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Ghost Stories in Greenland III

Set
GBP £3.38
Set CTO
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Sheetlets
GBP £33.80
Sheetlets CTO
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Block of 4
GBP £13.52
Block of 4
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Block of 4 CTO
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Block of 4 CTO
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About Ghost Stories in Greenland III

The Greenlandic spirit world is populated by a colourful cast of dangerous and fantastical beings. Polar scientist Knud Rasmussen described them, for example, in his legendary book series ’Inuit Folk-Tales’.

In Greenland, Christianity co-exists alongside supernatural beliefs, an important cultural relic of shamanism. This is also reflected in the many myths and legends that have at times been reproduced on our previous stamps, dating right back to the 1950s. In his time, the legendary Jens Rosing, who designed significantly more Greenlandic stamps than any other artist, stated:
”The star of paganism eventually lost its luster, but it will not die as long as the northern lights continue to dance in the sky, as long as storms rage and surf crashes against bedrock, as long as the ice pack drifts in the wind and current under the torch of the sun.”

In 2020 we issued the first stamps in this series on ‘Ghost stories in Greenland’. The designs are taken from the book ’Bestiarium Groenlandica’, which was published in 2018 by Milik Publishing and edited by Maria Bach Kreutzmann. We are now following up with a further two stamps with designs taken from the book. Stamp No 5 and No 6 of the series, which give two more young artists their stamp debuts.

’AMU’
AMU is a helpful spirit, known throughout Greenland. It appears in many different stories and is known

for its distinctive appearance. It has a small, almost withered body with a pair of extremely long arms with three fingers on each hand and a big head with large, shiny eyes. The AMU’s presence is easy to detect as it persistently screams:” Amuuuu! Amuuuu!”

When an angakkoq (shaman) embarks on a spiritual journey, it can be to locate a spirit that causes mis- fortune in the settlement. In order to undertake the journey, his soul must first leave his body. Consequent- ly, the angakkoq holds a séance among the people of the settlement. When that happens, AMU’s primary function is to keep those present alive and protect them from exterior spirits or spirits hiding in the space. In order for the AMU to become a helpful spirit, it must first be vanquished by the angakkoq.

The stamp created by Carina Lillegaard Løvgreen is her first stamp for TUSASS Greenland.

Carina has a Bachelor’s degree in character animati- on from The Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark. This education has enabled her to develop her crea- tive skills, making her an experienced illustrator today. She has participated in such animated TV series as LEGO Ninjago and LEGO Star Wars. She is currently training as a carpenter, so she can apply her creative skills to sculpturing and craftwork.

’Qarlimaatsoq – The dead one’
Qarlimaatsoq is a thoroughly desiccated corpse who- se head is completely black. It usually lives in graves and, upon rising from a grave, assumes the appearan- ce of the northern lights in the sky. During a full moon, it may lie screaming in its grave. In graves haunted by a qarlimaatsoq, a buzzing sound may be heard. If a grave has significantly caved in, it is said to be becau- se corpse is out walking. Qarlimaatsoq is a coveted helpful spirit to the shamans. It becomes a helpful spirit when the shaman rubs on one of the stones on the grave, after which the grave opens.

Coco Apunnguaq Lynge is an illustrator, concept artist and visual development artist. She says:
”I was born in Greenland and raised in Denmark, which has made me long for my Greenlandic roots. I use my growing knowledge of Greenland and Greenlandic culture in my personal pieces, realising that I can give back to the country of my birth; by telling new (and old) stories in characters and illustrations. In this way, I strive to improve as an artist and visual developer.”

Coco Apunnguaq Lynge is currently a Junior Concept Artist at ’Mood Visuals Denmark’, training as a charac- ter designer for the video game industry. This is Coco Apunnguaq Lynge’s debut stamp.