom ud, stod troldkvinden vendt mod jordens højeste fjelde, og blot hun sparkede med benene, faldt væl­dige stenskred ned. Da skyndte månemanden sig at sige:
”Nu skal du få dit kødfad!”
Og så gik de ind i huset igen, og her fortalte måneman­den:
”Ser du, hendes hunde er så små, at de ingen øjne har, og de bliver aldrig større; og således er de, fordi de kun æder menneskeindvolde!”
Nu kom der en mængde mennesker ind, og der blev sat mad frem for dem, og de snakkede i munden på hinanden og spiste. Lidt efter gik de igen, og da sagde månemanden:
”Kom, så skal du se - al den mad, de lige har spist, ligger på det sted, hvor de har siddet. Den løber lige igennem dem, fordi de ingen indvolde har!”
Derpå åbnede månemanden et hul i sit gulv og bad ånde­maneren om at kigge ned. De så da ned over alle menne­skenes bopladser, der herfra syntes at ligge ganske nær ved hinanden. Bagved et af husene opdagede de en kvinde med sit barn i amaut, og kvinden var netop i færd med at æde noget, som var tabu for hende. Da sagde månemanden:
Når jeg ser sådan noget, kan jeg slet ikke sove!”
For månemanden vogter over menneskenes leveregler.
Han viste nu jordens lande for åndemaneren og sagde:
”Ser du der lidt østen for jeres boplads, der ligger en død narhval.”
Næppe havde åndemaneren fået øje på den, før han fik travlt med at komme tilbage til jorden igen, og han lod månemanden binde sig, sådan som han plejede at være bundet, når han for gennem luften, og styrtede sig ud i him­melrummet.
Dette fortæller man om åndemanerens besøg hos måne­manden.

De første mennesker
Det var engang for længe, længe siden en tid, hvor alle menneskene levede oppe i himlen og var udødelige. Men så styrtede en mand ned og avlede en datter med jorden. Deres afkom var meget frugtbart og overfyldte snart jorden. Da kom der et mægtigt jordskælv, som spaltede landene i store revner, hvori mange mennesker styrtede ned. Fra dem stammer de underjordiske, som man kalder ingnerssuit: De store ildboer.

Deres land er gådefuldt og vidunderligt, og kun mennesker, der forstår sig på skjulte ting, kan komme derind. Når man går ind i jorden, lige på det sted i havstokken, hvor hav og land mødes, vil der åbne sig store udsyn til helt nye egne af jorden. Her bor de store ildboere. De ligner ganske overfladens beboere, men mangler næse. De bor i huse, der er bygget ligesom menneskenes, og lever deres liv og driver jagt på havet ganske som disse. Den, som ikke forstår sig på trolddom, må helst undgå dem, for han glemmer let sin hjemrejse og han kommer da aldrig tilbage til overfladen mere. Kun de store åndemanere møder ofte ingnerssuit og anvender dem gerne som hjælpeånder. De er dygtige kajakroere, beskytter åndemanerne, når disse overfaldes af storm på havet og giver dem også fangst.

Alle østgrønlændere stammer fra nogle ganske få familier, for da menneskene var blevet mange og overfyldte bopladserne, steg havet pludselig og skyllede over alle lande. Kun de allerhøjeste tinder ragede op over bølgerne, og de var så stejle, at ingen mennesker kunne bestige dem. Men inde i den store Angmagssalikfjord var der et stort, massivt fjeld, Qerrorssuit, der endte uden nogen tinder. Her op flygtede menneskene og opslog deres telte, og de var de eneste, der reddede sig fra at drukne. Fra dem stammer alle østgrønlænderne.
Der er dem, der tror, at havet endnu en gang under en mægtig flod vil oversvømme alle lande, men ingen, selv ikke de største åndemanere, ved noget om, når det bliver. De gamle har også fortalt, at engang vil alle ferskvandssøer udtørre, og da vil menneskene dø af tørst. Dette er alt, hvad der vides om jorden og de første mennesker, der kom fra himlen.

Nordlyset
Det siges, at efter døden vender mange mennesker tilbage igen til himlen. Og når nordlysene bølger frem og tilbage, da er det de afdødes ånder, som spiller bold med dødningehoveder.

The Shaman, who flew to the Moon
Once, in times long gone, there was a shaman, who knew how to fly through the air.
One day he felt like visiting the Moon Man, so he performed necromancy and rushed out into space.
The Moon Man welcomed him, and served him food, and as the shaman had his meal, the Moon Man told him that it would not be long, before the sorceress, who eats guts, would arrive.  Then he took a small thing that looked like a piece from a dwarf-willow from his plank bed and said:
”This is for you to bite on, when you feel like laughing; because she will do anything to make you laugh, but as soon as you just smiles, she will cut you open and eat your guts.”

Shortly thereafter, a meat-tray suddenly appeared in the middle of the floor, and the tray whirled around although nobody was around, and on the tray there was an ulo (ulo: a woman’s knife, used to cut up seals and bears).  The Moon Man stood up, took the tray and placed it under the plank bed.
Then a sorceress entered.  A sorceress with a laugh all over her face and she went out on the middle of the floor and began to dance.  And she danced, and went on dancing, and eventually it looked like her face grew to both sides, so it became quite broad.  But as the man still kept a straight face, the woman’s face started to grow lengthwise, and became so oblong, that it, at the end, was only a line.  The eyes were down at the groin, so far down, that she could see through her own crotch.  But as the man still kept a straight face, the sorceress suddenly became serious and stopped, as her face regained its natural shape.  But after a short break she started to dance her hilarious dance, and now she shook her head violently, while her cheeks grew and grew, so that they at last slapped on her waistband.  This looked so hilarious, that the shaman almost smiled.  But he kept his face straight, although he deep down felt a tremendous urge to laugh.  Then a voice called from the window:
”There he smiled, there he smiled!”
But as the shaman kept his face straight, the crone became so furious, that she left the house in a hurry.  Shortly after, a girl came in and said:
”I should ask for her meat tray!”
The Moon Man did not even answer, although she kept on talking about the meat tray, and eventually she left.  But a moment later she came back crying, with scratches all over her face and said:
”I should ask for her meat tray!”
But the Moon Man didn’t answer her this time either.  Then she left, but returned soon after and said:
”She told me to say, that if she doesn’t get her meat tray now, she will tear down the mountains.”
The sorceress was one of those, who had raised the pillars that keep the heavens up.
This time the Moon Man answered:
”Let her show us what she is able to do, and then she shall have her meat tray back!
The girl rushed out of the house, and when she returned, she said:
”She told me to say, that you can come out and watch if you want!”
When they came out, the sorceress stood close to the highest mountains on the Earth, and if only she kicked with her legs, huge landslides occurred.
Then the Moon Man hastened to say:
”Now you can have your meat tray back!”
Then they returned into the house, and the Moon Man said:
”You see, her dogs are so small, that they don’t have eyes, and they will never grow bigger, because they only eat human intestines!”

Then a lot of people entered the house.  Food was served for them, and they talked away as they ate.  Soon after, they left, and then the Moon Man said:
”Come and take a look – all the food they just ate, lays on the spot where they sat.  It runs straight through them, because they have no intestines!”

Then the Moon Man opened a hatch in his floor, and asked the shaman to look down.  They saw down at the settlements of the mankind, and from there, they looked like they lay quite close to each other.  Behind one of the houses, they spotted a woman with a baby in her amaut (amaut: a bag, in which the women carried their infants on their back), and the woman was right about to eat something, which was taboo for her.  Then the Moon Man said:
”When I see things like that, I can’t sleep at all!”
Because the Moon Man is the guardian of the human rules of conduct.
He now showed the lands of the Earth to the shaman and said:
”Take a look there, a bit east of your settlement, there is a dead narwhal.”
When the shaman saw that, he wanted to return to the Earth in a hurry.  He let the Moon Man tie him down, like he usually was tied during his trips through the air, and then he threw himself out into space.

That is what they tell about the shaman’s trip to the Moon Man.

The first People
A long, long time ago, the human race was immortal and lived in the sky. But then a man fell down and begot a daughter with the Earth. Their offspring was very fertile and soon the whole world was overpopulated.

Then came a mighty earthquake, which cracked the countries in wide crevices, into which a great number of people disappeared. From them derive the ghost-people, called Ignerssuit: "The Mighty Fire People". Their land is mysterious and wonderful, and only people who know the hidden secrets, can visit them. When you go into the earth - exactly at the point in the horizon, where the ocean meet the lands - you will get access to completely different areas of the world.
There live "The Mighty Fire People". They look like normal people, except for the fact that they don't have a nose. They live in houses and hunt on the sea, just like humans do. People without magical knowledge should avoid them, because otherwise they will forget about their home, and never reach the surface again. Only the great shamans meet the Ignerssuit frequently and use them as guiding spirits. They are skilful kayak users and protect the shamans, when they are caught by storms, and even help them hunting.

The entire population of Eastern Greenland descend from only a few families. This is caused by the fact, that when the humans grew in numbers again and overpopulated the settlements, the sea suddenly rose and flooded all the lands. Only the highest peaks reached over the surface of the sea, and they were so sheer, that nobody could climb them.
But within the great Ammassalik-fjord, there was an enormous mountain called Qerrorssuit, which ended without any peaks. Some humans survived by climbing that mountain and set up camps there, and they were the only ones that didn’t drown. From these people, all East Greenlanders descend.
Some people believe, that the ocean will rise once again and flood all the countries, but nobody, not even the mightiest shamans know when this will happen. Our ancestors also told us, that some day all the lakes will dry out, and then the humans will die of thirst. This is all that we know about the Earth and the first humans, who came from the heaven.

The Northern Lights
By all accounts, the humans return to heaven when they die. The Northern Lights are the spirits of the dead that play ball with skulls.